Falls Church News-Press 2-18-2021

February 18 – 24, 2021

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Renaming Commi�ees for 2 F.C. Schools Begin Process Replacement Name Suggestions Due By March 2

BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” — Shakespeare.

In this quote from Juliet, she confesses she’d love Romeo no matter the school he went to, or what it was called.

But most likely such things will matter to a lot of people in Falls Church, as the process for renaming the high school, formerly George Mason, and elementary school, formerly Thomas Jefferson, has begun in earnest.

The first organizing meetings, held through Zoom, one for the renaming of the high school and one for the renaming of the elementary school, were held last week as the two advisory committees to the F.C. School Board, each made up of about 20 citizen volunteers (out of a whopping total of 77 applicants), convened, went through introductions and the ground rules for moving ahead. The high school group is composed of 20 adults and five students, and the elementary group is made up of 17 adults and four students.

The goal of each group is tasked with coming up with five

recommended names to present to the board by April 9, with the final decisions on each to come from votes of the School Board at its scheduled April 13 meeting.

Few issues in otherwise copacetic Falls Church have spurred such strong feelings on both the pro-and-anti name changing sides as this matter. It is clear even from the make-up of the two committees that this is the case.

A number of appointees to the high school renaming group said in their opening comments that they were opposed renaming George Mason High School to begin with, while a number of others made it clear that their dedication to policies of inclusion and non-discrimination, which would have tended in favor of the name changes, were also important factors.

Both groups, however, said to a person that they respected the unanimous decisions of the School Board in December to seek the new names.

(Both George Mason and Thomas Jefferson, albeit heroic Founding Fathers of the United States, were owners of many slaves, and in the “Black Lives Matter” spirit of 2020, were found

Continued on Page 5

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DESPITE THE TRUNCATED SEASON, the Mustangs’ girls basketball team won the Region 3B championship in a 68-23 rout over James Monroe High School on Monday, continuing their undefeated season at 14-0 and repeating as region champs. The girls played in their Class 3 state semifinal on Wednesday against New Kent High School, but results weren’t available by press time. (P����: C������� B���� C����)

Happenstance Leads to F.C. Affordable Housing Buy

BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

A keen set of eyes by an alert Falls Church citizen while jogging last week set in motion a fast-moving process that led to a decision expected Wednesday night at a special meeting of the

City’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) to add four onebedroom rental apartments to the City’s growing arsenal of affordable housing capacity. The final vote was due to be taken after the News-Press went to press Wednesday night, but was set to be reported on the News-Press

website.

The quick move redoubled the City’s commitment to significantly expand the number of affordable living units, following on last week’s City Council commitment to designate more than 10 percent

Continued on Page 4

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SEE STORY, PAGE 2

SEE STORY, PAGE 15

There was a clear interest in enforcing the City’s noise ordinance at the City Council’s Feb. 8 meeting given how much disturbance the Covid-safe practice is causing neighbors, especially when it comes to Falls Church Distillers and its neighboring apartments.

Sandwiched between retailers in the Falls Plaza Shopping Center is a little takeout spot, Tasty Dumpling, a Chinese, Asian and AsianFusion restaurant where customers can get delicious pork, shrimp, beef and chicken onedish meals to-go.

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One of the first things people associated with recently deceased Temple Rodef Shalom Rabbi Emeritus Laszlo “Larry” Berkowits was that he was a Holocaust survivor. The founding member of the synogague survived the genocide while still in his youth.

SEE STORY, PAGE 3

INDEX

Editorial............................................... 6 Letters................................................. 6 Comment ................................ 7,12,13 News & Notes................................... 10 Crime Report .................................... 12 Calendar ........................................... 14 Business News ................................. 15 Classified Ads ................................... 16 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword ......... 17 Critter Corner.................................... 18

PAGE 2 | FEBRUARY 18 – 24, 2021

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Tackling Noise Issues Could Hurt F.C.’s Live Music Scene

BY MATT DELANEY

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

It looks like the party is coming to an end for live music venues in the City of Falls Church that have relocated outdoors during the coronavirus pandemic.

There was a clear interest in enforcing the City’s noise ordinance at the City Council’s Feb. 8 meeting given how much disturbance the Covid-safe practice is causing neighbors, especially when it comes to Falls Church Distillers and the apartment residents at 455 Tinner Hill and Pearson Square.

As it stands now, the ordinance allows live music to be played outdoors until 9 p.m. on weeknights and 10 p.m. on weekend nights, with the latter being adjusted by City Manager Wyatt Shields to accommodate venues during the pandemic. The proposed modification would push back the cut-off time until 10:30 p.m. on weekend nights, with establishments having to maintain a noise level between 65 – 85 decibels.

Falls Church Police Chief Mary Gavin revealed that loud music calls made up just over 20 percent of

THE STATE THEATRE has kept live, outdoor music going even as the temperature dropped thanks to investing in heaters. Revenues have dropped over 90 percent for the venue, but COO Meredith Johnstone said patrons have helped out with donations. (P����: C������� M������� J��������) the 246 noise complaints the City received in the past 13 months, with the distillery responsible for 35 of them, followed by Lesly’s Restaurant Bar & Grill with 11, the

State Theatre with four and Liberty Barbecue with three.

Vice Mayor Marybeth Connelly and Councilmember Letty Hardi were most adamant about doing

something to calm residential concerns.

“It seems like they can make as much noise as they want before 9 p.m. and there are no consequences

for that,” Connelly said. “That’s really frustrating to me.”

Captain Steve Rau said that police typically take three readings to determine if someone is in violation of the ordinance: one outside of the property line and two others down the street from the venue.

So for Falls Church Distillers, the first reading would be across the street by 455 Tinner Hill, and the other two would be on the corner of Tinner Hill Road and S. Washington Street on one end, and the corner of Tinner Hill Road and S. Maple Avenue on the other.

Rau did point out that the most helpful reading would be inside the home of the person who called in the complaint, but he added that residents are rarely willing to meet with the police after voicing their concerns.

When the Council was briefed on how enforcement has been handled so far — officers will show up to the premises, ask the owner to turn their music down and typically leave a written warning — and what the current legal recourse is for it now — charging an owner with a

Continued on Page 8

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

FEBRUARY 18 – 24, 2021 | PAGE 3

Laszlo Berkowits, Founding Rabbi of Temple Rodef Shalom, Left Indellible Legacy in F.C.

BY ORRIN KONHEIM

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

One of the first things people associated with recently deceased Temple Rodef Shalom Rabbi Emeritus Laszlo “Larry” Berkowits was that he was a Holocaust survivor. One of his closest friends and former TRF education director Judy Seiff, said that while the Rabbi would lecture about the Holocaust, he would lecture about it in a positive way.

“He never dwelt on the horror,” said Judy Seiff. “If not for the kindness of strangers, he would not be alive and he shared that spirit.”

Berkowits passed away on Dec.13 of pneumonia at the age of 92.

He was the founding rabbi of Temple Rodef Shalom in 1963. The Hungarian-American took on the post as his first job after being newly ordained from Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati.

The congregation formed just one year prior from 37 families who were mostly attendees of the Alexandrian reform synagogue Beth El or new arrivals.

“Back in those days, most residents of Falls Church were either families that had lived there for generations, or government/military employees,” said former Falls Church native Noralynn Olom Harlowe in an email to the News-Press. “It was a small group, many of whom were Falls Church residents, who wanted to start a new synagogue. Now, of course, Rodef Shalom has over 1,700 households and is expanding their campus, due in no small part to Rabbi Berkowits.”

Before the key stone was laid on the current building in 1969, the congregation would meet in various locations within the City of Falls Church, such as an office across the street from City Hall, or Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, or even at the First Christian Church of

Falls Church.

At the time of Berkowits’ retirement in 1998, the congregation had grown to 900 families. It is now the largest in Virginia.

“There are a lot of families that are deeply impacted by him, by his leadership, by his role as their rabbi,” said Rabbi Amy Schwartzman “As a member of the choir for all those years, I truly cherished the moments when we could sing together, and I still get goosebumps watching recordings of his Levandowsi Kedusha,” said Falls Church resident Rene Andrews who has been a member since 1986.

In addition to serving as the congregation’s rabbi, Berkowits was an unofficial cantor and was known for his melodic singing voice.

“I think music is an enormous part of spirituality and in addition to traditional rabbinic roles,

Continued on Page 19

BEFORE HELPING FOUND TEMPLE RODEF SHALOM, Laszlo Berkowits had to survive the Holocaust as a young boy, even though his parents and siblings were killed in it. (P����: C������� T����� R���� S�����)

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PAGE 4 | FEBRUARY 18 – 24, 2021

New Affordable Property to be Purchased

By EDA, Could Later Be Sold to F.C. City

Continued from Page 1

of the new units that will soon be under construction at the Broad and Washington mixed use project. That step was the first in over a decade to add concretely to the number of such units in the City.

