Falls Church News-Press 12-27-2018

December 27, 2018 — January 2, 2019

Fa lls Chur c h, V i r g i ni a • ww w. fc np. c om • Fr ee

Fou n d e d 1991 • Vol. XXVIII No. 45

Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads

Inside This Week Falls Church's Most Popular Stories of 2018 With a year that saw headlines on budget battles, downtown parking problems, new high school construction, West End development updates and more, the News-Press takes a look at the most popular stories of the year, as viewed by readers, at FCNP.com.

See page 8

Downtown F.C.'s 'Watch Night' Monday Promises Gala Hailing In of New Year

Annual Event to Have Music, Games & Midnight Countdown

by Matt Delaney

Falls Church News-Press

CBC Membership Meeting Set for January

trolling the House by picking up 15 seats in November 2017.

They’ve been buoyed by the pickup of four seats — all by women — in this November’s U.S. Congressional races, led by Wexton, to take control of seven of the state’s 11 Congressional seats. That was part of the party’s pickup of 40 House seats overall to win a majority for the upcoming U.S. Congress that convenes right after the new year.

Over the course of Falls Church’s 21 years of Watch Night News Year Eve celebrations, one question has been burning on everyone’s mind: What’s the story behind the Watch Night star?

In a kitschy nod to the Big Apple’s ball drop celebration in Times Square every year, the Little City has its own unique emblem descend from high above to ring in the New Year with style. But given all the pomp and circumstance (hardy har har) that the Watch Night Star brings to the annual occasion, its inclusion as a part of the New Year’s night’s main event couldn’t have had a more casual background story.

“The whole thing really took place because of me buying a soda at 7-Eleven, running into Len [Michalowski] and me two days later talking to Barb [Cram],” City of Falls Church’s superintendent of public works, Robert Goff, said.

“Len told me he thought it’d be a great idea if we could find that star that was atop the water tank. I always knew where the star was at but never thought about lowering it from a building,” Goff continued. “When I told Len I knew where it was he got excited.

Literally two or three days later I ran into Barb and I asked if we can put something on a roof and lower it down. She said ‘I don’t know if we can do that,’ and then I said, ‘Well, I have this star and Len wants to lower it.’ And she said she’d look into it.”

Continued on Page 4

Continued on Page 5

Falls Church’s citizen activist organization, the non-partisan Citizens for a Better City, announced this month that it will convene a general membership meeting in January.

See News Briefs, page 9

Mason Hoops Ready For Holiday Tourneys

There's no rest for the Mustangs over the break as both boys and girls basketball teams are in action today during holiday tournaments.

See Sports, page 14

Press Pass with Leesburg Pike Bluegrass

Falls Church’s own Leesburg Pike Bluegrass brings a more refined look to bluegrass music while preserving the genre’s down-home charm to the main stage for Watch Night 2019 this New Year’s Eve. See page 25

THE BRAINS BEHIND including the giant star in Watch Night festivities (left to right) Robert Goff, Barb Cram and Guy Brady, all survey their renovations to the structure back in December 2007, the first year it was added to the City's New Year's Eve celebration. (Courtesy Photo)

2019 Portends Huge Opportunities For Democratic Gains in Virginia

by Nicholas F. Benton

Falls Church News-Press

Index

Editorial................ 6 Letters.................. 6 News & Notes.10–11 Comment...... 12–13 Sports................ 14 Business News.. 23

Calendar...... 26–27 Classified Ads.... 28 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword......... 29 Crime Report..... 30 Critter Corner..... 30

Coming into the New Year of 2019, the push by Democrats to officially turn Virginia “blue,” to follow on the momentum of recent state and federal elections to achieve majorities in the House and Senate of the state legislature, does not appear to be waning.

There’s no waiting around for the action to begin, as a special election will be held in the state’s 33rd Senate District (Herndon,

Centerville and environs) for energetic incumbent State Del. Jennifer Boysko to take on former GOP lawmaker Joe May in a Jan. 8 special election. It will be to fill the seat vacated by now-U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton’s recent election to unseat Rep. Barbara Comstock to represent the 10th District in the U.S. Congress.

Should Boysko win, then there will be a special election to fill her seat in the House of Delegates, where the Democrats pulled within one seat of con-

PAGE 2 | DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019

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DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019 | PAGE 3

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PAGE 4 | DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019

Va. Dems

Continued from Page 1

The Virginia state legislature also convenes early next month (Jan. 9) in Richmond for a 46-day session where six major issues will be engaged, most of which will dominate through 2019, and for which the near parity between the two parties has created a new atmosphere in Richmond for the prospect of a modicum of bipartisanship.

They are these: 1. The resolution of the proposed budget offered by Gov. Ralph Northam earlier this month, including a resolution of the distribution of a $1.2 billion surplus over two years due to federal tax law changes, 2. The status of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which could be written into the U.S. Constitution if it is ratified by Virginia and with the Democratic momentum signalling a “handwriting on the wall,” could spur enough GOP support this year for its passage, at long last, 3. A “red flag” gun control law introduced by Del. Rip Sullivan (D-Arlington) that would permit

certain restrictions on gun sales based on reports of potentially dangerous buyers, along with universal background checks and restrictions on sales to younger children, 4. The redistricting of 11 of the state’s legislative districts in the Richmond and Hampton Roads areas as mandated by the U.S. Supreme Court, making them fairer for Democrats, 5. The push for the formation of a non-partisan redistricting body which will be important for the period following the next U.S. Census in 2020, and, 6. The November elections themselves, in which all state delegate and half of state senate districts will be on the ballot.

On the budget, which is expected to dominate the legislative session, the clash will pit Republicans wanting to rebate the revenue windfall back to taxpayers indiscriminately in a way that will redouble its benefits to corporations and the rich, against Democrats who will want to target the benefit for lower income Virginians in the form of an earned income tax credit refund for those earning less than $58,000 per year.

That issue is not expected to come

LO CA L to a resolution until April.

On the ERA ratification, legislators like Boysko and Karrie Delaney, who held a joint town hall in Chantilly last week, are optimistic that the political trend lines will compel enough Republicans to ascent to supporting it, with a lot of public pressure.

But others, like Del. Marcus Simon, are not so optimistic, concerned about the GOP leadership decision to place the matter before the Privileges and Elections Committee of the House of Delegates which could spell its demise at the committee level.

Anti-ERA Republican Mark Cole chairs that committee.

“It may have to wait for a clear Democratic majority to pass,” Simon told the News-Press, although a high profile attending the issue, as happened last year with major demonstrations of support in Richmond, will apply some special pressure this year, as well.

The proposed amendment, which is a very simple statement affirming gender equality, has been a bone of contention from the day women won the right to vote in 1920, and especially since Congress passed it, subject to ratification by two-thirds of the states,

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

in 1972. Since the 1970s, the measure has languished one state short of its final ratification, and now may be the time for Virginia to put it over the top.

Proud of the achievement after years of GOP delays of providing Medicaid relief to 182,000 Virginians this fall and things like an increase in recess time for children in schools, Democrats in Richmond are looking for a lot of progress in less controversial matters this session, too.

Relief on the tolling “gouging” of commuters on I-66 will be sought by Boysko and Delaney, along with new mechanisms to promote affordable housing and to help spin-off and start-up companies that are expected to arise with the decision of Amazon to locate half of its HQ2 campus in this region.

The decision will bring Virginia Tech to make a major commitment to the region and “will give our students more access,” Boysko said, and with it also will come more resources for affordable housing, transportation, infrastructure and job creation improvements. “It will offset the region’s being too beholden to the federal government for jobs,”

she added.

She and her Democratic colleagues also want “no excuse early absentee voting,” tax relief for deep southwest Virginia, an expansion of broadband throughout the state, a “Sister Counties” initiative to link wealthier with poorer counties in the state, and the decriminalization of marijuana retroactively applied to all being held in state prisons on that charge, and more.

State House and Senate elections in 2019, in addition to the special elections like the BoyskoMay one on Jan. 8, there will be primaries in some cases, including for powerful Democratic leader Dick Saslaw, who represents the 35th District that includes Falls Church, who has been promised a challenger for a June primary.

Saslaw, with the support of all leading Democrats in the state, issued a statement in the wake of Gov. Northam’s proposed budget last week hailing its “mix of forward-thinking investments in Virginia’s teachers and children, in continuing to build a skilled workforce, in the Commonwealth’s water quality and in putting Virginia on a sound financial footing for years to come.”

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DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019 | PAGE 5

The History Behind F.C.’s Watch Night Star

Continued from Page 1

As you know, the star (literally and figuratively) became the star of the New Years eve ever since it was introduced eleven years ago when the calendar flipped from 2007 to 2008. If you dig a little deeper, however, you’ll find that a lot of the star’s sentimental value is derived from its role in the holiday season.

According to a write-up Cram did on the history of the star on the Watch Night website, it was always illuminated during for the Christmas season ever since 1948 — the City’s first year as an independent municipality — when it rested at the top of the water tower behind 422 N. Washington St. It was built at Dixie Sheet Metal and designed by local architect Victor Spector, according to Cram, and was sorely missed when the construction of a townhouse office development near the water tower caused the yearly celebration to be scrapped. It wasn’t until Michalowski made his longing for the star’s return public knowledge

that it worked its way back into City’s life.

Retrieving the star became a mission for Goff and former Falls Church water system employee and current Sisler Stone employee Guy Brady. They pulled the star out of the rafters of the old property yard directly across the street from the new one, cleaned off all the mementos the local birds had left on it over the years and immediately began the restoration process. In two weeks time the star was reborn with a series of small lights with a few large incandescent lights all around it and a new coat of silver paint, per Goff, making the 100 lb, 12’x12’ star ready for showtime.

