Ma rc h 3 - 9 , 2016
Fa lls Chur c h, V i r g i ni a • ww w. fc np. c om • Fr ee
Fou n d ed 1991 • Vol. X X V I N o. 2
Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads
Inside This Week Trump Gets Only 15.68% in City of F.C.
While the winner Virginia-wide and in a total of seven states on “Super Tuesday” primary election day, Republican front runner Donald Trump garnered only 15.68 percent of Republican votes cast in the City of Falls Church. See News Briefs, page 8
Spring Real Estate Special Inside
The News-Press explores how school rankings affect home values, the Falls Church Victorian Society, a local real estate agent’s upcoming television appearance and more inside this special Spring 2016 Real Estate issue.
Undefeated Mason Mustangs Advance To State Boys Basketball Tournament K aine R allies for C linton 28-0 Going to This Saturday’s Match Vs. Graham HS
by Matt Delaney
Falls Church News-Press
who attended via telephone. “This was a tough budget, with no more money but more kids,” said board vice chair John Lawrence. “But we got it done in time and with consensus.” Board chair Justin Castillo chimed in, “Our mission is to provide high quality free K-12 education, with our ultimate accountability being to the students. We worked well as a board and I am pleased with the contributions of everyone.”
Undefeated at 28-0 for the first time in school history this late into a season, Falls Church’s George Mason High School Mustang boys basketball team enters the first phase of the state tournament this Saturday against Graham High School at 11 a.m. at Robinson High School in Burke. The Mustangs are in search of their first ever state title, which, if they win Saturday, they will pursue in semifinal and final games in Richmond on Friday, March 11 and Saturday, March 12. It would mark the fourth time a Chris Cappanola-coached Mustang team would make it to the final four, beginning 15 years ago in 2001 and again in 2011 and 2012. This year’s Mustang team, while emulating the characteristic Cappanola model of team play and tough defense, also sports senior forward Robert Tartt who has already set a new career scoring record for boys basketball with 1,167 points, nudging ahead of Kenny Wilson’s mark of 1,164 points set back in 2000-01. At the start of the season, Cappanola’s team made their intentions crystal clear: win Virginia’s 2A State title. The sentiment was broadcast by players and echoed by coaches, but until about a month ago when the postseason tournaments began it was still just an idea (albeit, a bold one) waiting to gain traction with wins over quality competition. Now, after claiming the Conference 35 and 2A Region East titles in convincing fashion, the Mustangs look to cement a
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See pages RE-1 – RE-8
David Brooks: The Movement Mentality
It feels like people clumped themselves into intellectual movements more 30 years ago than they do today. See page 12
Press Pass with Amelia White
Amelia White’s new album Home Sweet Hotel talks about the ups and downs of life on the road for a touring musician. But White, who was born and raised in Arlington, will soon be returning to a place she calls home. See page 29
U.S. SENATOR TIM KAINE speaks with 8th Congressional District Democratic chair Margo Horner prior to a rally for Hillary Clinton on Columbia Pike last weekend. Kaine’s name continues to be floated as a potential vice presidential running mate should Clinton secure the Democratic nomination. (Photo: News-Press)
Falls Church School Board Adopts Its Budget With 5.4% Increase by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
Index
Editorial..................6 Letters....................6 News & Notes.10-11 Comment...12-14, 23 Calendar.........24-25 Food & Dining......27
Sports..................28 Business News....31 Classified Ads .....32 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword...........33 Critter Corner.......34
By a unanimous vote Tuesday night, the Falls Church School Board adopted a budget for the coming fiscal year that will seek a 5.4 percent increase in the transfer from the City, a number almost identical with what Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones proposed to kick off the board’s budget deliberations in January. The School Board voted for a total operating budget of $48,623,400, a five per-
cent increase over this year, that includes a requested transfer from the City of $40,362,000, up by 5.4 percent from this current year’s $38,298,700. “This is almost unheard of, for a School Board to be in such concurrence with the Superintendent on the budget,” Hunter Kimble, the School’s chief financial officer, told the News-Press after Tuesday’s vote. The vote was 6-0, with one member Erin Gill absent due to illness and another, Phil Reitinger, whose vote counted,