According to leading advocates of affordable housing here, this latest move is hoped to signal the seriousness of the City to take action and will spur more moves in the same vein.

Seizing the opportunity in this case began with a phone call from a citizen to Bob Young, the chair of the EDA, and subsequent swift moves by Young. The citizen was jogging and saw a new “For Sale” sign planted in front of one of the four-plex buildings on S. Maple St. in the area of four-plexes known as the Virginia Square Apartments.

The 20 four-plex buildings, built in 1941 with four one-bedroom units each averaging 700 square feet, are owned by a wide variety of entities, including one

owned by the City and three owned by Atlantic Realty, who acquired them over a decade ago when it was developing a major project for the remaking of the City’s downtown until the Great Recession hit.

The 20 total buildings, which became known as the Virginia Village, are included in the City Planning Department’s Small Area Plan for repurposing in the future as the site of a denser and more efficient affordable housing location.

But back to our story — EDA Chair Young’s reaction to the citizen’s tip was to immediately contact the broker handling the sale of the building and to make an offer on behalf of himself. He acted so swiftly because he learned there were already over six offers on it.

He proposed a price above the asking price with an escalator clause that would automatically kick in with a higher price if others offered more. He told the News-Press that his plan was to secure the property with the aim

of immediately shifting the ownership from himself to the EDA or the City.

But in the interim, City Attorney Carol McCoskrie has ruled that Young could not represent the deal on behalf of the EDA, and he was thus prevented from having a vote on the EDA decision Wednesday night.

He, along with members of the City’s Housing Commission, chaired by former City Council candidate Joshua Shokoor, were invited to sit in on the virtual meeting. EDA Vice Chair Brian Williams was expected to chair the meeting.

Young told the News-Press Wednesday that he considered the opportunity as “win-win-win” for all involved.

The current owner gets above the asking price, the City gets its hands on four more affordable units to control in the future, and the current residents of the property will not face higher rental rates that a different buyer might have demanded.

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

The EDA, expected to approve the acquisition by way of Young Wednesday night, will enjoy low interest rates if it moves to finance the purchase and what Young projected could be a 5-6 percent return on investment when with the units being rented at the current affordable rate. It remained to be determined whether the EDA would finance its cost of acquisi-

tion, or draw down its Land Bank Fund, with over $1 million in it.

The EDA, Young stressed, “has adopted the position that affordable housing is key to its wider charge of bringing economic development to the City.” He said that “affordable housing is recognized by this EDA as a critical component of economic development.”

Status Update on Tuesday, February 16 City of Falls Church Date

Cases Hospitalizations

Tuesday, February 16 Thursday, February 11 Monday, February 8 Thursday, February 4 Monday, February 1 Monday, January 25 Monday, January 18 Monday, January 11 Monday, December 28 Monday, November 30

330 321 315 288 290 274 246 208 170 103

20 19 20 18 19 18 18 18 16 14

Deaths # Cases per 100,000 People 7 7 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6*

2,234.0 2,037.6 2,132.4 1,949.6 1,963.2 1,854.9 1,665.3 1,408.1 1,150.8 697.3

*NOTE: This data point decreased as the Virginia Department of Health found that the individuals lived in the Fairfax County part of Falls Church, not the City of Falls Church.

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FEBRUARY 18 – 24, 2021 | PAGE 5

Name Suggestions Can Be People Dead for More than 10 Years & Locations

Continued from Page 1

by the School Board to be wanting as a result, and thus votes in both cases were taken to have their names stricken.

(It should be pointed out in this context that the regents of George Mason University commissioned an extensive study and decided to keep the name, and there are many schools named for Thomas Jefferson who’ve shown no interest in a name change.)

Under the rules the School Board adopted in December for considering new names, the chairs of the respective citizen advisory committees, once established, were appointed by Superintendent Dr. Peter Noonan.

As a result, Jamie ArgentoRodriguez was named chair of the high school group, and Sherry Witt the chair of the elementary group.

The high school renaming group includes a wide array of diverse citizens, including high school boys soccer coach Frank Spinello and athletic director Marvin Wooten, and veteran day care director, Katie Clinton, and

a representative from the student newspaper, The Lasso.

One of the first steps of both groups last week was to announce the creation of a citizen suggestion box on the renaming website (www.fccps.org/page/schoolrenaming), where suggestions can be submitted.

On that website, the following ground rules are spelled out: 1. The FCCPS mission statement, which is: “FCCPS is a student-centered, innovative, and inclusive community of lifelong learners. We aspire to be the premier International Baccalaureate school division. We strive to create a personalized environment that supports each child’s unique needs, and prepares every student to be a responsible, caring, and internationally-minded citizen.”

2. “Both schools will maintain their colors, mascots, and logos. (For the high school: red/ white, mustang mascot and logo of the large letter M with mustang inside; For the elementary school: blue/orange, tiger mascot, and logo of tiger inside the circle that will have a new school name around it).

3. Per FCCPS policy, no school or school facility will be named for a living individual. Schools may be named for individuals who have been deceased for at least 10 years.

4. Schools do not have to be named for people. The Committees invite all name suggestions, including names that contribute to placemaking and other aspects of the community (e.g., Little River High School or Big City Elementary School).

5. Suggestions must be received

by March 2, 2021, and citizens are free to provide as many suggestions for names as they may like.

The online suggestion box includes a request for a name and a reason why the name is being suggested.

Members of the high school renaming committee are Jamie Argento-Rodriguez, Bill Ackerman, Komal Bazaz Smith, Georgia Brown, Katie Clinton, Vikki Spencer Ehrlich, Lisa M. Gross, Eden Heard, Allison Hyra, Jeff Jordan, Kabir Kamboh, Edwin Kim, Tom Lubnow, Andra Popa, Kristen Ross, Reid Sassman, Elliott Smith, Frank Spinello, Will

A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT of those on the high school renaming committee, pictured here, were against the name change to begin with, but have said they respect the school board’s decision to change the names. (S���������: N���-P����) Stewart, Marvin Wooten and five student representatives.

Members of the elementary school naming committee are Sherry Witt, Aabira Sher Afgan, Brad Allan, Ryan Bourke, Marcellus Davis, Kyle Erickson, Aaron Ford, Bethany Henderson, Julia Huber, Leigh Johnson, Susan Kearney, John D Lawrence, Kathryn Martin, Brannon

McLaughlin, Jasyn Polowitz, Will Shorter, Paul G Stankevich and four student members.

All the meetings of the two groups will be streamed live online where the public can tune in.

The next meeting of the high school renaming group will be next Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m., and for the elementary group next Thursday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.

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PAGE 6 | FEBRUARY 18 – 24, 2021 

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Vol. XXXI, No. 1 February 18 – 24, 2021 • City of Falls Church ‘Business of the Year’ 1991 & 2001 • • Certified by the Commonwealth of Virginia to Publish Official Legal Notices • • Member, Virginia Press Association •

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E D I TO R I A L

The 2nd Worst President? Tyler

On this President’s Day Week, who remembers what is the actual birthday of the Father of Our Country? It is February 22, and Abraham Lincoln’s is February 12. In the good old days the nation celebrated each separately, giving these two great Americans their respective due.

Relentless “Jim Crow” efforts to rehabilitate the Confederacy led eventually to the diminishment of Lincoln by way of consolidating the two, and making a single date a holiday that, omg, could even justify celebrating the treasonous regime of Trump.

Or, the second-worst president ever. That would be John Tyler, the 10th president, 1841-1845, who became president upon the death of William Henry Harrison and went on to seek and win election to the Confederate House of Representatives in 1861, thereby becoming a pro-slavery sworn enemy of the U.S. That puts both Tyler and Trump in categories of infamy by themselves.

It’s been barely three weeks since the inauguration of Joe Biden as president of the U.S., and the reversion of the regrettable Donald Trump to private citizen status. Yet the major media has not been able to resist the very first opportunity that Trump has provided — a statement attacking fellow Republican Mitch McConnell — to explode Trump back into the headlines replete with his insults and ugly demeanor. Please! It was so peaceful when that disgusting figure was briefly out of the news, but now he’s back. Is this going to be the process going forward? Is Trump going to be back in the news on a daily basis despite being mercifully and permanently banned from Twitter and Facebook?

For the love of God, he is now a private citizen who has so traumatized the U.S. population for so long that we require a break. Seriously. Keep him out of the news except to report that he has been indicted, subpoenaed or otherwise subjected to the functions of the U.S. criminal justice system.

In time, that will generate plenty of news, although even then it will not require extensive Trump face time.

There is little doubt that the major media played a huge role in the rise of Trump as a presidential candidate in the year leading up to the 2016 election, and many decision makers in the media admitted it and justified it on grounds of the ratings they enjoyed. So, will the narrow slice of the American electorate that still worships Trump now be given a chance to celebrate their hero once again thanks to the ratings he’s again providing?