Now the Watch Night committee contracts an Atlantic Realty crane operator to lower the star each New Year to cap off the night. The only thing the event’s organizers have to be wary of, according to Goff, is the wind, since strong gusts can make the star flail around. With a New Years eve forecast this year in the

mid 30s with light winds, there should be nothing stopping local residents and the shepherds of the stars from witnessing the anticipated drop themselves.

“I’ve actually never seen the star drop before because I’ve always been out of town with family. I might have to drop by and see it with Rob and Barb and take a selfie,” Brady said with a chuckle. “So many things have gotten torn down and replaced over the years, it’s nice to see something from the City’s past and put it out there for community.”

“I was born and raised here,” Goff added while noting his pride in helping make the star a part of the City’s local appeal. “My father worked for [the City’s Public Works department], my mom worked at Columbia Baptist Church for 40 years, so it’s exciting to see the community come together and that we’re able to give back to them and to teach them a little about the history of it.”

Watch Night will take place

REVELERS CHEER ON the star as it drops down signalling the arrival of the New Year during Falls Church’s 2014 Watch Night celebration. (Photo: Andrew Finein) next Monday on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, from 7 p.m. – 1 a.m with the main stage musical performances being located at the intersection of Broad St. and Washington St. Activities for kids and families can be found at the Grand Fun Alley located in the commercial lot of 100 W.

Broad St. Musical performances and other activities can be found at nearby locations, including the Falls Church Episcopal (115 E. Fairfax St., Falls Church), Falls Church Presbyterian Church (225 E. Broad St., Falls Church) and the Cherry Hill Farmhouse (312 Park Ave., Falls Church).

1 1 2 5 W. B r o a d S t . , Fa l l s C h u r c h , VA

7 0 3. 2 3 7. 5 0 0 0 • b e y e r k i a . c o m

PAGE 6 | DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019 

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E D I TO R I A L

2019 Elections in Falls Church

What kind of a year has 2018 been for the City of Falls Church? The most popular stories clicked on at the News-Press website (see page 8) notwithstanding, the big developments impacting the quality of life of the now almost 15,000 and growing citizens here all trended toward the positive in an uneven but relatively steady march into the future. Getting caught up in the week-to-week unfolding of events, which is a particular vice of the hyper-political D.C. region, tends to obfuscate such overarching trends.

It is the prolific Harvard professor Steven Pinker, author of “The Better Angels of Our Nature” and “Enlightenment Now!,” who has become increasingly influential focusing on the meritorious achievements of our species, overall, when viewed from such an overview and longer-term perspective. There would be no better test case for his theories than the City of Falls Church, where there has been a steady and deliberate march to a brighter future with solid leadership, both at City Hall and in its school system, with solid and active support from an educated, involved and caring citizenry. There are always bumps in the road, and plenty of “Monday morning quarterbacks,” as we used to call them, with their keyboards and mice at the ready, eager to trash every decision that may be imperfect. But from the “big picture” perspective, and with a lot of transparency to help enlighten the public awareness, decisions and moves have been measured but reasonable and done to serve the public good.

The City now finds itself in a superior position to its much larger neighbors on important matters such as providing for the infrastructure upgrades a strong growth vector for the region promises, including with the advent of Amazon’s HQ2 expansion and, with it, equally major commitments by both Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia to augment Amazon and other entities in their explosive propositions for success going forward.

It turns out that the biggest challenges all of this represents for Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax County are their relative lagging in these regards, especially in the state of their school system infrastructures. By contrast, Falls Church has been like “the little engine that could,” laboring away at is improvements, backed by its citizens all the way. It is worth noting that every major initiative involved has been backed solidly by voters in public referenda. It is to the credit of the government’s openness and access, and to the role of a good local newspaper, we may add, that wise and reasonable decision making has been reflected consistently at the ballot in this community.

In this context, we remind our readers that 2019 will be another election year for the City of Falls Church. Three City Council (Phil Duncan, Letty Hardi and David Tarter) and three School Board (Justin Castillo, Erin Gill and Phil Reitinger) members will have their positions contested next November.

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City Needs to Crack Down On Truck Double Parking Editor, Once again, a delivery truck double-parked in front of Plaka Grill earlier this month impeded traffic for two blocks. It has become a routine; rather than pull off into an adjacent parking lot or driveway and walk a few more steps, trucks, including semis, are using W. Broad St. Who can blame them? There

are no signs prohibiting stopping, standing or parking anywhere along the street. That might have worked 10 years ago, but now it’s a major problem and will only cause worse backups when construction at the West End starts. Businesses need to schedule deliveries very early in the morning or late in the evening, and companies need to use smaller trucks, not semi-tractor

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trailers to deliver a few pounds of food or cartons of beverages.

The City needs to post signs and crack down on this all too frequent behavior. Traffic density is bad enough on W. Broad as it is.

Chris Raymond Falls Church

Thankful for Hardi, Gavin’s Leadership on Guns Editor, We are extremely grateful to Falls Church City Council mem-

ber Letty Hardi for her heartfelt response to banning BB and pellet guns in the Little City. Letty is dedicated to protecting children from guns, abuse, racism and bullying. She listens and solves problems with grace and skill.

Police Chief Gavin’s leadership deserves deep appreciation as does her support of banning loaded rifles and shotguns in vehicles.

We are fortunate and thankful for all who desire to live in peace.

June and Mike Beyer Falls Church

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DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019 | PAGE 7

Why Do I Invest in the Arts? It Feels Good B� J�� W����

The journey being an Angel Donor at Creative Cauldron was my wife’s journey.

Cay had been adamant for years that we needed a theater program and arts program here in the Little City. In the fall of 2007, Cay was teaching a class called “Writing As a Gift” at Creative Cauldron’s first home in the back rooms of Art and Frame.

We had just celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary and she had written a piece to celebrate this milestone called “Sparks,” which was about our second date. She was so excited to teach this class, but we soon received the devastating news that she had brain cancer.

Originally, we believed that she was going through a depressive episode. She had recently retired from a long and wonderful career as a teacher. However, she began to find it difficult to remember words and names. We had a little joke about the “English teacher who lost her nouns.” One night, before she was supposed to teach at Creative Cauldron, she told me that “I can’t teach. I can’t put two words together.” So, I wrote a note to Laura Connors Hull, Creative Cauldron’s founder, saying “I think we’re there.” A few weeks later, we had a scan and were told that Cay had 30 to 60 days to live. We actually had 20 months with her before she passed. I think that among her despairs was the fact that

Creative Cauldron still did not have a theater.

In all of our almost 50 years together, I had only expressed one true material need: I wanted a Porsche. After Cay’s passing,

“I am so proud of what Laura has done and I love seeing this dream, which is equally Cay’s dream, realized.

Creative Cauldron is a magical place here in the Little City.”

we received an envelope from an insurance company that contained the exact amount of money to purchase it. However, my daughter convinced me to rethink my purchase and we all decided to make Cay’s dream of a theater come true. I called Laura and Marty Meserve, then president of the board, to discuss what we wanted to do for Cay. I wrote them a check for $50,000 and told them that I would continue to help support Creative Cauldron in honor of Cay.

I knew that it was exactly what she would have wanted.

About five years ago, Laura had discussed the Cauldron’s vision to commission new musicals in a program called “Bold New Works for Intimate Stages.” I told her immediately that I would underwrite the program for the next five years. I have never had so much fun seeing Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith write these new works and being part of making it all happen. I am so proud of what Laura has done and I love seeing this dream, which is equally Cay’s dream, realized. Creative Cauldron is a magical place here in the Little City.

The arts have been important to me ever since I was little. I started college as a Fine Arts major and a watercolorist.

My father was also an artist and gifted cartoonist, and my mother was a very educated woman with two masters degrees and a member of the Colorado State Art Council. She became very ill when I was nine and was hospitalized for some experimental cancer treatments. Though I didn’t get to know her as much as I would have liked, I will always remember that she gave me my first set of oils with a painting guide. My parents instilled a real love of art in me. I think we should celebrate art and celebrate life. Anything that brings art into life or life into art should be supported and developed.

Why should you consider donating to the arts? Because you will invest in a better life! I think that art makes life so whole and improves our community. Since I did my doctoral work in the early seventies, my focus has been centrally concerned on the meaning of community and how communities change. I feel that Creative Cauldron addresses the needs of the community and that it has the power to address many of the current issues that face our society today.

It’s actually one of the reasons that I got involved in their Arts Adventure Camps with “Agents of Imagination: The Art and Theater of Espionage.” I’ve taken on the role of the “Professor” at these camps, teaching young people that how we convey and observe information is a form of art in itself.

You do what makes you feel good, and I feel good when I invest in the arts. Sitting at the Cauldron, watching a performance that exceeds every expectation and thinking “I helped make this!” feels wonderful. No, I am not an actor, but my contribution helped make it possible for everyone involved to bring this production to life. Just as much as my writing, my contributions to the arts are my legacy.

Jon Wiant is a retired Senior Intelligence officer and also an award-winning professor of Intelligence Studies.

Q������� �� ��� W��� Will you be in the Little City to ring in the New Year?

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• Not sure

Log on to www.FCNP.com to cast your vote

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PAGE 8 | DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019

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The Top Stories in Falls Church in 2018 Over the last 12 months, a plethora of headlines splashed across the pages of the News-Press. Stories covered budget battles, downtown parking problems, new high school construction, West End development updates along with the annual news of Little City business openings and closings.

As 2018 draws to a close, we take a look at the most popular stories of the year, as viewed by readers, at the Falls Church News-Press Online, FCNP.com.

— Jody Fellows

1

Northside Social Officially Opens in F.C. June 11, 2018

The most popular story of 2018 was on the opening of Northside Social at the corner of Park and N. Maple avenues in the City. The long-awaited debut here of the Arlington favorite was one of the Little City’s most anticipated restaurant openings in years, with the repeated delay in opening only adding to the fervor.

Originally, the coffee and wine bar was expected to open its second location in the fall of 2017 but construction and other delays pushed the date back to April 2018 until, finally, it opened its doors on the afternoon of June 11.

