May 25 – 31, 2017
Fa lls Chur c h, V i r g i ni a • ww w. fc np. c om • Fr ee
Foun d ed 1991 • Vol. XXVI I N o . 14
Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads
Inside This Week
F.C. Memorial Day Program Inside
The official Falls Church Memorial Day Parade and Festival program with parade lineup, festival map, vendor list, ceremony information and much more is inside this week’s special edition of the News-Press. See Pull Out, pages S-1 – S-16
City Hall Renovation Downsized As Projected Costs Skyrocket Civil War Days
Court Security Fixes Will Be Maintained, Chief Gavin Reports
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
home that ultimately led to Moore’s infidelity, according to Shaun, and their divorce in 1953. News of Moore’s death Tuesday began bringing the media to Shaun’s doorstep in Falls Church right away. A reporter from CBS brought a film crew
The Falls Church City Council was stunned to get news at its meeting Monday of the need to significantly downsize the City Hall renovation project, the result of the cost of the renovation coming in 25 percent higher than originally projected. The renovation’s expected cost of $19.5 million, the plan the Council last saw in December, was $6.5 million higher than budgeted, so the City’s planners under the direction of Assistant City Manager Cindy Mester went ahead with a series of cost-saving modifications which were brought to the Council for the first time Monday. Staying within the original $13 million budget, the new City Hall design is considerably more modest, but as F.C. Police Chief Mary Gavin testified, still offers the important security and safety features needed to operate a 21st century public facility that includes a court function. While Council members expressed their universal shock and dismay at the smaller scale of the renovation plan, dropping back net new parking from 44 to 13, for example, and eliminating the addition of a new glass-enclosed front and rear courtyard at City Hall, it will still conform with the security and safety needs that are so lacking in City Hall presently, Chief Gavin said. The covered parking will permit the secure transfer of suspects being brought to trial, for example, and the courtroom itself will be fortified. She said the number of entrance points at City Hall will be
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3 Certified to Run for F.C. Council in November
Falls Church City Council incumbents David Snyder and Dan Sze along with first-time candidate Ross Litkenhous have all been certified to run for four available Council seats this November. See News Briefs, page 9
Paul Krugman: The Unfreeing of American Workers
American conservatives love to talk about freedom. See page 29
Mason in Conference Championship Tonight
After topping Clarke County to kick off the postseason, the George Mason High School boys soccer team tries for the Conference 35 title tonight vs. Central. See Sports, page 34
THE CITY OF FALLS CHURCH hosted its annual Civil War Day last Saturday, illustrating a “living-history” of The Little City during the Civil War. The day included Civil War soldier and civilian re-enactments, display and relic exhibits, dancing, live music, firing and drilling demos and more. (Photo: Gary Mester)
Impact of Roger Moore Death Reaches Into City of Falls Church by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
Index Editorial..................6 Letters....................6 News & Notes.10–11 Food & Dining......12 Comment........ 29–31 Calendar........32–33
Classified Ads......36 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword...........37 Business News....38 Critter Corner.......38
The international headlines announcing the death at age 89 of the iconic James Bond movie star, Roger Moore, has a Falls Church connection, as it turns out. Moore’s stepson, long-time Falls Church resident and arts activ-
ist Shaun Van Steyn was the son of Moore’s first wife, the late Doorn Van Steyn, when she married Moore in 1946, a marriage that lasted seven years. That made Moore the first “dad” for Shaun, and he has vivid memories, mostly of domestic clashes between Moore and his mom in their Streatham London