At this rate, the future of Trump in GOP politics will quickly become the sum and substance of the media coverage of matters leading into the next election cycle.

More than a ban on Trump holding future public office, there needs to be a ban on his domination of the media. In that spirit, we genuinely regret the ink we are wasting on talking about him here.

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Impeachment Shouldn’t Be Reserved Just For Presidents Editor, Somehow, we think impeachment is just for presidents.

In democracies of the past, like Athens and Rome, it was extended to any and all highranking public servants and their accomplices.

According to Plutarch and Aristotle, it included members of the executive branch aside from the chief executive, such

as budget and treasury managers and military commanders.

Members of judiciaries could be impeached, and members of the legislative branches as well, such as Roman Senators.

Financiers of corrupt political leaders could be impeached or otherwise prosecuted.

Also, political party leaders could be impeached for their part in aiding misbehaving lead-

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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7. Make the paper show profit if you can, but above all keep it clean, fearless and fair.

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ers. Finally, “friends” of the misbehaving leader could also be impeached.

Impeachment was conducted by judicial panels, legislative panels like the Roman Senate, and executive department panels.

The executive department panels included people of high character like the augurs in Rome, “the eleven” prosecutors in Athens, the six junior archons in Athens, and ethics officials called “censors” in Rome.

Why are we going so light on holding public figures accountable?

Have we abandoned the ship of democracy?

Kimball Shinkoskey Via the internet

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Email:letters@fcnp.com Mail: Letters to the Editor, c/o Falls Church News-Press, 105 N. Virginia Avenue #310, Falls Church, VA 22046

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FEBRUARY 18 – 24, 2021 | PAGE 7

The Current State of Senior Housing in America Amid Covid-19 B� J����� K�����

The senior population in the United States is projected to grow, and by 2050, it is estimated that over a fifth of the population in the country will be 65 years old or older. The need for senior housing is increasing, and the on-going pandemic significantly impacted the senior population. Adults aged 65 and older have accounted for roughly 80 percent of all Covid-19 deaths, and many of these deaths have occurred within long-term facilities across the nation. However, as the population continues to grow, more seniors will require long-term care.

In 2017 the National Senior Campuses organization reported over 19,000 senior living units across the United States, and it is estimated that around 7 percent of older people need help with personal care.

As the boomer population reaches 65, the senior population is projected to reach 83.7 million, almost double the estimated number in 2012. Approximately 10,000 people will turn 65 every day for the next 20 years. The growing senior population creates an increased demand for housing.

The global home health care sector is estimated to see revenues grow $300 billion in 2020 due to the growing need for senior housing care.

Overall, occupancy pressures continue for senior living because construction is based on population levels five or more years out. However, the long-term impli-

cations of the Covid-19 pandemic may affect how seniors are choosing to live and how senior housing is built. In 2019, the

“During the summer of 2020, occupancy in senior housing hit a 15-year low...Senior living facilities across the country closed their doors to visitors, canceled activities, and quarantined residents in their apartments.”

occupancy rates fluctuated in the second quarter and then rose again in the third quarter, and experts believe occupancy rates continued to be a pressure point during 2020.

Additionally, the aging baby boomers will experience a significant increase in the number of middle-income seniors aged 75 or more over the coming years.

Creative and alternative solutions will be needed to serve millions of seniors

that lack the financial ability for senior care and housing. For example, this may involve implementing less costly models of care, more cost-effective construction options, repurposing existing real estate, and introducing the use of technology to drive efficiencies. However, the Covid-19 pandemic drastically changed senior living’s social setting, which could impact how seniors continue to live post-pandemic.

The pandemic has already caused many seniors to consider whether long-term care is too risky. Millions of Americans have purchased insurance to help pay for nursing or home health care and are now facing tough choices as the pandemic continues. During the summer of 2020, occupancy in senior housing hit a 15-year low. In 2008, the number of assisted living facilities and independent living centers grew by 33 percent. However, occupancy rates slid 2.8 percent in the second quarter of 2020. Senior living facilities across the country closed their doors to visitors, canceled activities, and quarantined residents in their apartments.

Although, there is still concern about the virus as case numbers fluctuate across the United States. Per ECDOL, older Americans are most likely to see the outbreak as a major threat to their health.

Yet, industry strategies have continued to change to ensure residents are kept safe and maintain a high standard of physical and mental health. Yet, there will be sig-

nificant challenges ahead as many longterm facilities will have to address staff shortages. As the senior population continues to grow, facilities will have to find new and more effective ways to recruit and retain staff to meet the care needs, which have increased during Covid.

Additionally, this means cultivating a healthier work environment. During the pandemic, it has become essential to safeguard staff’s health as they care for sick patients. Moreover, it involves building a workplace culture where the staff is rewarded for their efforts. The Covid-19 pandemic has also brought to light the need for more focus on person-centered care and keeping seniors independent for as long as possible.

Finally, senior housing across the country must continue to embrace new technology such as web-based tools and telehealth to make jobs easier for caregivers and keep seniors connected to loved ones, family members, and care providers. The state of senior housing in America continues to change, and it is changing rapidly as the pandemic continues into 2021, forcing the industry to catch up to the growing needs of an aging population.

Joseph Kertis is an experienced healthcare expert turned journalist. His experience in the field gives a unique insight into one of the nation’s most challenging professions.

He is a featured author of the healthcare website ECDOL.

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Realistic Decibel Range Is Focus of F.C. Council’s Decision on Noise Ordinance Continued from Page 2

Class 1 Misdemeanor and bringing them before a judge, with a possible penalty maxing out at a $2,500 fine and a year in jail — Hardi wondered if there was a middle ground that police could take to help tamp down the problem.

No clear answer on what that middle ground would constitute was provided by either Gavin, Rau or City Attorney Carol McCoskrie, however Rau did note that some officers are still being trained on how to use and take decibel readings.

When giving his remarks at the meeting, Mayor David Tarter said that as the pandemic subsides so will this issue. In the meantime, he hoped the City’s Economic Development Authority will work with local businesses to either reconfigure their speakers in a way to avoid bothering neighbors or to look into sound dampening equipment to take the edge off their performances.

As the topic came to a close, Hardi and Connelly supported

enforcement as the Council worked to modify its noise ordinance. “[Ticketing] sounds like a plan to me. They’ve had plenty of warnings,” Connelly said.

Shields confirmed at the Feb. 17 Council work session that ticketed enforcement is being carried out.

Negotiating cut-off times haven’t been jabbing venue owners in the ribs as much as determining how realistic the 65 – 85 decibel range actually is.

For reference, IAC Acoustics, a commercial acoustics firm that works to control sound in the industrial, architectural and medical fields and is based in North Aurora, Illinois, offers a decibel scale in one of its blog posts. At the lower end of the City’s scale at 65 decibels is somewhere between a conversion at an office and a vacuum cleaner, while the upper end at 85 decibels is little quieter than a lawn mower. A rock concert ranges from 108 – 114 decibels, per IAC. Meredith Johnstone, the COO of the State Theatre that has been holding free outdoor shows since

June, said that there needs to be some work between the venues and the City on what the proper noise level is. However, she believed that, given the number of places around Falls Church that are having live shows outside, she doesn’t foresee that it will be too big of a problem to get everybody on the same page.

David Tax, a co-owner of Clare and Don’s Beach Shack that will resume its live music on March 13, said the City should figure out “what they’re signing up for” when it comes to 65 decibels. He admitted that he doesn’t know what it is himself, primarily because noise issues weren’t as prominent before Covid19 forced everything outdoors, but he added that if the Council will make time for field trips to ribbon cuttings for new apartment buildings, they can do the same to get a better understanding of noise levels.

Councilmember Ross Litkenhous did just that over the weekend for a show at Falls Church Distillers, according to owner Michael Paluzzi.

While Paluzzi wished

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

F.C. DISTILLERS has been the main source of music complaints, with 35 calls to the police attributed to them. (P����: N���-P����) Litkenhous came solely in favor of what was in the businesses’ best interests, he did feel like he made an impression about how damaging a noise restriction would be. The distillery has made plans to move inside and limit capacity if police do start cracking down on noise complaints, but Paluzzi also shared with Litkenhous that it would affect his customer base and the ability to attract bands as well.

All City businesses have had a lean year due to the pandemic, including the live music venues.

Paluzzi estimated that his revenues are down 60 percent year-over-year.

Tax from Clare and Don’s said theirs were down 80 percent. Johnstone from the State Theatre said revenues had dropped 95 percent.

Even if the City’s enforcement were to be in the same realm as a speeding ticket — which in Virginia could be somewhere around $140 since it’s $90 for the ticket itself and then an additional $50 for processing fees, according to NerdWallet — that would negate the $100 of profit Paluzzi said he’s made on his best nights over the past year. With his lease ending Sept. 30, the noise issues have pushed Paluzzi to seek out another location for the distillery, potentially outside of the City.