2

F.C.’s Argia’s Italian Restaurant Closes Doors After 18 Years September 10, 2018

While the top story of the year was the arrival of a restaurant to the City, the second most popular item was the news of another eatery’s closure.

After 18 years, Falls Church’s popular Italian restaurant Argia’s closed its doors for the final time in September.

First opened in 2000 by Adam Roth and taken over in 2012

by Pragun and Salina Rana, Argia’s had been a fixture of the City’s dining scene, winning the “Best Taste” award at the Taste of Falls Church in 2014.

In November, it was announced a new Italian restaurant from Gabriel Thompson would open in the former Argia’s space in 2019.

The trendy coffee and wine bar was introduced to the Little City in June with just one parking space — an accessible parking space at that — rather than the 28 required by the City’s zoning code for a business of its size. The result was an unprecedented 13,000-percent increase in vehicles towed from the surrounding area due to a combination of lack of Northside parking, confusing signage in area parking lots and what many have called a predatory towing company.

Some blamed the City for approving Northside’s parking space exemption while others blamed the restaurant itself for its apparent lack of concern with the parking situation.

Earlier this month, six months after its debut, Northside Social announced its first regular parking spots — nine from a condo building and one from an office building — just across the street.

3

Longtime Owner of F.C. Hardware Store, Hugh Brown, Dies at 92 November 5, 2018

News of the passing of Hugh Brown, the longtime owner of legendary Brown’s Hardware, reverberated through the community when it was announced in November.

At 92 years old, Brown was hands-on in running the oldest business in the Little City since taking over operation of the store in 1959.

An outpouring of condolences and words of appreciation for Brown were left on the news article of his passing and the News-Press received a flood of letters, commentaries and even several poems, all in tribute to the venerable Falls Church business owner.

In remembrance of Brown and his contributions to the community, the Falls Church City Council designated Dec. 8 “Hugh Brown Day” and Dogwood Tavern created a drink in his honor.

4

Parking Pains Abound Around New Restaurant at Park Ave. & N. Maple

August 23, 2018

Northside Social wasn’t the only one racking up business after it opened in Falls Church this past spring. So were the towing companies.

5

F.C. Developer Todd Hitt Surrenders to FBI on Securities Fraud Charges

October 5, 2018 The community was shocked in October when news broke that Todd Hitt, CEO of Falls Church-based Kiddar Capital, was arrested by the FBI on securities fraud charges.

Over the past several years, Hitt and his company had risen to the forefront of development news in the Little City, with Hitt playing a pivotal role in the 2016 opening of the City’s WestBroad development housing a flagship Harris Teeter and the announcement that Kiddar Capital was co-developing a new large-scale, mixed-use project at the intersection of Washington and Broad St. in downtown Falls Church.

Hitt is alleged to have falsely claimed Kiddar Capital managed $1.4 billion in assets and had offices in Houston, Palm Springs and London and failed to disclose extravagant spending, such as the leasing of private jets and the purchase of sports tickets and jewelry. Additionally, a DOJ complaint alleges Hitt raised over $16 million from investors by misrepresenting that he would invest $6 million in a planned $33 million purchase of a Herndon building near a future Metro stop.

After Hitt’s arrest, Insight Property Group has stated that development of the Broad and Washington project will continue under its direction.

The year’s most popular stories were based on total number of views from January 1 — December 21, 2018 of posts published in 2018 on Falls Church News-Press Online at FCNP.com

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Fa l l s C h u r c h

DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019 | PAGE 9

NEWS BRIEFS Northam Calls for End to Federal Shutdown In a letter to President Trump last week, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam urged action to end the federal government shutdown that commenced last weekend. Northam noted that “a shutdown of any kind negatively impacts Virginia’s economy and inflicts real harm on federal workers and contractors throughout the Commonwealth.” He added, “Virginia is home to over 130,000 federal workers, many of whom work for agencies and departments affected by the current shutdown. As multiple studies have shown, Virginia – along with its neighbors in Maryland and the District of Columbia – is disproportionately impacted by any disruption in the normal operations of the federal government.” Northam noted that during the 16-day government shutdown in 2013, “federal workers and contractors in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area lost $217 million per day in wages,” adding that “while most furloughed employees received their pay retroactively, federal workers are not guaranteed their wages following a shutdown. Even if they receive their pay retroactively, federal employees have to cover expenses – like mortgage payments, utility bills, and tuition charges – while not receiving their paychecks.” Northam added that “in addition to the harm suffered by Virginians and others throughout the country, a shutdown damages the United States economy writ large. The 2013 shutdown cost the United States an estimated $24 billion in lost economic output and resulted in 6.6 million lost work days.”

CBC Announces Member Event Jan. 11 The executive committee of Falls Church’s venerable citizen activist organization, the non-partisan Citizens for a Better City, announced this month that it will convene a general membership meeting on Jan. 11 to elect new executive committee officers, collect membership dues and to gear up for the coming election year in the City. The board recalled the work of the CBC in the past year, including its Youth Representatives Program (managing the application, appointment, and training of City youth to serve on City Boards and Commissions and other civic groups), the Falls Church City Women’s History Initiative (creating an archive of biographical data — written dossiers and oral and filmed interviews — about our women leaders, to produce a permanent record of their contributions and accomplishments over the years), the CBC issues booth at the Memorial Day and Fall Festival events (providing information on issues of the day along with the opportunity to meet local leaders), local candidates “Meet and Greets,” as well as Candidate and Issues Forums (hosting speakers, panels discussions, and debates in concert with our fellow civic groups), annual sponsorship of the Falls Church Education Foundation Run for the Schools and, in the recent past, sponsorships of the Women’s History Walk, Falls Church Homeless Shelter Gala, and Homestretch Gala, and continuous communication with its at-large membership in support of promoting civic awareness and engagement regarding issues of interest from the executive board.

Students Collect Food at Justice High School State Del. Kay Kory, who represents the 38th District of Virginia in the Greater Falls Church area, noted this week a food collection effort undertaken by students at Justice High School in her district. “While Fairfax County is one of the wealthiest counties in the nation, District 38 is one of the most diverse communities, with many families living in poverty,” she said in a statement. “Six percent of Fairfax County residents live in poverty, but 30.4 percent of District 38 residents live with incomes below the poverty level. Food insecurity is a characteristic of those living in poverty. Hungry children struggle to learn. Studies have shown that food-insecure children lag behind more affluent children in cognitive development and general health. Sixty-seven percent of Justice High School students qualify for free-and-reduced lunches, but as in other schools across the country, there is food waste.”

She went on, “Beginning in 2016, Justice High School (then J.E.B. Stuart High School) students decided to collect packaged, unused food from the cafeteria every day and store it in a refrigerator donated by the PTSA. They place it in bags donated by Harris Teeter and make it available for students who wish to take food home. All bags are always taken.

Justice students are the only high school students in the nation who collect food that would be wasted and distribute it in their own neighborhood. I have spoken to the student leaders who developed and manage this effort and congratulated them upon their entrepreneurial response to a serious neighborhood need.”

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PAGE 10 | DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019

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Community News & Notes Kensington, Larmax Homes Host Lectures on Parkinson’s The Kensington Falls Church (700 W. Broad St., Falls Church) will host the Parkinson Foundation of the National Capital Area’s PFNCA Parkinson’s Pointers Lecture Series on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019 from 6:30 – 8 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. and refreshments are provided.

The Parkinson Foundation of the National Capital Area will hold a similar lecture on the same date at the same time in a McLean location at Larmax Homes (8333 Lewinsville Rd., McLean)

Dr. Kelly Mills of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD will present a lecture via webcast titled “Misconceptions About Parkinson’s.” Free parking is available. There is no cost to attend the lecture, but registration is required. Those interested in attending may register at parkinsonfoundation.org or by calling 301-844-6510 ext.6.

Parkinson’s Pointers is a lecture series where people gather in various locations for a presentation, and question and answer session by a physician or other person who specializes in Parkinson’s.

Powerful practical information

is shared in a positive setting.

Lectures are live streamed to the locations.

The Parkinson Foundation of the National Capital Area aims to improve the quality of life of those impacted by Parkinson’s disease, their care partners and families, and fosters a sense of community to ensure that no one battles this disease alone. PFNCA offers exercise, communication and education programs to strengthen the physical and emotional health of people impacted by Parkinson’s.

Interested attendees can learn more at parkinsonfoundation.org.

F.C.’s Flanigan Promoted To President of Concerts Live Nation Entertainment, the world’s leading live entertainment company, announced

STAR OF THE CURRENT production of “Billy Elliot the Musical” at Arlington’s Signature Theater, the talented young dancer, singer and actor Liam Redford (left) met the News-Press’ Nicholas Benton following a recent performance. Redford trades off the lead with Owen Tabaka in performances since October that will wrap up on Jan. 6. (Photo: News-Press)

Kelly Flanigan as President of Washington, DC – U.S. Concerts.

Flanigan, graduate of Bishop O’Connell High School and James Madison University, will oversee booking, marketing and business operations for Live Nation across the region, including Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

“Kelly has been key to Live Nation’s success in D.C. since joining the company over a decade ago, and her promotion to president of the DC region is very well-deserved,” said Bob Roux, President of U.S. Concerts, Live Nation Entertainment. “By elevating Kelly and Wilson, we’re confident that Live Nation will continue to expand our business and our annual concerts throughout the region.”

Flanigan joined Live Nation in 2006 as a talent buyer in the

same markets she is now leading.

She has been integral to success across many different areas of Live Nation’s business, including venue operations as well as festival and concert programming.

Flanigan has helped double her territory’s show count over the past four years and provided key support to Live Nation’s growing regional portfolio of venues, including most recently the Theater at MGM National Harbor and MECU Pavilion. In partnership with Live Nation Urban, she was also instrumental in helping Broccoli City Festival triple its attendance in 2018.

