December 3 – 9, 2020
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 • V OL. X XX NO. 412
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F.C. Schools Postpone Reopening Until 2021
Worsening Virus Data Causes January Retry Date
BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
Falls Church City Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Peter Noonan announced in a statement Wednesday afternoon that there will be no in-person learning anywhere in the system between now and the first of January. The news continues to worsen on the spread of the Covid-19 virus in this region, he said. “Unfortunately, the information has not changed from last week when we decided to take a one-week pause,” he said. “We remain in a ‘high’ rate of burden and have substantial disease transmission in our region. “This is devastating news to all and is certainly not an easy decision to make or message to deliver,” he said. “We hoped that we would see improvements with the data that would move us back into the moderate range. That did not happen. In the end, we believe that moving the final two weeks of school prior to winter break online will allow us to recalibrate as a learning community and be prepared to return to school in January.” At the School Board meeting Tuesday night, Noonan cau-
tioned the board that data slated for posting yesterday morning might compel the decision. It turned out just that way with the daily numbers posted by the Fairfax Health Department at 10 a.m. Noonan is in the unenviable position of every school superintendent in the entire nation who has to fend for his or herself on critical decisions such as school openings and closure methods or “risk mitigation strategies.” Noonan noted Tuesday night despite the warnings of a new surge of Covid-19 cases nationwide, there is still no guidance coming from anywhere higher up about what to do. The same applies to all 132 school divisions in Virginia and for the U.S. as a whole as the federal government has been AWOL in terms of anything but providing raw data. “I am outraged that we have had to go nine months without guidance. It is an untenable situation,” said board member Shawna Russell Tuesday night. School Board chair Greg Anderson conceded that it is a very “frustrating” situation. It also applies to how the Virginia High School League
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THE IN-HOUSE ROASTING OPERATION at Rare Bird Coffee Roasters along W. Broad Street needs some room to spread its wings. So, owners and married couple Lara Berenji and Bryan Becker decided to purchase the large corner space adjacent to their shop. They plan to open the expansion in March. (P����: N���-P����)
Rare Bird Coffee Grows In Spite of Pandemic BY MATT DELANEY
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
Rare Bird Coffee Roasters is defying all of the downward economic trends during the coronavirus pandemic by planning to
expand its operation into the space next door, albeit with a slight delay in the original timeline. The food services industry has been one of the hardest hit throughout the Covid-19 timeline, with the Motley Fool reporting
that 64 percent of workers in those have experienced closures, layoffs or reduced hours. Consulting firm McKinsey and Company estimates that small businesses in the
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Virginia U.S. Senator Mark Warner is ready for an American Renaissance following the conclusion of the election season. He’s focused on a second relief package for Americans amidst the coronavirus pandemic, and especially for those in his state. SEE STORY, PAGE 9
B�� Y���� W��� I�������� CBC “S������� A����” City of Falls Church developer and chair of the Falls Church Economic Development Authority won the Citizens for a Better City’s first-ever “Shoutout Award” for leading the EDA’s effort to distribute microgrants to Falls Church businesses that were suffering from the Covid-19 pandemic. See News & Notes, page 9
E��� F���� C����� S������ F����� T� B� P��� �� M���� C��� The massive spending cuts in the proposed 2022 budget announced by WMATA general manager Paul Wiedefeld Monday include eliminating all weekend service and the closure of 19 as-yetunspecified stations on the system. Concerns are the East Falls Church Metro Station is to be cut. See News Briefs, page 15
INDEX
Editorial............................................... 6 Letters........................................... 6,18 Comment ................................ 7,12,13 News & Notes..................................... 8 Crime Report .................................... 12 Calendar ........................................... 14 Classified Ads ................................... 16 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword ......... 17 Critter Corner.................................... 18 Business News ................................. 19