The City Council passed a motion to grant a first reading on the revised noise ordinance for its Feb. 22 meeting.

It will have a second reading and open up for public comment at its March 8 meeting.

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FEBRUARY 18 – 24, 2021 | PAGE 9

NEWS BRIEFS Technical Woes Cancel F.C. Council Meeting Tuesday night’s scheduled work session of the Falls Church City Council had to be cancelled due to technical problems with streaming the online event, City Manager Wyatt Shields announced. At a virtual meeting of the Mayor’s Scheduling Committee yesterday morning, Shields said he believed the problem was a problem with the Granicus streaming service that impacted its entire national platform.

It marked the first time since the Council and other City bodies reverted to live Internet streaming that there has been an interruption of this type. Since it was a work session with no formal Council action scheduled, the meeting will not be rescheduled pending the Council’s next business meeting on March 1.

F.C. Police Now Favor Use of Body Cameras At Wednesday morning’s meeting of the Mayor’s Agenda Setting meeting with member of the F.C. City Council, it was reported that the City’s Police Use of Force Review Committee, set up in response to last summer’s national reaction to the murder of George Floyd, will recommend the introduction of body cameras on all officers.

It was also noted that the local police now favor this move, and City Manager Wyatt Shields noted that federal grant money will be sought to offset the cost of their acquisition and operation. F.C. was among the earliest jurisdictions to introduce dashboard video cameras but has not moved to body cameras to date.

Ribbon Cutting for New High School Will Air Virtually The High School Virtual Ribbon Cutting video will debut Sunday, Feb. 20 at 1 p.m. on FCC-TV’s You Tube and cable channels.

The video will include a tour

of the new high school, just completed and ready for occupancy at a cost of $120 million.

The City schools are preparing an in-person event and tour for August or September pending the status of the pandemic by then.

Virginia’s Revenues On the Rise, Northam Reports Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam this week sent a letter to the General Assembly Money Committees announcing that a final mid-session revenue analysis shows Virginia’s tax revenues continue to strengthen.

The additional data means total revenues and transfers for fiscal year 2021 will be revised upwards by an additional $410.1 million, he reported.

Fiscal year 2022 total revenues and transfers will be revised upward by an additional $320.1 million.

In total, the Commonwealth expects an additional $730.2 million over the forecast from December 2020.

“These revised budget numbers tell us that Virginia’s economy continues to thrive, in spite of the pandemic,” said Gov. Northam. “Before the pandemic, we had passed the most progressive budget in Virginia history.

These additional dollars help us get back to that historic budget and allow us to move forward with our shared priorities—providing Virginia families and businesses the relief they need to get back on their feet, supporting public schools, and giving our public workers a pay raise.”

Newly-Elected Board for LGBT Democrats Announced Following elections last week, Maggie Sacra, chair of the LGBT Democrats of Virginia announced the results and the new board for the coming period through 2023. They include, Chairperson — Maggie Sacra, Vice Chair for Outreach — Don Davenport, Vice Chair for Membership — Vacant, Vice Chair for Technology —

Joel McDonald, Vice Chair for Communications — James Lewis, Vice Chair for Development — Crystal Suber, Vice Chair for Elections — Tyler Begley, Vice Chair of Candidate Endorsement — Deanna Bayer, Secretary — Chuck Unger.

Treasurer – Cindy Bray, AtLarge Board Members — Isaac Amend, Nicholas Benton, Charley Conrad, Abbi Easter, Bob Martin, Caryl Quinn, and Brian Reach.

Northam Announces New $ for Covid Crisis Rental Relief Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam Tuesday announced $524 million in new federal funding to help keep Virginia families in their homes amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The Virginia Rent Relief Program (RRP) is funded through the Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program included in the recent federal stimulus package and will assist households and landlords with rent payments to avoid eviction.

Northam made the announcement at Gilliam Place Apartments, which is owned by the nonprofit organization Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have prioritized efforts to keep Virginians safely in their homes,” said Northam. “There continues to be an overwhelming need for additional relief to help those struggling to make ends meet. This new federal funding will provide an important lifeline to individuals and families, and bolster our ongoing work to address housing affordability in the Commonwealth. I urge eligible households to act quickly and work with their landlords to seek rental assistance through this program.”

Virginia is immediately putting $160 million into the RRP to increase housing stability across the Commonwealth and will make additional funding available based upon need. The program will be administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).

PAGE 10 | FEBRUARY 18 – 24, 2021

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News-Press

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Community News & Notes F.C. Episcopal Hold No-Contact Food Drive on Feb. 20 The Youth of The Falls Church Episcopal (115 E. Fairfax St., Falls Church) are running the no-contact food drive on Feb. 20 from 9 a.m.

– noon.

The church requests that donors put donations in disposable bags in their trunk, pull into the upper parking lot, pop the trunk and then a volunteer will unload them for you.

Anyone can come and donate food. Expired or non-perishable goods cannot be accepted.

Chesterbrook Student Wins Statewide Coding Contest

WHEN YOU’RE THE BOSS, you do what you want. That’s been the spirit of News-Press Owner and Editorin-Chief Nicholas F. Benton (bottom photo, seated) during his multi-day birthday celebration last week (he turned 39 — again — by the way). He rang in another year with a veritable who’s-who of Falls Church last Monday, and did so again last Wednesday when Team News-Press paused to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the newspaper as well. This week’s edition is Volume 31, No. 1. (Photos: News-Press)

Chesterbrook Elementary student Jonathan [last name omitted by parent’s request] was named a winner of Computer Science in Your Neighborhood, a contest offered by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and CodeVA for Computer Science Education Week. Dr. Anne Petersen, science coordinator at the VDOE, and Chris Dovi, executive director of CodeVA, presented the award to Jonathan during his virtual schooling.

In response to “Bringing CS Home – How do you use computer science?” Jonathan applied his computer programming skills to create a digital story in ScratchJr, a tablet-based coding application for children.

His animated story, “Computer Science Adventures: At home in Virginia,” celebrates Jonathan’s interests in biology. The story follows two main characters as they visit local parks to identify creatures such as crocodiles and snapping turtles.

The digital characters use microscopes to investigate smaller creatures.

At the close of the story, the pair

travels into the future to make a unicorn from rhinoceros DNA and horse DNA. When asked about the first thing he will do with his new laptop, he says that he will write a blog about beetles, fossils, and animals that live in backyards.

Walt Bartman Headlines McLean Art Society Meeting Walt Bartman, the founder and director of Yellow Barn Studio and Gallery who has won numerous awards for painting and teaching, will be giving a demonstration on color utilization at the McLean Art Society’s meeting on Friday, Feb. 26 from 10 a.m. – noon.

Bartman emphasizes personal interpretation in rendering landscapes, still life and figure painting. He received his M.F.A. from American University and studied in Belgium and Holland on a Fulbright Fellowship.

The meeting will be available on Zoom to be followed by the presentation.

Guests are welcome, and if they would like to be included, they should contact M.A.S. President Ray Goodrow at raymgoodrow@ aol.com.

Falls Church Students Named National Merit Finalists Three students who live in Falls Church have all been selected as National Merit Finalists. Two are students at the City of Falls Church’s unnamed high school — Katherine Donovan and James Trombo. Both were recognized as semifinalists in September. The third is Matthew Sperry, a student at the Stanford University Online High School.

To be considered for a National Merit Scholarship, Semifinalists must advance to Finalist standing in the competition by meeting high

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, 105 N. Virginia Ave #310, Falls Church, VA 22046

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

academic standards and requirements, including the school’s curriculum, the high school official’s written recommendation, information about the student’s activities and leadership, and the Finalist’s own essay.

Visit the National Merit Scholarship site (www.nationalmerit.org) for details on the program that follows out of PSAT testing. Scholarship winners will be announced between April and July.

F.C. Pharmacy Now Offering Free Insulin to Uninsured NOVA ScriptsCentral (NSC), Northern Virginia’s largest charitable nonprofit pharmacy located at 6400 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church, announced in January that it is initiating a Diabetes Access Pilot program designed specifically to assist those in the Northern Virginia area living with Diabetes who need access to insulin.

As a long time provider of quality integrated pharmaceutical care and medication access to the low income uninsured children and adults of Northern Virginia, NSC is continuing to expand its reach.

Through this pilot initiative NOVA ScriptsCentral will provide insulin for free to uninsured patients being treated at one of its 16 safety net partner clinics in Northern Virginia.

These patients will also have access to affordable diabetic testing supplies.

The average Retail Price for 30-Day Supply of all insulins is $476 however, in April of 2020 Governor Northam signed House Bill 66 (HB 66) which prohibits Virginia insurers from setting a patient’s cost-sharing payment for insulin above $50 a month — including deductibles and copays.