Amadeus Orchestra Welcomes Israeli Conductor Israeli guest conductor Amos Talmon takes the podium in a con-

A FAMILY TAKES PART in Volunteer Fairfax’s Give Together, in this January 2018 handout photo taken at the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia in Fairfax, provided by Volunteer Fairfax. (Photo: Courtesy Volunteer Fairfax)

Send Us Your News & Notes!

The News-Press is always on the lookout for photos & items for Community News & Notes, School News & Notes and other sections of the paper. If you graduate, get married, get engaged, get an award, start a club, eat a club, tie your shoes, have a birthday, have a party, host an event or anything else you think is worth being mentioned in the News-Press, write it up and send it to us! If you have a photo, even better! Because of the amount of submissions we receive, we cannot guarantee all submissions will be published, but we’ll try our best!

Community News & Notes: newsandnotes@fcnp.com | School News & Notes: schoolnews@fcnp.com Mail: News & Notes, Falls Church News-Press, 200 Little Falls St. #508, Falls Church, VA 22046

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DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019 | PAGE 11

RECENT GRADUATES of the 10th class of the Dar-Al- Hijrah Sewing Academy received their certi�icates during a ceremony at the Falls Church-based mosque on Wednesday, December 20. Each graduate received a Singer sewing machine.

The academy, which was started in 2014, has been funded by Islamic Relief FALLS CHURCH’S MICHAEL DIENER (center) was joined by former Falls Church USA, a non-pro�it humanitarian and advocacy organization based in Northern activists Carol Jackson (left), now a member of the Charleston, South Carolina, Virginia. In addition to creating handmade items and acquiring a marketcity council, and Donna Englander (right) at a Center for Women’s conference in able skill, the graduates said the classes helped them gain con�idence and feel empowered. (P����: C������� �� I������ R����� USA) Charleston earlier this month. (P����: N���-P����) cert of favorites by two Viennese masters with the Amadeus Orchestra on Sunday, Jan. 6 at 4 p.m. at the Saint Luke Catholic Church (7001 Georgetown Pike, McLean). Mozart’s sparkling “Marriage of Figaro” overture sets the stage for Beethoven’s innovative “Symphony No. 1”. Then, the ever-popular Gil Garburg returns from Berlin to play Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 2.”

Tickets are $40 and may be purchased at the door or online at amadeusconcerts.com. Students 17 and under and active military are admitted free of charge.

A pre-concert lecture by Music Director A. Scott Wood will begin at 3:15 p.m., 45 minutes prior to the start of the concert.

A reception will follow the concert, at which attendees may meet and chat with the performers and fellow music lovers.

RSVP Northern VA Holds Volunteer Seminar RSVP-Northern Virginia will hold a seminar on volunteering in retirement on Thursday, Jan. 10 at 3:30 p.m., at University Mall in Fairfax. The one-hour event is free and open to the public.

RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program), the region’s largest volunteer network for people 55-years-old and better, provides personalized support to seniors who are seeking their ideal service opportunities in and

around Fairfax County, Arlington County and the City of Alexandria.

The seminar will be held in Fairfax County’s Neighborhood and Community Service Dept.’s meeting room located in the lower level of the mall between McAlister’s Deli and a Virginia ABC store.

Free parking is available.

University Mall is located at the intersection of Ox Road and Braddock Road across from the main entrance to George Mason University.

RSVP offers more than 200 meaningful opportunities that include helping seniors age in place, assisting local food pantries, and teaching financial literacy.

RSVP also recruits volunteers for various community events including for Volunteer Fairfax’s annual Give Together which takes place in Annandale on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Several of RSVP’s nonprofit partners offer opportunities in the Central Fairfax Area including Junior Achievement, The Shepherd’s Center of FairfaxBurke and Insight Memory Care.

RSVP volunteers enjoy flexible schedules, free accident and liability insurance while serving, optional mileage and meal reimbursement and are invited to volunteer group projects and social gatherings.

To sign up for the Jan. 10 orientation, email RSVP Volunteer

Specialist Carly Hubicki at chubicki@volunteerfairfax.org or call RSVP’s main line at 703-4035360.

To learn more about RSVP, visit rsvpnova.org.

Alden Theatre Starts Family Movie Night The Alden Theatre at the McLean Community Center (1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean) is kicking off a new film series for kids and families with “new Disney Classics” — those that were loved during the 1990s.

The films will be shown at 12:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month through June. Free admission.

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PAGE 12 | DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019

A Penny for Your Thoughts

News of Greater Falls Church

By Supervisor Penny Gross

Almost Happy New Year! The end of 2018 provides an opportunity to review the year, and look forward to 2019. It seems like 2018 flew past, with a new issue or scandal at the federal level popping up almost every day. At our local level, things were calmer.

In January, Fairfax County welcomed a new county executive, Bryan Hill, to lead the administrative side of county government. Mr. Hill hit the ground running, since he had to present a new county budget just six weeks after he arrived. He successfully navigated the economic shoals, and the Board of Supervisors adopted his proposed FY 2019 budget that fully funded the school system’s request and also fully funded the county’s compensation plan for employees.

His next big challenge, in addition to budget work that never ceases, is developing the elements of a new strategic plan for the county, which, most likely, will have the One Fairfax policy at its core.

In land use, a new short-term lodging ordinance was adopted, narrower than some wanted, and broader than others wished. The new ordinance went into effect on October 1, and restricts the number of days and persons allowed, and requires a permit. The next challenge for the “sharing” economy may be electric scooters, which are beginning to show up, sometimes dumped, in Mason District neighborhoods and across the county. As occurred with short-term lodging, the Virginia General Assembly is expected to weigh in with legislation that may, or may not, be helpful to assist localities address safe scooter use.

Many Mason District neighborhoods focused on traffic calming and pedestrian/cyclist safety in 2018. Traffic calming projects were completed in Raymondale, Pinecrest, Ravenwood, and Sunset Manor/Dowden Terrace. More studies are underway in Westlawn, Glen Forest, Lake Barcroft, and

Woodley, as those neighborhoods begin the extensive community involvement needed to demonstrate support for solutions. Sidewalk projects were completed along Route 50 in the Westlawn and Lee Boulevard Heights areas, and the Route 7 Pedestrian Initiative was completed with the final sidewalk segment constructed from Rio Drive to Glenmore Street in Culmore. The proposed Sleepy Hollow walkway project has been revised to address some homeowner concerns, and the results are encouraging.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) completed paving on many roadways, and a sneak peek at the 2019 list reveals that several neighborhoods at the eastern end of Mason District are proposed for paving next year. In some areas, painted parking lanes and bike lanes will be installed with the projects. The Wilson Boulevard Bridge Rehab project is anticipated to begin in 2019, with a deck rebuild and sidewalks on both sides of the one-way bridge.

A groundbreaking for the new Bailey’s Community Shelter was held in April, and you can see the building taking shape right at the Seminary Road ramp from Columbia Pike. J.E.B. Stuart High School was renamed Justice High School by the School Board, moving from a Civil War past to an exciting new future. And the announcement that Arlington/Alexandria was selected for Amazon’s new HQ2 site is good news for Mason District. Its close-in location means that new Amazon employees will find that good schools, and vibrant and stable neighborhoods, are just what they ordered. It bodes well for an exciting and successful 2019!

T:7” FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

YOU THINK SOMETHING MAY BE WRONG. THE ANSWER IS NOT STARING YOU IN THE FACE. Avoiding eye contact is one early sign of autism.

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Early diagnosis can make a lifetime of difference.

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 Penny Gross is the Mason District Supervisor, in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. She may be emailed at mason@fairfaxcounty.gov.

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AMERICA, LET’S DO LUNCH

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John Gaul, SINCE 1925. Not a day goes by that he doesn’t look his best. Now, he and 1 in 6 seniors face the threat of hunger and millions more live in isolation. So pop by, drop off a hot meal and say a warm hello. Volunteer for Meals on Wheels at AmericaLetsDoLunch.org

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DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019 | PAGE 13

Yes, Donald, There Is a Santa Claus

The world got a glimpse into what went wrong with Donald Trump at a very young age this week that contributes to our understanding of his sociopathic personality. It came this week in his telephone conversation with a seven-year-old from South Carolina on Christmas Eve. Trump asked the child, “Are you still a believer in Santa, because at 7 it’s marginal, right?” According to Charleston Post and Courier, the girl replied, “Yes,” even though the response could not be heard by the press assembled with Trump at the Oval Office.

The girl was selected to receive the call because she was one of the children who called into NORAD’s FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS annual Christmas Eve Santa Watch.

She was roughly the same age as two migrant children who’ve died in U.S. custody this month.

Of course, the girl didn’t know what the word “marginal” meant, nor should she have. And for all we know, the president’s comment threw some serious confusion and doubt at the girl’s seasonal affirmations. Children tend to hang onto their beliefs in stories about Santa kinds of things because they reflect the warmth and magic of a time each year when people seem to be so much nicer to each other than usual.

Children are gladly willing to suspend any disbelief in the name of that special time, and by contrast to Trump’s cold water of disbelief, the most famous affirmation of that came in the famous 1897 editorial in the New York Sun written in response to a girl a year older than the one Trump talked to, entitled, “Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus.”

The editorial stated that in a skeptical age, “People think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds.” But, it added, “All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.”

It went on, “Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can...picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.”

Or, as friend put this season, “May you never be too grown up to search the skies on Christmas eve.”

When you search the skies earnestly in the spirit of the holidays, you may not see Santa per se, but you can see a vast universe smiling back at you.

Poor Donald Trump. One wonders whether he’s ever looked up higher than the top floor of one of his ghastly buildings. Clearly, he had the Santa beaten out of him at a very young age as anything but a materialistic marketing stunt.

There was no room for magic in his childhood, or to put it in another way, he simply had no childhood.

In my childhood home at Christmas, we had no fireplace, but that did not stop us from erecting a cardboard one and to place our stockings along with the obligatory glass of milk and plate of cookies on the big night each year.