This legislation went into effect Jan. 1.

“Our Diabetes Access Pilot is focused on reducing the cost burden that uninsured diabetic patients face when trying to access insulin.

This pilot highlights our ongoing vision of improving the health of the community by eliminating barriers to care faced by the uninsured patients living in our region.” said Donney John, PharmD and executive director for all of NOVA ScriptsCentral’s locations.

Area Students Win Scholastic Writing Honors Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) student writers won 30 Gold Key awards in the 2021 Regional Scholastic Writing Awards competition. In all, 163 Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mentions were earned by FCPS students.

The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, presented by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, is the largest, longest-running recognition program of its kind in the U.S. Writing categories include critical essay, dramatic script, flash fiction, humor, journalism, novel writing, personal essay and memoir, poetry, science fiction and fantasy, short story and writing portfolio.

Here are local students from area schools that earned these distinctions.

Longfellow Middle School: Angeline Zhao – Personal Essay/ Memoir and Flash Fiction (Silver Key for both).

McLean High School: Avery Barnett – Dramatic Script (Honorable Mention); Nia Brockelman – Poetry (Honorable Mention); Mackenzie Chen – Personal Essay/Memoir (Honorable Mention); Ruby Chen – Poetry (Honorable Mention); Elisabeth Eick – Personal Essay/ Memoir (Honorable Mention); Sabila Hasan – Flash Fiction (Honorable Mention); Jungyoon Keum – Flash Fiction (Silver Key); Christine Maubach – Personal Essay/Memoir (Silver Key); Allison Miller – Flash Fiction (Honorable Mention); Awida Neji – Short Story (Honorable Mention); Ellen Pan – Short Story (Silver

LO CA L Key) and Science Fiction/Fantasy (Gold Key); Sophia Pandit – Poetry (Silver Key); Abby Powell – Short Story (Honorable Mention); Mingyi Qu – Journalism (Silver Key and Honorable Mention); Maya Rahman – Short Story and Humor (Honorable Mention for both); Sofia Silva De Araujo – Personal Essay/Memoir (Honorable Mention) and Olivia Zhang – Personal Essay/Memoir (Honorable Mention).

Marshall High School: Reyna Berry – Flash Fiction (Honorable Mention); Jackson Dabich – Flash Fiction (Silver Key) and Joy Gu – Poetry and Dramatic Script (Honorable Mention for both).

FEBRUARY 18 – 24, 2021 | PAGE 11

Justice High Student Receives Honor in STEM Aya Ahmed of Justice High School was one of three Fairfax County Public School students selected from over 4,200 applicants as recipients of the 2021 National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) honorable mention for computing-related aspirations, demonstrated interest in technology, leadership ability, persistence in pursuing interests in computing, and plans for postsecondary education.

The students are part of the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) Impressionists group, an after school mentoring program that works with middle and high school minority girls interested in participating in careerrelated STEM activities.

Through that organization, Ahmed and the other students have had the opportunity to facilitate their own STEM seminars.

HackSIP, a hackathon financed with an NCWIT grant, teaches girls from around the country how to code using a microbit.

This summer, after securing a second NCWIT grant, the students will be hosting HackSIP2, a weeklong summer STEM camp for girls.

YOU GOT SOMETHING ON YOUR NOSE...a nasty ice storm swept through the Washington, D.C. region on Sunday and left even inanimate objects shivering, like this wooden sculpture of a fox in Cherry Hill Park. (P����: C������� M������� N������)

CO MME NT

PAGE 12 | FEBRUARY 18 – 24, 2021

A Penny for Your Thoughts

News of Greater Falls Church

By Supervisor Penny Gross

The outcome of the second impeachment trial of Donald J. Trump never was in doubt. The House impeachment managers presented lots of shocking video of the assault on the Capitol, and events leading up to it, and the Trump lawyers never really prepared a defense. They didn’t have to; they knew, and just about everyone else knew, that the 67 votes necessary to convict simply weren’t attainable. A majority of the Senators, including seven brave Republicans, voted to convict, but 57 isn’t 67 and, once again, the former president avoided accountability.

When I worked on Capitol Hill, I heard many times that Senators’ votes on the floor often were different from views expressed in the Senate Cloakroom.

Before the Senate and House Office Buildings were constructed early in the 20th century, Senators operated from their desks in the chamber, and the adjacent cloakroom was just that — a place to hang their heavy outer garments, as well as a gathering place for private conversations. One current Senator was reputed to have opined that, if a secret ballot for impeachment had been held, the verdict rendered would have been Guilty. The Senate doesn’t vote in secret; as with most elected legislative bodies in this nation, votes are taken in open session, orally or by electronic means, with yeas and nays attributed to individual lawmakers by name. So, on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021, there was no hiding from the vote. One by one, each Senator responded to his or her name, declaring the former president Guilty or Not Guilty.

Although his oft-demonstrated misogyny was not on trial, 17 of the 57 votes to convict were from female Senators, including two Republicans, and only five of the 43 not guilty votes were from female Senators, all Republican.

For decades, poll after poll have indicated that voters value integrity in their elected officials. That’s as it should be. Leaders must have strong moral principles, and operate honestly, truthfully, and with independence, deciding issues on the basis of evi-

dence and worthiness. In some cases today, it seems, integrity and independence may not be so highly valued at home. Very quickly, some state Republican committees moved to censure Senators who voted to convict. Night had scarcely fallen on Saturday when the Louisiana Republican State Central Committee censured Senator Bill Cassidy for his vote to convict.

North Carolina Republicans weren’t far behind in moving to censure Senator Richard Burr. Censure by one’s political party may get a few headlines and chest-thumping, but a censure’s long-term effect remains to be seen.

The greater long-term effect, I hope, is restoration of integrity in politics, the commitment to ideas and principles that undergird our nation, not blind commitment to one person. My late, great mentor, Senator Wayne Morse of Oregon, was known as a maverick, but never sacrificed his principles, or his clear-eyed understanding of integrity. Elected originally as a progressive Republican in 1944, he left the GOP in 1953 to protest Dwight Eisenhower’s selection of Richard Nixon as vice-president. Morse was an Independent for three years, famously bringing a folding chair to the Senate Floor to sit in the middle aisle, and joined the Democratic Party in 1956. His fierce commitment to principle is exemplified in this quote: “I will exercise an independence of judgment based on the evidence of each issue. I will weigh the views of my constituents and party, but cast my vote free of political pressure and unmoved by threats of loss of political support.” In 1968, Senator Morse was defeated for a fifth term by less than one-half of one percent of the vote but, even 50 years later, his independence and integrity should serve as guiding principles for elected officials, and anyone aspiring to elected office.  Penny Gross is the Mason District Supervisor, in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. She may be emailed at mason@fairfaxcounty.gov.

C i t y o f Fa l l s C h u r c h

CRIME REPORT Week of February 8 – 14, 2021

Fraud, 300 blk N Washington St,, February 9, 2:44 PM, an incident of fraud was reported.

Graffiti, 200 blk Grove Ave, February 9, 8:36 PM, graffiti was observed.

Destruction of Property, Drunk in Public, Unlawful Entry, 400 blk James Ct, February 9, 10:25 PM, a male, 28, of Alexandria VA, was arrested for Destruction of Property, DIP and Unlawful Entry.

Damage to Property, 400 blk N Washington St (Parking Garage), February 10, between 1 and 2:35 PM, unknown suspect smashed the front passenger window of an unoccupied car.

Larceny from Vehicle, 400 blk N Washington St (Parking Garage), between 10:30 AM, February 9 and and 6 PM, February 10, unknown suspect smashed the rear passenger side window of an unoccupied vehicle and removed items of value.

Larceny from Vehicle, 6700 blk Wilson Blvd, February 10, between 6 and 7:15 PM, unknown suspect smashed the driver’s side rear window and removed items of value.

Fraud, 200 blk N Maple Ave, February 11, 11:20 AM, an incident of fraud was reported.

Fraud, 300 blk Gundry Dr, February 11, 1:33 PM, an incident of fraud was reported.

www.FCNP.com

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Delegate Marcus Simon’s

Richmond Report Virginia’s Nov. 3, 2020 election was the safest, most secure, most successful election in the history of the Commonwealth.

That’s the conclusion of the Virginia Department of Elections’ recently released Post Election Report.

Virginia voters set new records in all kinds of categories. Not only were 4,413,388 total votes cast — the most ever in any election in Virginia — we also had record numbers of newly registered voters participating in the election, and unprecedented levels of early voting.

Nearly 2.6 million people took advantage of some form of early voting.

That’s 60 percent of all the voters in that election. This was made possible through legislation we passed last year like HB 1, which changed existing law to allow no-excuse absentee ballot requests.

Localities also increased access to satellite voting sites, offering more locations and expanded hours. The post-election report included an audit of all the voting machines and found nothing unusual.

Despite the unparalleled success of Virginia’s most recent election, thanks to legislative initiatives enacted during the 2020 Session to make voting easier and more accessible than ever, there continue to be those who would persist in efforts to cast doubt on the outcome of the election.

While they claim their agenda is an “election integrity” initiative, the bills we’ve seen introduced by my friends on the other side of the aisle seem calculated to reinforce the Big Lie, that the election was somehow stolen from former President Trump.

Last Friday, I gave a speech on the House floor highlighting our recent successes and asking those that would continue pushing this ridiculous narrative to end their negative campaign.

We’ve got to move forward and stop looking for a bogeyman where it simply doesn’t exist.

We owe a debt of gratitude to our registrars and election officials for doing such a wonderful job in such a difficult year. Their dedication to a free and fair election ensured our right to vote was protected. You can view the full post-election report online on the Virginia Department of Elections website (www.elections.virginia. gov).

House Budget

Last week, the House also voted on its version of the state budget. I was pleased to help Majority Leader Charniele Herring and Appropria-

tions Committee Chairman Luke Torian navigate the procedural maneuvers on the floor to pass every single one of our budget amendments while keeping poison pill amendments out.

We passed several critical budget items to address the pandemic, including $30.2 million to support mass vaccination efforts across the Commonwealth, and $3.4 million to provide paid sick leave for Medicaid home health care workers, a budget line item I’ve been advocating for for several years.

To address the ongoing housing crisis worsened by the pandemic, we passed $15.7 million for the Housing Trust Fund and an additional $3.3 million to continue the Evictions Prevention & Diversion Pilot Program.

We prioritized education by allocating about $400 million to help ensure no school division receives less in state funding due to the pandemic, and $51.1 million need-based direct aid to school divisions for remediating lost learning time. We passed funding to ensure that there is at least one school counselor for every 325 students and included an item to restore need-based financial aid for in-state undergraduates starting next school year.

We included a 5 percent pay raise for our teachers and school staff, as well as a 3.5 percent pay increase for all other state employees.

To address some of our unemployment insurance issues, there is a $15.7 million allotment for staff, claims processing, and IT upgrades at the Virginia Employment Commission. We also included a second allotment of $300,000 for forgiving overpayment of unemployment benefits in some cases.

Because we are anticipating that marijuana will be legalized in the Commonwealth this session, we have allocated funding to marijuana regulation and marijuana conviction expungement.

For those interested in purchasing an electric vehicle, the House budget includes language to establish an Electric Vehicle Rebate Fund.

I am proud of the budget passed by the House this year because I believe it funds vital programs and initiatives that will help our Commonwealth be resilient in the face of crisis. While we are still a few weeks away from passing the final compromise budget, I am hopeful that many of these items will retain their funding and continue to be priorities for us here in Virginia.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Truth is Democracy’s Indispensable Ally

Last week, 43 U.S. Senators voted to condone the January 6 violent and deadly insurrection against American democracy. They were presented a powerful and compelling case against everything that happened that day and the central role of then-president Trump as its instigator. Even some among them, including former majority leader Mitch McConnell, in their own words described the heinous and treacherous events and Trump’s central role in them.

But perhaps the saddest indictment to come out of the second trial for impeachment of Trump is against these 43 elected U.S. Senators, all Republicans.

They voted seeming to think they were simply defending their partisan party interests. But they vastly underestimated FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS the gravity of their votes. They were actually voting to condone the insurrection.

They have no excuse to plead otherwise, because of the thorough evidence that was set before them by the team of Democratic leaders assigned to make the case. They voted with their eyes wide open.

It could be argued that the 74 million people who voted for Trump in November, bringing him within seven million votes of winning, should not be confused with the thousands of rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6 armed with lethal weapons and flags of the nation’s and democracy’s enemies.

When it came down to it, the core Trump constituency after his four years in the White House was those few thousand violent fanatics.

Those few thousand plus 43 U.S. Senators, that is, and however many House members who earlier cast votes on his behalf in a failed effort to block the latest impeachment.

Count me among those who were disappointed by the decision of the Democratic leadership not to call witnesses to the impeachment last Saturday when they had the chance.

In this case we were dealing with politics on an entirely different plane than the level where usual rules of the game apply. The Democrats were worried that calling witnesses would extend the impeachment trial such that key elements of President Biden’s aggressive recovery agenda might need be paused.

But this impeachment trial was dealing with one of the most important issues ever facing this republic. It was not a routine case, not in the least.

The entire world needed to be brought in on the drama of witness testimony, examinations and cross examinations on live TV cameras beamed around the whole world.

It should have extended to include many other damning elements, including Trump’s criminal insistence in a phone call recorded and played publicly that the Georgia secretary of state “find” 10,000 or so votes to reverse the outcome in that state.

It would have been important to establish the extent to which this madman president went to trample under the U.S. Constitution and the very notion of free and fair elections to advance his zealous effort to stay in power.

Some of what may not have been introduced into evidence at last week’s impeachment trial may still wind up in criminal courts in Georgia, New York and Washington, D.C. We fully expect that it will, and that Mr. Trump is going to have a very difficult time being confronted by the criminal and civil legal actions coming down the pike at him for an extended period.

But they will lack the dramatic effect, undertaken for the purpose of providing the American population with a sorely needed lesson in the laws of a democracy and why they matter.

Whenever the United States is described as “a nation of laws,” a very central tenet is being referenced that in recent years, at least on the Republican side, has been eroded and even dismissed.

A very sinister current has festered in the Republican Party for the last 40 years that is explicitly anti-democratic and, actually, inhumane. It has drawn from a sordid pro-fascist social and cultural model which asserts that truth, itself, is a matter of subjective choice. In the philosophical sphere it comes under the general category of post-modernism.

In its thinking, truth is subordinate to power, and the Trump administration demonstrated and exercised it to a tee.

Its core fallacy must be rooted out for democracy to flourish.  Nicholas Benton may be emailed at nfbenton@fcnp.com.

CO MME NT

FEBRUARY 18 – 24, 2021 | PAGE 13

Nicholas F. Benton

Our Man in Arlington

By Charlie Clark

The Arlington Arts Center near Virginia Square has rolled with the pandemic as well as any nonprofit.

Though its galleries are shuttered, it set up an outdoor artists’ exhibit, created a new strategic plan to expand the audience for contemporary art and began a search for a new executive director.

The center retains one distinction: Its building, the former Matthew F. Maury Elementary School that closed in 1975, is the last remaining Arlington structure designed by noted Virginia architect Charles Robinson.

One of our commonwealth’s most admired, Robinson (1867 – 1932) worked out of his Richmond firm’s offices to design some 400 education buildings in the early 20th century. Those included many in the state capital and dozens on the campuses of what today are the College of William and Mary, the University of Mary Washington, Washington and Lee University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Radford University, Virginia State College, the University of Richmond, Bridgewater College and James Madison University.

But “Robinson Schools” were at the elementary level, in counties and cities across Virginia. He designed five in Arlington (called Alexandria County until 1920).

Besides Maury (which began as the Clarendon School in 1909), they included Fort Myer Heights School (built in 1919 but renamed the Wilson School in 1925).

That latter structure on Wilson

Blvd. was demolished in 2017 to make room for the new Heights building, which houses the H-B Woodlawn secondary program. Other Robinson schools that came and went included Cherrydale (1910), Ballston School (1914) and Barcroft (1924, later rebuilt but still thriving).

Robinson also designed the nowdefunct Fairfax County elementary schools called Forestville, Bailey Crossroads and Franklin Sherman.

Born in Hamilton, Virginia, the son of an architect, Robinson spent his school years in Canada.

As a young man he was mentored in architecture by notables in Michigan and Pennsylvania. He set up his own firm in Altoona in 1889 before taking his talents back to Richmond.

Though he was equally prolific at designing sanitariums for public health, Robinson strangely is “relatively unknown today,” as Sally Brown, curator of a 2019 exhibit on the man at the Branch Museum of Architecture and Design, told Richmond Magazine. “His inventiveness and philosophy of openair school rooms was important then and now. He seemed to care more about the people and their well-being and the function of the building than many architects today.”

Robinson’s opus that became Arlington’s Wilson School stood out for “its massing, materials (concrete and brick primarily), the alternating brick and window bays along the front facade, the wide frieze band, the decorative cornice with scrolled modillions, and the low-pitched hipped roof,” read the

Fort Myer Heights neighborhood’s application for historic designation.

“Robinson had a rare ability to produce a huge amount of work at a consistently high level,” architect Robert Winthrop wrote in Richmond Architecture in 2015.

His structures “are always well built, logically planned, efficient and handsome. Robinson seemed to have a knack for creating architecturally impressive buildings for the notoriously stingy state, county and city school boards.”