I recall taking my younger brother to a Christmas pageant at the town hall in our tiny burg where the Santa was less than stellar.

Walking home after, my brother began spewing disbelief in Santa. I remember how strongly I felt it was my duty to convince him of his error.

He must have thought me quite the fool to believe what I was telling him, but I didn’t mind.

Nicholas F. Benton

 Nicholas Benton may be emailed at nfbenton@fcnp.com.

Our Man in Arlington

By Charlie Clark

Regional magazines enjoy success with cover stories showcasing the area’s “best doctors.”

Though I personally would never indulge in formula writing, a dinner several years ago reunited me with my childhood physician. Dr. Bertram Snyder had offices first in Ballston (where my current doctors practice) then in the group building at 601 S. Carlin Springs Rd. My chat with him inspired me to survey friends and consult histories to give some ink to Arlington’s medical notables of times past.

Start with the pre-Civil War physician and Arlington local government stalwart Dr. George Wunder.

From his farmhouse near the intersection of today’s N. Glebe Rd. and Lee Highway, he was summoned in 1858 to the home of plantation owner Basil Hall to treat (without success) the slaveowner’s wife, who had been pushed into a fireplace in anger by her enslaved servant Jenny Farr.

After the turn of the century, the pioneer of Arlington’s public health services was Henry Clay Corbett, according to Nan and Ross Netherton’s pictorial history of Arlington. In the 1910s, this graduate of George Washington University mobilized against contagious diseases and improved our forebears’ sanitation.

After Arlington Hospital was built in the mid-1940s, its chief of pathology for a half-century

was Dr. William Dolan (known as “Mr. Arlington Hospital,” according to my friend George). Dolan was also the county’s assistant medical examiner and a co-founder of the American Blood Commission.

Inquiries to the Arlington County Medical Society produced a tip about Dr. W. Leonard Weyl, a surgeon in Arlington who became president of the Medical Society of Virginia. “He was a motivator to get physicians involved in politics,” I was told

by Dr. Edward Koch, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology who worked with him in the early 1970’s at Northern Virginia Doctors Hospital.

Serving the African-American community in the 1930s was Dr. Edward Morton, who ran for County Board. That role in the ‘50s and ‘60s was filled

by Dr. Harold Johnson, who had an office in Falls Church with partner Dr. Oscar Ellison.

Atypically, Johnson lived in the primarily white neighborhood on N. Lexington St., but invested in Halls Hill rentals, according to Wilma Jones’ new book “My Halls Hill Family.”

A surprising number of female doctors emerged in the ‘50s and ‘60s. My friend Eddie recalls pediatrician Dr. Ruth White, who partnered with her physician husband in an office on N. Glebe near Lee Highway (now the bakery Livin’ the Pie Life). “She was a very serious woman who wore her hair pulled back in a tight bun,” Eddie recalls. Another mainstay at Northern Virginia

Doctors Hospital in the 1950s was ob-gyn Dr. Shirley Martin, who also had offices at Seven Corners.

Beginning in 1974, innovative orthopaedist Dr. Robert Nirschl established “one of the first sport medicine facilities on the East Coast,” says the website of his still-going center. Nirschl has long been the team doctor for Yorktown High School.

Finally, my friend Mary recalls surgeon Dr. Leon Block, who during her teen years in the late 1960s treated her after a car accident.

Block, who moonlighted as an admired jazz musician, performed “nine surgeries on my battered face,” she recalled.”

Classmates were not kind when she came to school in bandages and black eyes. Said Mary, “He became like a surrogate father and supported me through those tough years.” *** Arlington has chiseled another chip out of the legacy of former local resident Robert E. Lee. The School Board Dec. 21 gave final approval to a volunteer committee’s proposal to rename the historic Stratford Junior High (currently home to the soon-torelocate H-B Woodlawn secondary program). It was originally named in 1950 for Lee’s birthplace.

When the new 1,000-plus-seat middle school opens there on Vacation Lane, signage will call it the Dorothy Hamm Middle School, after one of the AfricanAmerican parents who in the mid-1950s fought the legal battle to integrate Arlington schools.

PAGE 14 | DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019

SPO RTS

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Mustangs Bounce Back with OT Win Over W-L

by Matt Delaney

Falls Church News-Press

George Mason High School’s boys basketball team was on the winning end of an 82-79 overtime cinematic against Washington-Lee High School on Dec. 20.

This game had a little bit of everything. Wild momentum swings, big shots in big moments and, at least for Mason (4-2) and its fans, an ideal ending to what Mason head coach Chris Capannola remarked was a signature win for this group.

The Mustangs held what was now the final score with 17 seconds remaining and only needing a stop to clinch the win. They faced an identical situation at the end of regulation — when WashingtonLee had only ten seconds to work with — and were caught in a down screen, opening up a corner three for the Generals to push it into overtime. With Washington-Lee’s best shooter having fouled out earlier in the extra period, Mason promptly adjusted and didn’t repeat the mistake.

“We were more conscious, we talked on the screens and got through them. [Senior guard] Jay

[Nesson] had a great closeout on the three and forcing the drive and for them to make a bad pass,” senior forward Hollman Smith said.

It was the kind of Hollywood ending the home team could only like more if the stage were bigger in, say, February or March, but such a satisfying finale seemed unlikely early on.

Washington-Lee was the aggressor to start the game, and despite Mason’s urgency at working inside against the Generals’ size, it seemed the 6A opponent had a diverse enough game keep the Mustangs off-balance.

That changed when sophomore guard Deven Martino’s drive and kick to senior guard Max Ashton for a trey capped off a slow first quarter for Mason to put them within four at 15-11 and demonstrated some of the Mustangs’ grit.

Sophomore guard Robert Asel’s corner three gave Mason its first lead of the game at 23-22, but the Generals’ 8-3 run quickly put the Mustangs in the hole again.

After Asel hit another three to pull within one, Mason turned it over in their backcourt and allowed a layup to enter the half down

SOPHOMORE GUARD Deven Martino provides a nice change of pace for the Mustangs coming off the bench, especially late in games (Photo: Carol Sly) 32-29.

With Mason nipping at Washington-Lee’s heels throughout the third quarter, the Generals always answered the Mustangs’ blows with one of their own. Tied at 44 apiece, a three-point play off an offensive rebound and a drive and score put WashingtonLee back up five. It wasn’t until a Martino drive, Ashton connecting with Smith to finish a fastbreak and Ashton splitting from the free throw line, that Mason had its first lead since the second quarter at 50-49.

The Mustangs seemed in com-

mand throughout the fourth quarter, but a few errors kept the Generals within arm’s reach and allowed Washington-Lee to hit the three to extend the game.

Martino got a bucket to go and converted the and-1 opportunity to go up 72-69 in overtime, however momentum shifted yet again when Washington-Lee put a 9-5 run together to go up 78-77 with 53 seconds to play. Ashton nailed a corner three on a feed from Martino with 35 seconds to play that cemented Mason’s chances of winning and re-established the team’s killer instinct after Dec.

14’s funky loss to Manassas Park High School.

“Last week we had four great practices leading up [Manassas Park], and yesterday we had our worst practice of the year. I sent everyone home after an hour,” Capannola said. “But I had no doubt we were going to come out and play. The guts and teamwork they showed was out of this world.”

Mason will play Centreville High School in the first round of the Joe Cascio Holiday Classic at Falls Church High School this afternoon.

Mason Girls Show Progress, Yet Still Fall on the Road to Generals

by Matt Delaney

Falls Church News-Press

A mid-game rally wasn’t enough for George Mason High School’s girls basketball team as it fell, 52-47, to Washington-Lee High School last Thursday.

The Mustangs (3-6) endured a barrage of deep balls by the Generals in the early going and a double-digit deficit to spar their way back into contention by the third quarter. Being able to surmount a lead that, just a few weeks ago, would’ve spelled doom for Mason (especially against higher classified competition) became a sign of progress for the team.

Again, the Mustangs weren’t able to produce the desired result of a win, but their growth spurt in terms of team cohesion and execution on the court is well-timed with Bull Run District play around the corner.

“The outcome of the game obviously is not what we wanted,” Mason head coach Chris Carrico said. “But I was proud of the girls’ effort and the close game experience will definitely benefit us as

LEADERSHIP ON THE COURT by senior guard Maddie Lacroix has helped the young Mustangs to acclimate to the varsity game rather quickly. (Photo: Carol Sly) we prepare for league play.”

Down 20-7 after the first quarter, Mason withstood WashingtonLee’s heater from the beyond the arc and slowly cut into the home team’s lead during the second quarter. Putting together an

11-5 scoring advantage had the Mustangs down three possessions going into halftime.

The upward trend continued following the intermission.

Mason went on an 8-0 run, punctuated by freshman guard

Zoraida Icabalceta’s feed to junior forward Emma Rollins, to take its first lead of the game at 26-25.

From there, the rest of third quarter seesawed back and forth with the Mustangs’ holding onto a narrow 36-35 lead heading to the

final period.

Washington-Lee reclaimed the lead once again with consecutive threes to open the fourth, but Icabalceta set up senior guard Maddie Lacroix’s four-point play to push Mason ahead at 44-43 with five minutes to go.

The Mustangs began to lose their sync in the closing minutes with cold shooting from the field and the free throw line to go with poor turnovers, but the Generals shared in the struggle to keep the game tight.

Foul trouble allowed Washington-Lee to pull ahead by converting their chances at the line, and an offensive rebound by the Generals after a missed free throw dampened any hopes of a happy ending for Mason.

“Washington-Lee made contested shots, but we need to work on our defensive communication to make sure that we don’t let shooters get open shots,” Carrico added.

The Mustangs will take part in a holiday tournament at Fairfax High School and open playing the hosts later today.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019 | PAGE 15

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

PAGE 16 | DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019

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NEW YEARS EVE

NYE

Thank Our Watch Night Sponsors

Lead Sponsors:

Sponsors: The Village Preservation and Improvement Society

Venue Sponsors:

Drs. Melanie Love and Mark Miller Falls Church News-Press Sisler’s Stone The Falls Church Episcopal The Falls Church Presbyterian Church The Virginia Tourism Corporation Tori McKinney - Rock Star Realtor

Contributors:

Clay Café Studios Clare and Don’s Beach Shack Cue Recording, LTD Ireland’s Four Provinces

Host Supports:

A & A Auto Service Andrew & Mary Anne Painter of Falls City Threads Burke & Herbert Bank Dr. Gordon Theisz Foxes Music Company June Beyer Art The Oshinsky Family Partnership VIGET

Friends of Watch Night: Marybeth Connelly, Phil Duncan, Gary LaPorta, Rosemary Ziskind

Watch Night Guests: Please thank those listed above who fund this event and those volunteers who donate their time and talent.

www.watchnightfallschurch.com

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019 | PAGE 17

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WATCH NIGHT LOCATOR 2018

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

(Venue, Shuttle, and Restaurant Keys)

Watch Night Shuttle Bus - EFC Metro to Venues #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7

EFC Metro Park Avenue across from Kaiser Permanente Parking Lot N. Maple Ave at Clay Café Studio West Annandale Road S. Washington St. at the Historical Falls Church Episcopal E. Broad Street at passageway N. Fairfax St across from the FC Presbyterian handicapped entrance #8 E. Broad St. at the FCPC Fellowship Hall #9 E. Broad St. just past Applebee Restaurant #10 N. Washington St. at Clare and Don’s Beach Shack

o tt es tro W e . 7 M /W Rt FC 6 E W s. 6 E/W Rt 95 4

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1

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I

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450 W. Broad St

St

.

29

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B A

O

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244 W. Broad St

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Love Letters sculpture FCA Tent - Chalk Walk Amusements Shuttle Stop #5, #6

O. Q.Hunan Café

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126 W. Broad St

P. Hot & Juicy Crawfish 116 W. Broad St

Q. Lil City Creamery

H 7

114 W. Broad St

R. Ireland’s Four Prov 106 W. Broad St

29 Legend

7

Shuttle Bus Route

G. The Historic Falls Church

Rt. 7 East to Seven Corners Bailey’s Crossroads, Alexandria

Free Parking Annandale Road to Rt 50 E/W Annandale/Gallows Road

120 N. Washington St 127 E. Broad St

Restaurants

H. Falls Church Presbyterian

S. Clare & Don’s Shack T. Applebee’s

Venues

Tours 7pm to 8pm Music Live - 8pm to10:30pm Shuttle Stop #6

Amusements 7pm to 9pm Northern Lights Orchestra Refreshments, Restrooms Shuttle Stop #8 (handicapped) Shuttle stop #9 (Fellowship Hall)

132 W. Broad St

T 9

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F. Welcome Tent

N. Dogwood Tavern

10

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7pm to 11:30pm Shuttle Stop #6, #9

232 W. Broad St

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www.watchnightfallschurch.com

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019 | PAGE 21

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A SCENE FROM THE Junior Variety Show, put on by George Mason High School’s juniors just before winter break, in order to raise funds for Junior-Senior Prom. (Photo: FCCPS Photo/Carol Sly)

Fa l l s C h u r c h

School News & Notes Fairfax Co. Schools Proposes Capital Improvements Plan Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has released its proposed fiscal year (FY) 2020-24 Capital Improvement Program (CIP), reflecting a five-year requirement of $972 million, or roughly $243 million per year.

Student membership in certain locations is projected to exceed the school system’s ability to accommodate students within existing school buildings. This will necessitate an increase in the allocation of capital dollars to build new facilities and provide for capacity enhancements, along with boundary adjustments. Included in the new CIP are proposals for three new elementary schools and one new high school. Funds approved in the 2017 School Bond Referendum and previous referenda will address approximately $329 million of the five-year requirement, leaving a balance of $642 million unfunded.

The FY 2020-24 CIP reflects $315 million approved by county voters in the 2017 School Bond Referendum. Among the funded projects locally are planning for additions to Justice High School.

Unfunded projects include a new elementary school near Metro’s silver line, a high school in the

western part of the county, and five new or repurposed schools.

Funds for renovations at 15 named elementary schools are included, as well as four middle schools and seven high schools.

The School Board will hold a public hearing on the FY 2020-24 CIP on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, at 6 p.m. at Jackson Middle School, 3020 Gallows Road, Falls Church.

The Board has scheduled a work session on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, and will vote on the CIP at its business meeting on Thursday, Jan.24, 2019.

Mason’s Burke Wins Cable Access Logo Competition The FC Cable Access Corporation worked with Sarah Gurgo’s Computer Graphics class on a competition for the FCCAC’s new logo. The students were tasked with creating a logo to express the idea of citizens producing television and serving as volunteers dedicated to providing the community with the resources needed to create unique TV shows.

The winner, Natalie Burke, was presented with a $300 check yesterday by corporation members Jerry Barrett and Robert Sherretta with Natalie’s mother and Gurgo present.

Returns from Toy Drive Double Last Year’s Toys collected from the patrons of the Ireland Four Provinces annual drive, supplemented by gift cards from the Lions Club, and gift cards and funds from the Falls Church Education Foundation all came together recently. FCEF board members and Falls Church City Public Schools social workers created a holiday assistance “shop.”

In addition to toys, the FCEF Family Assistance Fund and school social workers were able to distribute gift cards to families who may not otherwise be able to buy food and gifts for the holidays.

This year close to 200 students have been helped. This is almost exactly double the students who were helped last year.

Jacob Sanchez Diagnosed with autism

Final Chance to Nominate Teacher of the Year The nomination period is open for The Falls Church Education Foundation Teacher of the Year Award. Everyone is encouraged to recognize a teacher who has made a difference! The deadline is Friday, Jan. 4, 2019. We will learn of the nominees in January, with the winner announced in April.

Sensory sensitivity is a sign of autism.

Learn the others at autismspeaks.org/signs.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

PAGE 22 | DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019

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Manners Camps Now Available at Tea With Mrs. B Tea with Mrs. B is offering manners camps while school is out for the holidays. Camps are being offered from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 28, Wednesday, Jan. 2, and Thursday, Jan. 3. Extended care from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. is also available. Manners Camp activities include high tea with healthy snacks, holiday themed crafts, games, exercise at a local park (weather permitting,) dance, and dress up, along with free play time. Tea with Mrs. B is located at 136 W. Jefferson Street in Falls Church. For more information, visit www. teawithmrsb.com.

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Mad Fox Hosting New Year’s Eve Party Mad Fox Brewing Company is hosting a New Year’s Eve celebration from Dec. 31 at 9 p.m. – Jan. 1 at 1 a.m. The $55 event will include a DJ playing top 100 music, a large dance floor, an appetizer buffet, party favors, complimentary coat check, and free parking.

Mad Fox is located at 444 W. Broad Street in Falls Church. For more information, visit www.madfoxbrewing.com.

F.C.’s Athlete Development Center Adds New Health Coach Nutrition expert Rachel Abbett has joined the Athlete Development Center of Falls Church which recently opened at 102 E. Fairfax Drive.

Previously an electrical engineer, Abbett is a certified integrative nutrition health coach, now focusing on helping people meet their health goals by identifying sustainable goals and reality-based strategies. She offers one-on-one coach- Rachel Abbe� has joined the Athlete Development Center of Falls ing and group workshops Church. (Courtesy photo) in areas that include food sensitivities, elimination diets, clean eating, digestive health, gut function, autoimmune disorders, blood sugar, and adrenal health. The Athlete Development Center, founded and operated by ProBike FC owner Nick Clark, provides a holistic range of support services for athletes of all ages and in all sports disciplines. The sports-focused wellness center works with, teams, clubs, coaches, parents, and individuals for personalized services including group workouts, sports psychology, massage, corrective exercise, assisted stretching, and nutrition services for athletes and non-athletes alike. The center also has an infrared sauna and offers Doterra essential oils. For more information, visit www.adcfc. com.  Business News & Notes is compiled by Sally Cole, Executive Director of Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce. She may be emailed at sally@fallschurchchamber.org.

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PAGE 24 | DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019

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DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019 | PAGE 25

with

Leesburg Pike Bluegrass

DECEMBER

28 y

Frida

John Trupp Dogwood Tavern 6:30 p.m.

132 W, Broad St., Falls Church 703-237-8333 • dogwoodtavern.com

29

day Satur

Downtown Band JV’s Restaurant 4 p.m.

6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church 703-241-9504 • jvsrestaurant.com

Chris Brunn Dogwood Tavern 10 p.m.

132 W. Broad St., Falls Church 703-237-8333 • dogwoodtavern.com

30 ay

Sund

Dixieland Direct

BY MATT DELANEY

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

Bluegrass music typically conjures up images of dusty rural folk posted up on a wooden porch with a “XXX” bottle nearby serving as the inspiration and compensation for a good song. And while that may hold true in some corners of the country, Falls Church’s own Leesburg Pike Bluegrass brings a more refined look while preserving the genre’s down-home charm to the main stage for Watch Night 2019 this New Year’s Eve. Falls Church resident and current bassist for the band, Wade Casstevens, was originally in a guitar, bass and fiddle trio called “The Primers.” But with a fiddle player who moved abroad and a tendency for guitar players to am-scray like Spinal Tap’s drummers, as Casstevens quipped, the group was always in flux. It wasn’t until fellow Falls Church resident and fiddler Dan Henderson met Casstevens at a Capitol Area Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Association jamming event in summer 2015 where they found out they shared a mutual interest in wanting to learn bluegrass.