The Arlington Arts Center treasures its designated landmark listed in the National Register of Historic Places. “Robinson’s design has withstood the test of time,” said spokeswoman Blair Murphy.

“We’ve worked with really talented artists, and it’s wonderful to give them the opportunity to create in an environment with such a striking presence and rich history.” *** The historically minded Caruthers family has modernized the controversial sign near their compound on N. Stafford St., across from the Madison Center.

Back in 2016, neighbors were questioning the plaque erected decades earlier referring to the property as a wildlife sanctuary at the “historical site of Civil War Fort Ethan Allen, which commanded all approaches south of Pimmit Run to Chain Bridge during the War of Northern Aggression (1861 – 1865.)”

Steve Caruthers informs me his family agreed late last year to spend $6,000 to remake the plaque for “those who didn’t get the joke.”

The new plaque simply calls the conflict “The Civil War.”

PAGE 14 | FEBRUARY 18 – 24, 2021

CA L E NDA R

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

FALLS CHURCH

CALENDAR LOCALEVENTS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20 Falls Church Farmers Market.

The Falls Church Farmers Market runs every Saturday, where attendees will find fresh, local produce, meat, dairy, flowers & plants, honey, music and more.

City Hall (300 Park Ave., Falls Church) 9 a.m. – noon. For more information, visit fallschurchva. gov/547/Farmers-Market-To-Go.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21 R.I.P. — Remove Invasive Plants.

Want to restore habitat and increase native species diversity in Arlington? Work parties are held every month and are making a difference with the return of ferns, wildflowers and the animals that depend on them to areas once covered in destructive invasive plants. Adults, teens and families ages 8 and up.

For information, call 703-2286535. Registration not required.

Long Branch Nature Center at Glencarlyn Park (625 S. Carlin Springs Rd., Arlington). 2 – 4 p.m.

VIRTUALEVENTS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18 Middle School Book Club (online). This meeting’s book is “Tangerine” by Edward Bloor.

Book club for grades 6-8. This discussion is hosted by Mary Riley Styles Public Library and will be held online via Zoom. For more information, email Laura Miller at lmiller@fallschurchva.gov. 4 – 5 p.m.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22 ESOL Conversation Group (online).

Interested participants can practice their English with a weekly ESOL conversation group. This program meets online via Zoom.

To request a Zoom invite, email Marshall Webster at mwebster@

fallschurchva.gov. 7 – 8:30 p.m.

City Council Meeting (online).

City Council meetings are held the second and fourth Monday of the month, with the exception of August and December when only one meeting is held. These meetings are open to the public and are conducted to allow Council Members to discuss upcoming legislation and policy issues and the public is invited to speak. All participating members of the City Council will be present at this meeting through electronic means. All members of the public may view this electronic meeting via www.fallschurchva. gov/CouncilMeetings. The meeting may also be viewed on FCCTV (Cox 11, RCN 2, Verizon 35). Video will be available after the meeting both online and on FCCTV. 7:30 – 11 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24 Kanopy Film Discussion Group (online). Interested participants can watch the movie and then join the group to chat about it. This month’s movie is “Fiddler: Miracle of Miracles” (2019), which is the first in-depth documentary film that chronicles the story of “Fiddler On The Roof,” exploring the unexpected richness of its themes as well as its long reach across time and cultures. Hosted by Mary Riley Styles Public Library. Email Pete Sullivan (psullivan@fallschurchva. gov) for a Zoom invitation or more info. 8 – 9 p.m.

THEATER&ARTS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19 “Passport to the World of Music” Live Streaming Series. Creative Cauldron returns with two performances this weekend as a part of its virtual “Passport to the World of Music’’ series. On Friday, Feb. 19, three of Washington, D.C.’s jazz guitar greats in Jan Knutson, Steve Abshire and Steve Herberman will perform together

MARS RODEO BAND will be performing at JV’s Restaurant tonight. (Courtesy Photo) as they tackle swing, jazz and blues like you’ve never heard before.

And on Saturday, Feb. 20, Sally Imbriano presents George White’s “Scandals,” a cabaret in homage of her Australian roots and the stories of the Lost Generation with Refiye Tappan (piano) and Dakota Kaylor (percussion) joining in. All Tickets are $15; both concerts will be live-streamed 7:30 p.m. on their respective show dates. Visit creativecauldron.org for tickets and information.

LIVEMUSIC THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18 David Thong (from Back to the ‘90s) plays hits from every decade. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church).

5 p.m. 703-237-0300.

Mars Rodeo Band.

JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 7:30 p.m. 703-241-

9504.

A Song & A Slice: Josh Allen Band (Indoors + Distanced). Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna).

7:30 p.m. 703-255-1566.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19 Shartel & Hume Duo. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4:30 p.m. 703-2419504.

Jameson Green. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). 5 p.m. 703-2370300.

Squid Inc. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 6 p.m. 703-8589186.

Elevado EP Release Show (Indoors + Distanced). Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $10 – $20. 7:30 p.m. 703-2551566.

Sol Roots Band with Mike Tash.

JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 7:30 p.m.

703-241-9504.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20 Troll Tribe. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 1 p.m. 703-8589186.

Stealin’ the Deal. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4 p.m. 703-241-9504.

Jesters to the Left. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). 5 p.m. 703-2370300.

Lady Limbo. Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 6 p.m. 703-858-9186.

Rusty’s Lost Highway Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 7:45 p.m. 703-2419504.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

F� � � � C � � � � �

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B������� N��� � N���� The State Theatre Has a Variety Of Branded Merchandise For Sale The State Theatre has a variety of branded merchandise such as beanies, koozies, shot classes, t-shirts, tank tops, and fleece blankets now available at shows or through the box office. Proceeds will help keep the regionally renowned theater in operation. Free outdoor shows through the weekend include David Thong on Thursday, Feb. 18, Jameson Green on Friday, Feb. 19, Jesters to the Left on Saturday, Feb. 20, and 19th Street Band on Sunday, Feb. 21. The State Theatre is located at 220 N. Washington Street and its box office is open noon – 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. For more information about these or other future shows, visit www.thestatetheatre.com.

FEBRUARY 18 – 24, 2021 | PAGE 15

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The Kensington Falls Church and HFC Present CareCon on Feb. 19 The Kensington Falls Church and HFC are presenting CareCon on Friday, Feb. 19 from 3 – 5 p.m. The free virtual event is designed specifically for Alzheimer’s and dementia family caregivers to empower them with support, knowledge and community. Attendees will be able to connect with other Alzheimer’s and dementia family caregivers, learn from some of the nation’s leading care experts as well as from Leeza Gibbons, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Sean Hayes, Ashley Williams, and Kimberly Williams-Paisley.

HFC, Hilarity for Charity, is a nonprofit, led by Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen, whose mission is to care for families impacted by Alzheimer’s disease, activate the next generation of Alzheimer’s advocates, and be a leader in brain health research and education. For more information, visit the events page at www.thekensingtonfallschurch.com.

Body Dynamics, Inc. Offering Free Classes on Feb. 18 & 25.

Body Dynamics, Inc. is offering a free Tai Chi class on February 18 and a free Chair Exercise Class on Feb. 25. Both Kensington Falls Church sponsored classes take place on Thursdays from 2 – 2:30 pm. Body Dynamics is a health and wellness center that integrates physical therapy, massage, fitness, nutrition, counseling and other wellness programs to create dynamic customized treatment and wellness plans. The Kensington Falls Church is an assisted living and memory care residence that offers comfortable elegance, staffed by loving professionals. Visit the events page at www.thekensingtonfallschurch. com for more information or to sign up.

Wilmington Trust in Falls Church Brings on New Senior Wealth Investor Wilmington Trust in Falls Church announced that Christopher Van Horn has joined the firm as a senior wealth advisor, responsible for providing comprehensive advice to high-net-worth individuals, families, entrepreneurs, business owners, foundations and endowments throughout the Greater Washington and Baltimore regions. Van Horn has over 22 years of experience in the financial and investment management industries. Prior to joining Wilmington Trust, he served as a senior analyst in Equity Research at B. Riley FBR in Arlington. Previously, he worked as a product analyst at Putnam Investments and as a consultant associate at State Street Global Advisors. Wilmington Trust’s Wealth Management offers a wide array of personal trust, planning, fiduciary, asset management, private banking, and family office services designed to help high-net-worth individuals and families grow, preserve, and transfer wealth. Wilmington Trust has clients in all 50 states and numerous countries, with offices throughout the United States and internationally in London, Dublin, Paris, and Frankfurt. For more information, visit www.wilmingtontrust.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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We are pledged to the letter and spirit of Virginia’s policy for achieving equal housing opportunity throughout the Commonwealth. We encourage and support advertising and marketing programs in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap. All real estate advertised herein is subject to Virginia’s fair housing law which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.” This newspaper will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate that violates the fair housing law. Our readers are hereb y 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.