With Casstevens’ background in rock n’ roll and Henderson’s in classical music, the two began their bluegrass journey together. Both locals served as the band’s core as turnover kept Leesburg Pike Bluegrass from fully crystallizing, until they finally found some keepers in banjo player Page Duppstadt, mandolinist Dan Shipp and guitarist Chris Teskey to round out the quintet in the past six months. Despite the latter three members being about a generation older than Casstevens and Henderson, their addition to the band fleshes out the “young guns’” knowledge of the musical style and the culture that goes with it.

“We feel very lucky to play with them because it does feel like passing a torch down from generation to generation from them,”

LEESBURG PIKE BLUEGRASS (COURTESY PHOTO) Henderson said. “They share their musical wisdom with us, and they sit around and talk about the bluegrass legends and stories. So they bring that spoken tradition that comes with bluegrass.”

Leesburg Pike Bluegrass does about twothirds of their music as traditional, standard bluegrass songs with the last third being a potpourri of jazz, pop and rock served with a bluegrass-y twist. A majority of their music covers the genre’s prime from its birth in the 1940s to the tail end of its revival in the 80s — long before Casstevens and Henderson had shown interest in bluegrass — but the band takes a democratic approach to how it goes about choosing a song to learn, practice and, eventually, perform.

“One of the unique things about the band is that all five guys, in somewhat equal proportions, come up musical ideas,” Casstevens said, with Henderson noting that Shipp is the group’s de facto vocal coach. “Everyone has a different voice and different ideas. It’s never dull.”

Working through the turnover and finding the homeostasis that comes with any collection of people is finally starting to pay off for the band, with Leesburg Pike Bluegrass

concluding a busy fall with 10 gigs. That’s a lot for a group that has everyone balancing day jobs, such as Casstevens in real estate and Henderson in technology start-ups, to go with raising their young families. Landing a spot as one of Watch Night’s three main stage acts is validating sign that whatever doubts the group had in its past, they weren’t worth caving to.

Although the band has confined its musical content to covers, the group is stewing over when to take the leap and start creating original content. They have a rough plan to get into a studio and record something within the next year, but right now they’re still relishing having a steady band — something that’s eluded them for so long.

“We’ve been building this thing for three years...It’s been incubating,” Henderson added.

“And now, in the last 6 – 12 months, it feels like it incubated, it’s getting baked, we’ve performed a lot and now it feels like we’ve got a good band and we can get some exposure in places.”

Leesburg Pike Bluegrass will perform from 8:30 – 10 p.m. on the main stage on Watch Night 2019 (corner of Broad St. and Washington St.).

For more information on the band, visit facebook.com/leesburgpikebluegrass.

Jazz JV’s Restaurant 1 p.m.

These singles whet the appetites of the FCNP editorial team this week:  Nicholas Benton – Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis by Vaughan Williams Jody Fellows – Funky Ass Christmas by Aloe Blacc

6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church 703-241-9504 • jvsrestaurant.com



Matt Delaney – Close the Door by Teddy Pendergrass

CA L E NDA R

PAGE 26 | DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

FALLS CHURCHCALENDAR COMMUNITYEVENTS THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27 Flying Squirrel Lore & More.

Flying squirrels are found throughout the wooded neighborhoods of Arlington, but are seldom seen. Interested attendees can join the group to learn about these engaging nocturnal acrobats. After an indoor presentation, participants will tiptoe outside to see these creatures glide in for an evening meal. These creatures are truly one of the natural wonders of the Arlington. For families with children ages 4 & up.

Registration required for children and adults; children must be accompanied by a registered adult. $5 fee due upon registration. Long Branch Nature Center at Glencarlyn Park (625 S. Carlin Springs Rd., Arlington). 5 – 6

p.m. 703-228-6535.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29 Farmer’s Market. The award-winning, year-round market is filled with fresh, local produce, meat, dairy, flowers & plants, honey, music and much more. City Hall (300 Park Ave., Falls Church). 9 a.m. – noon. 703-248-5034.

Animal Tracks. Winter is a great time to see animal tracks in the snow or mud, but wouldn’t interested attendees like to take their own footprints home?

Participants will make plaster animal feet and while they set the group will hike the forest looking for tracks. For families ages 5 and up. Registration required for children and adults; children must be accompanied by a registered adult throughout the duration of the program. $7 fee due upon registration. Long Branch Nature

Center at Glencarlyn Park (625 S. Carlin Springs Rd., Arlington).

2:30 – 4 p.m.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 31 Watch Night New Year’s Eve Celebration. This annual event features bands, food, amusements, and much more centering around the Main Stage. Check map for other participating locations. (Note: This is not a City government-managed event. This event is managed by volunteers and local organizations.) Main Stage is located at the intersection of Broad St. & Washington St. (Rt. 7/Rt. 29). 7 p.m. – 1 a.m.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2 Northern Virginia Bird Club Walk. Interested residents can join members of the Northern Virginia Bird Club for one or all of these informal walks through

Long Branch and Glencarlyn Park in search of resident and migratory birds that are found in the habitat. Experienced and beginning bird watchers are welcome.

Those who own them are encouraged to bring binoculars and field guides to walk. The group meets at the Long Branch Nature Center’s parking lot. Registration is required. Long Branch Nature Center at Glencarlyn Park (625 S. Carlin Springs Rd., Arlington). 8:30 – 11 a.m. 703-228-6535.

Tiny Tot. Each Tiny Tots program will engage participating children with hands-on learning and may include a variety of activities like songs, crafts, finger plays and mini-hikes. Adults must remain during the entire program. Ages 1 – 3. $5 fee due upon registration. Gulf Branch Nature Center & Park (3608 North Military Rd., Arlington).

10 – 10:45 a.m. 703-228-3403.

THEATER&ARTS

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28 “Billy Elliot.” All 11-year-old Billy wants to do is dance. While the 1984 miners’ strike squeezes his family and splits his town, Billy’s passion for ballet first divides, then ultimately unites, the community—and changes his life in extraordinary ways. Based on the powerful and acclaimed film, “Billy Elliot” swept the Tony, Drama Desk, and Olivier awards for Best Musical, by combining a dynamic score by the legendary Elton John with sensational dance to create a heartwarming, inspirational and triumphant experience for the entire family.

Signature Theatre (420 Campbell Ave., Arlington) $40 – $80. 8 p.m. sigtheatre.com.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29 “Oh, God.” In this witty and touching play, a psychotherapist named Ella, single mother of an autistic child, gets a visit from a new and desperate patient: God. Ella and God must learn to help

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each other—after all, God is suffering from having accrued too much power, while Ella has lost whatever faith (in God) she might have had. With a clash of biblical quotes framed by a modern-day wit, “Oh, God” brings a funny text that forces us to confront our own issues of faith, hubris and the power of humility. Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H St. NE, Washington, D.C.) $20 – $65. 8 p.m. mosaictheatre.org.

“A Civil War Christmas.” It’s 1864 and Washington, D.C. is settling down to the coldest Christmas Eve in years. “History lessons and holiday warmth sit cozily alongside each other” (The New York Times) in this pageant of carols

by Paula Vogel, the Pulitzer Prizewinning writer of “Indecent.”

Stories of many intertwining lives– spanning from the battlegrounds of Northern Virginia to the halls of the White House– demonstrate that the gladness of one’s heart is the best gift of all.

1st Stage Theatre (1524 Spring Hill Rd., Tysons) $39. 8 p.m. 1ststagetysons.org.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30 “Miss Saigon.” Experience the acclaimed new production of the legendary musical Miss Saigon, from the creators of Les Misérables. This is the epic story of a young Vietnamese woman named Kim. In a bar run by a notorious character called The Engineer, Kim meets an American G.I. in an encounter that will change their lives forever. Featuring a soaring score including Broadway hits like “Last Night of the World,”“The Heat Is on in Saigon,” this is a theatrical event you will never forget.

Kennedy Cetner (2700 F St. NW Washington, D.C.) $45 – $175. 2 p.m. kennedy-center.org.

LIVEMUSIC THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27 John Trupp. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church).

6:30 p.m. 703-237-8333.

Piff the Magic Dragon. The

CA L E NDA R

DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019 | PAGE 27

Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria). $39.50. 7:30 p.m. 703-549-7500.

HEF.. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $13 – $20. 7:30 p.m. 703-255-1566.

Dave Chappell. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-2419504.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28 Happy Hour: Bruce Turner & Acoustic Soul. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 6 p.m. 703-241-9504.

Pieces of a Dream. The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave, Alexandria). $39.50. 7:30 p.m. 703-549-7500.

A Royal Holiday: Broke Royals + Luke James Shaffer + Leffty.

Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $25. 8 p.m. 703255-1566.

Fleetwood Mac Tribute Show.

JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 9 p.m. 703241-9504.

Chasing Autumn. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 10 p.m. 703-237-8333.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29 Downtown Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4 p.m. 703-241-9504.

A Royal Holiday: Broke Royals + Sub-Radio + Reed Appleseed.

Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $25. 8 p.m. 703255-1566.

Last Train Home with Cravin’ Dogs Live and In Concert. The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria). $25. 7:30 p.m.

703-549-7500.

ROCKNOCEROS will be at Jammin’ Java on Monday. (Photo: JamminJava.Com)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30

9504.

Dixieland Direct Jazz. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 1 p.m. 703-2419504.

Cotton Candy, Kevin Hairs, William and Vivian. Galaxy Hut (2711 Wilson Blvd., Arlington). $5. 9 p.m.

The White House Band. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $20 . 2 p.m. 703-255-1566.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 31

Jon Spears Blues Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4 p.m. 703-2419504.

Open Mic. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington St. A, Falls Church). 5 p.m. 703-858-9186.

Young Relics. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 9 p.m. 703-241-9504.

Have Mercy with Downhaul + Bogues + Birthright. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $16 – $22. 7:30 p.m. 703-2551566.

Chris Brunn. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church).

10 p.m. 703-237-8333.

Memphis Gold All Stars. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-241-

12th Annual Rocknoceros New Years Eve Party (encore performance later in the day at 2 p.m.). Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $10. 11 a.m. 703255-1566.

Back to The 90’s New Year’s Eve Party feat. Getchoo (Weezer) + Dammit Josie (Blink 182) + Dashing Blumpkins (Smashing Pumpkins). Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $20 – $50.

8 p.m. 703-255-1566.

No Live Music. Galaxy Hut (2711 Wilson Blvd., Arlington). 9 p.m.

703-525-8646.

The Legwarmers New Year’s Eve

Party Live. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). $50. 9:30 p.m. 703-2370300.

Wicked Jezabel (Tickets Only).

JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 9:30 p.m.

703-241-9504.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 1 Wolf Blues Jam Weekly Show.

JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m.

703-241-9504.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2 Music and Movement for Moms and Tots — with Dotty Westgate Famille Cafe (700a W. Broad St., Falls Church). 10 a.m. 703-5708669.

Open Mic Night with Crazy After Midnight. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Arlington). 7 p.m.

703-522-8340.

Calendar Submissions Email: calendar@fcnp.com | Mail: Falls Church News-Press, Attn: Calendar, 200 Little Falls St., #508, Falls Church, VA 22046

Be sure to include time, location, cost of admission, contact person and any other pertinent information. Event listings will be edited for content and space limitations. Please include any photos or artwork with submissions. Deadline is Monday at noon for the current week’s edition.

PAGE 28 | DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019

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We are pledged to the letter andspirit 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.

A RTS&E NTE RTA I NME NT

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Crossword

ACROSS

By David Levinson Wilk 1

2

3

4

5

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25 31 35

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© 2018 David Levinson Wilk

Across

1. Welcome sight?

4. Waves, say 10. “Fiddle-faddle!”

1415. Fury 16. “Throw the football to me!”

17. Several ages, in geology 18. Home of the Braves: Abbr.

19. Language from which “tattoo” comes 20. Of poor quality, in modern slang 21. Warning! This Judy Garland film contains violence 29 24. Introductory drawing class 25. Ambulance driver, for short 26. One staying in a lot?

27. Org. that encourages flossing 30. Persons 32. “Ad Astra per ____” (Kansas’ motto) 34. Women’s ____ 35. Emails discreetly 37. “Zip your lip!”

5038. ____-K 39. Warning! This Rob Lowe/Demi Moore film contains some nudity 42. TV series that spawned an exhibit at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry 43. Show no modesty 44. Saucony competitor 45. Falsity 46. “Trying to sneak ____ past Hank Aaron is like trying to sneak the sunrise past a rooster”: Joe Adcock 48. Like Keebler workers 51. Fluffy trio?

STRANGE BREW

1. Welcome sight?

DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019 | PAGE 29

52. Pulled off 53. German poet Hartmann von ____ 55. Prefix with -graphic 56. Warning! This Russell Crowe film contains mild language 59. Show on which Key and Peele got their start 62. Bartender’s stock 63. Birthday card number 64. Earth tone 65. Actress Ryder 66. ____ Alcindor (Kareem AbdulJabbar’s birth name) 67. Water sources 68. Bothers 69. Actors Helms and Harris

DOWN

1. Mazda two-seaters 2. Prefix with -scopic 3. BBC production with Tinky Winky and Laa-Laa 4. “Absolutely, amigo!”

5. Floor 6. Kind of joke 7. Game show?

8. Noggin 9. Having clean hands 10. Disparaging 11. Very clumsy person, in slang 12. Sweetie 13. Relative of “Aargh!”

14. “____ me?”

22. Radioer’s word after “Roger” 23. Cereal usually served hot 27. Leading lady?

JOHN DEERING

Sudoku

28. Gossip 29. 1860s White House nickname 31. Gets in way over one’s head?

33. Couldn’t possibly worry about anymore 36. Drop by 39. “Yeah, right” 40. Authoritatively stated 41. Radner of the original “SNL” cast 42. The Cavs, on scoreboards 47. ____ rancheros 49. Projected onto a screen 50. “Haven’t heard a thing” 54. Colleague of Sonia 56. PC key under Shift 57. Oscar winner Kazan 58. Future attorney’s hurdle, for short 59. Cut 60. Crackerjack 61. FedEx rival Last Thursday’s Solution P S H A O P E R M I N U T R L A B Y E L A V A L I S L I T Y K O S G L A C B I G O S V E N P I L E Y A Y S

W A T E E L O Y T T L O U D R I E X E T S

D E R M I S

O P I U M

D D E E C E

E S P A E R I V E E A R I C V A R I C O N I O S A

E R D P O R I C O T T C H C H A E R S S O E T R H O L N O S N

C H A L K Y

C O N K E D

R A P V I D E O

D S T U D E N T

E S S A Y S

E L M R D S

By The Mepham Group

Level 1 2 3 4

4. Waves, say 10. "Fiddle-faddle!"

15. Fury 16. "Throw the football to me!"

17. Several ages, in geology 18. Home of the Braves: Abbr.

19. Language from which "tattoo" comes 20. Of poor quality, in modern slang

1

21. Warning! This Judy Garland film contains violence 24. Introductory drawing class 25. Ambulance driver, for short 26. One staying in a lot?

27. Org. that encourages flossing

NICK KNACK

© 2018 N.F. Benton

Solution to last Sunday’s puzzle

1

12/30/18

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9.

For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk. © 2018 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

LO CA L

PAGE 30 | DECMEBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019

dog. lazy ick qu The fox sly p e d j u m the over dog. lazy is the Now for all time cows good co me to aid to the the ir of t u r e . pas

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is the Now for all time cows good co me to aid to the the ir of t u r e . p a s is the Now for all time cows good me to to coaid of the their.

BACK IN THE DAY

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Falls Church News-Press Vol. VIII, No. 42 • December 31, 1998

Falls Church Kicks Off Tricentennial Year With Fete at Crossroads Tonight The weather tonight – New Year’s Eve – will be “brisk.” But the energy levels that will be going on at the closed intersection of Rt. 7 and Rt. 29 in downtown Falls Church will keep everyone warm with the spirit of the season.

For the first time ever, downtown Falls Church is being closed to traffic for a New Year’s Eve celebration, but this time it’s also Tricentennial Eve.

Falls Church News-Press Vol. XVIII, No. 44 • January 1, 2009

Destruction of Property, 200 blk N Lee St, between Dec 14 and Dec 18, unknown suspect(s) tampered with holiday decorations at a residence.

Narcotics Violation, 500 blk N Washington St, Oct 29, 4:48 PM, police stopped a vehicle for traffic violations. a female, 27, of Falls Church was issued a summons for Possession of a Controlled Substance.

10 Year s Ago

It is now the time fo r all good to go cows to aid of the the ir pas ture . * * * Throw * * Pour it up. it up

It’s going to be an ugly 45-day legislative session that gets underway in Richmond next week. Decisions on almost $3 billion in state budget cuts, due to economic downturn, face the same “philosophical divide” between liberals and moderates, on the one side, and arch conservatives on the other that has been particularly nasty in Virginia, and in the face of deep cuts could get even worse.

CRIME REPORT Drunkenness, 455 S Maple Ave (Lincoln at Tinner Hill parking garage), Dec 17, 7:17 AM, officers responded for a complaint of an intoxicated subject on the premises Police arrested a male, 45, of Silver Spring, MD for Drunk in Public.

C������ C�����

N. Va. Lawmakers Warn of Ugly Session in Richmond

C � � � � � F� � � � C � � � � �

Week of Dec. 16 – 23, 2018

It is now the time fo r all good to go cows to aid of the p a s their ture . * * * Throw * * Pour it up. it up

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Auto Theft, 1051 E Broad St (Koons Ford), between Dec 18 and Dec 20, three vehicles were taken from the parking lot. On Dec 21, all three were recovered in Maryland.

Investigation continues Hit and Run, 600 blk Lincoln Ave, between 12:00 PM on Dec 18 and 1:15 PM on Dec 20, a gold Mercury was struck by an unknown vehicle which failed to stop at the scene.

Simple Assault, 306 Hillwood Ave (Lesly Restaurant), Dec 21, 12:23 AM, police responded for a complaint of an altercation. All parties were identified, and chose not to prosecute.

Hit and Run, 1100 blk W Broad St,

Dec 21, 6:13 PM, a gray Toyota was struck by a silver Mercedes which failed to stop at the scene. The suspect driver is described as a black male wearing a long trench coat. Investigation continues.

Narcotics Violation, 7100 blk Marbury Ct, Dec 21, 10:39 PM, police stopped a vehicle for equipment violations. a male, 25, of Falls Church was issued a summons for Possession of a Controlled Substance.

Hit and Run, 7124 Leesburg Pike (GMHS parking lot), Dec 22, 10:04 AM, a blue Toyota was struck by a silver Dodge pickup which failed to stop at the scene. Investigation continues.

BEING THE BEST OF BOYS while posing for this shot is Finley, who hails from the News-Press-reading Smith family all the way out in Alexandria. What interest they have in keeping up on Falls Church news is confouding to say the least (smells like foul play on the editorial staff, if you ask me) but the family has raised one studly pup, so like all beautiful things, we’ll just let it slide and continue to stare away.

Just because you’re not famous doesn’t mean your pet can’t be! Send in your Critter Corner submissions to crittercorner@fcnp.com.

Hit and Run, 513 E Broad St (Dulin Church parking lot), Dec 23, 9:44 AM, a blue Subaru was struck by a red Toyota which failed to stop at the scene. The suspect driver is described as an Asian female, approximately 5 feet tall and 65 years of age. Investigation continues.

Nothing runs on empty.

Especially one in seven Americans who struggle with hunger.

Join the Feeding America nationwide network of food banks to help end hunger. Act now at HungerActionMonth.org.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019 | PAGE 31

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PAGE 32 | DECEMBER 27, 2018 – JANUARY 2, 2019

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