KIDS LOVE SCALLIWAG

By Eileen Levy Hello again!

I know it’s cold out there.

We care!

For a while, let’s smile!

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

6

17

9

10

18

24

27

29

30

32

36

33

37

34

35

38

39

40 42 46

13

22

26

25

31

12

19 21

28

11

16

20

45

8

15

14

23

7

41

43

44

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

58

59

60

61

62

63

54

55

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57

© 2020 David Levinson Wilk

Across

1. “Glad the week’s almost over!”

5. Up to one’s neck (in) 10. Evian competitor 14. “What ____ thinking?!”

15. When clocks are set back for the end of daylight saving time 16. Gulf state 17. Oscar nominee for “Lawrence of Arabia” 19. Commercial prefix meaning “convenient to use” 20. Uranians and Neptunians 21. Like Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 22. Pre-calc course 23. “Anyhoo,” e.g.

26. A kid might get one on Halloween night 28. Mouse catcher 29. Stay-at-home ____ (some parents) 30. The Trojans of the NCAA 31. Hockey great Bobby 32. Stay-at-home ____ (some parents) 33. “Relax, soldier!”

36. Nest egg named for a Delaware senator 38. One-named singer whose real first name is Robyn 39. Robert Louis Stevenson title character 40. Man buns and the Mannequin Challenge, e.g.

41. One way to stand 42. Some gas stations 43. Wolf riders in “The Lord of the Rings” 44. Popular gaming console that sounds like two pronouns 45. Table game in a rec room 48. Young seal

STRANGE BREW

1. "Glad the week's almost over!"

5. Up to one's neck (in)

FEBRUARY 18 - 24, 2021 | PAGE 17

49. Dip ____ in 50. Employ 51. “You ____ me one” 52. Twelve 53. Reason to wear a hat ... as exemplified by this puzzle’s groups of circled letters 58. Nickname for John Wayne, with “the” 59. AimÈe of “La Dolce Vita” 60. Where icicles may hang 61. War vet’s affliction, for short 62. Things called in roll call 63. [Just like ... that!]

Down 1. Value of snake eyes in craps 2. Group of whales 3. “This ____ test” 4. Arouse 5. Sounds of satisfaction 6. Org. for Venus and Serena Williams 7. Courtyards 8. Some playground equipment 9. Labor leader played by Jack Nicholson in a 1992 biopic 10. Body of water between Denmark and Scotland 11. 1972 #1 hit that starts “A long, long time ago” 12. “Feel me?”

13. Near, poetically 18. Sault ___ Marie, Michigan 23. Hurricane, e.g.

24. 404 Not Found, e.g.

25. Before him, “it was inconceivable for a country artist to go multi-platinum,” according to allmusic.com 26. Cream ____

JOHN DEERING

Sudoku

27. ____ Chris Steak House 29. Stud finder?

32. Kid’s reply to a taunt 33. Lends a hand 34. Slowpoke 35. Enjoy to the max 37. Like state-of-the-art or up-to-date, e.g.

38. Ribald 40. “____ is never given; it is won”: A. Philip Randolph 43. Figure skater Baiul 44. “____ the love?”

45. Classic 1961 John Updike story set in a grocery store 46. Words after duke or hug 47. Mark of “Shark Tank” 48. 1910s conflict: Abbr.

51. Symbols of might 54. Shade 55. Dapper fellow 56. DuVernay who directed “A Wrinkle in Time” 57. “Indeedy”

Last Thursday’s Solution M I A T A S

A R T H R O

T E L E T U B B I E S

S I S W I I L S C C A O U C S B L I A D E F C I M A D T V O C H R E W E L L S

A M A Z E

Y O M A M A

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

H E A D

I N N O C P E A N S T T C H A U R E I V N O G S

F A R I N A E L E N A

P E J O R A T I V E L S A T

S H A W P O C H A N K Y Z A D A L I B P R E G H T I A L F I N D E M O A M A N A G E L E W E D S

By The Mepham Group

Level 1 2 3 4

10. Evian competitor 14. "What ____ thinking?!"

15. When clocks are set back for the end of daylight saving time 16. Gulf state 17. Oscar nominee for "Lawrence of Arabia" 19. Commercial prefix meaning "convenient to use" 20. Uranians and Neptunians 21. Like Beethoven's Symphony No. 6

1

22. Pre-calc course 23. "Anyhoo," e.g.

26. A kid might get one on Halloween night 28. Mouse catcher Solution to last Sunday’s puzzle

1 NICK KNACK

© 2020 N.F. Benton

2/7/21

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. © 2021 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

LO CA L

PAGE 18 | FEBRUARY 18 – 24, 2021

BACK IN THE DAY

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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25 � 10 Y���� A�� �� ��� N���-P���� Falls Church News-Press Vol. V, No. 48 • February 15, 1996

Falls Church News-Press Vol. XX, No. 51 • February 17,, 2011

Battle Lines Drawn as FCCO Gives Nod to Council, School Candidates

F.C. School Board Finds a Way: ZeroGrowth Budget & Pay Hike

The battle lines are drawn for the May 7 election in the City of Falls Church.

Following nominating conventions by the Citizens for a Better City (CBC) last month, the rival Falls Church Citizens Organization (FCCO) met Sunday to endorse three candidates for the CIty Council and two for the School Board.

In what Chair Joan Wodiska called “almost a miracle” Tuesday night, the Falls Church School Board approved a budget that requests less from the City than a year ago, but still provides modest salary increases for all teachers and staff and involves no layoffs.

The concise budget reflects the City’s fiscal responsibility as it comes out of the recession.

BECOME A MEMBER OF THE NEWS-PRESS Get your news early!

• Get the Front Page Early • Get the Lead Stories • See the Whole Paper Online.

Visit our website for More perks!

Since 1991, the News-Press has been on a mission to provide independent and honest journalism to the Falls Church community. We recognize and appreciate the support the City, its businesses and residents have shown us for the past 29 years.

Never before has the fight to ensure a free press been more important.

Visit FCNP.com/members to become a member of the News-Press today

THIS IS CLEATS, a 2 year old Himalayan rabbit. Her human, 11-year-old Hannah Rosenbusch, said she loves to hop around the house and find new hiding spots. And Hannah confirmed that she didn’t have to pay extra for Cleats’ red eyes, either Just because you’re not famous doesn’t mean your pet can’t be! Send in your Critter Corner submissions to crittercorner@fcnp.com.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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FEBRUARY 18 – 24, 2021 | PAGE 19

Berkowits Tried to Talk About His Holocaust Experience in a ‘Liberating’ Way Continued from Page 3

he was able to bring music to our community,” said Schwartzman.

After his retirement in 1998, Berkowits held the position of Rabbi Emeritus. This is a customary title in secular synagogue branches in which rabbis are unofficial members of the leadership staff in retirement.

“As the emeritus rabbi, he lived the good life,” Schwartzman continued. “He had the chance to do the things that he enjoyed doing and really not having to do the things he didn’t like.”

Schwartzman said he would be most heavily involved in traditional rites of passage and teaching.

He would always be a regular at services as well. Anyone who was enrolled in Temple Rodef Shalom’s Jewish education program up to 7th grade would get a talk from the Rabbi about it.

Judy Seiff described the Rabbi’s openness to talking about the Holocaust — an event that claimed the lives of his parents and two of his siblings — as

an evolution.

“For many years he really didn’t talk about it, and for years, he talked about if the young people were not made aware of Holocaust survivors, then all these memories would be lost,” said Seiff.

Berkowits also talked to several area high schools and travelled internationally to talk about his experiences.

In 2001, he contributed his story to a symposium at the U.S. Holocaust Museum, which is based in Washington, D.C., on the Holocaust and Hungary for posterity’s sake.

“Every time I speak to people, especially young people in high schools, I am always concerned about telling the truth in a way that is not depressing, that might even be somehow liberating,” said Berkowits at that symposium.

Schwartzman said that his contact with newer members was more limited after retirement, and he would be more involved in life cycle events like bar mitzvahs, birthdays, births, and wed-

dings for the people he knew before he retired.

Part of this had to do with the fact that Temple Rodef Shalom has grown so much that it presently employs three rabbis and two cantors.

She also said that the Temple Rodef Shalom of today has congregants from all reaches inside the Capital Beltway rather than just being a Falls Church institution.

However, a lot of City of Falls Church residents remember him particularly fondly given his relationship to the city.

Clare and Don’s Beach Shack and Lazy Mike’s Delicatessen co-owner Rebecca Tax, for example, counts Berkowits as a frequent customer to both her restaurants and employed his grandkids Zoe and Sam. She is a member of Temple Rodef Shalom and counts children Julie and Peter as close friends.

“He was such an amazing resource for all things Jewish, had a great depth of wisdom, and generosity of spirit. I will miss him dearly.”

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