May 30 - June 5, 2024
Falls Church, Virginia • w w w . fc n p . c o m • Free
Founded 1991 • Vol. XXXIV N o . 16
The City of Falls Church’s Independent, Locally-Owned Newspaper of Record, Serving N. Virginia
2 on Council HAIL THE MUSTANGS! Alleging EDA ‘Conflict’ Offer No Specifics Vague Claim Sullies Report Of Major Economic Gains by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
In a startling development late into Tuesday night’s Falls Church City Council meeting, two members of the Council attempted to disparage a report on the considerable achievements of the Falls Church Economic Development Authority (EDA) by suggesting the EDA is engaged in “perceived conflicts of interest” involving local developers, though no specifics were cited. The charges were issued by Council members Erin Flynn and David Snyder following the report of achievements in the last year by EDA board chair, developer and City resident Bob Young. Despite a lengthy exchange between the two Council members and the EDA’s Ross Litkenhous, a former member of the City Council, there were, again, no specifics named. Litkenhous protested vehemently, calling the accusations “vague,” “soft,” “without any specifics,” “pot shots” and “disheartening.” Mayor Letty Hardi weighed in to say she applauds the “constructive relationship between the Council and the EDA.” In a statement she released yesterday, she said, “I continue to be grateful to the 100+ volunteers who serve on our boards and offer their time and expertise for the betterment of our city. It’s disheartening that sentiment is not only not shared by all, but
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CAPS IN THE AIR as Meridian High School’s Class of 2024 celebrates having been graduated in a ceremony at the school’s main athletic field this Tuesday. (Photo: Gary Mester))
F.C.’s Meridian High Graduates 210 Seniors by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
Former Falls Church City Public Schools’ head of secondary schools Valerie Hardy was the keynote speaker at Falls Church’s Meridian High School commencement this Tuesday on a warm and breezy morning before a large contingent of family and friends and 210 graduates on the school’s main athletic field. Hardy, who was principal at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School from 2017 until
being named head of secondary schools in 2021 until her departure for Prince William Schools in 2023, hailed the 2024 graduating class, who entered high school at the onset of the pandemic in 2020 and endured virtual, remote and hybrid learning options throughout, for its adaptability and resilience. Having been with the class from the time it was in middle school in 2017, she said she came to know it for “standing for what is right and doing something about it,” holding peaceful rallies on local
and national issues, speaking before School Board meetings and more. “You have a clarity of judgment amid hard lessons learned” of being educated during the pandemic, she said. “You are determined to leave the world a better place than you found it, and as you grow in your advocacy, work from a place of kindness,” she offered, “even if you feel that kindness was not afforded you. Be kind, be brave, be you.” “Be your authentic self,” she admonished, “You are ready to become who you are,” and she
closed by playing a part of the Golden Globe winning recording from 2017, her first year in Falls Church, entitled, “This is me.” Falls Church Schools Superintendent Dr. Peter Noonan urged the students to “Let love be your guide.” The pleasant, light breeze made it hard for some graduates to keep their caps on without holding them down and when they threw them all into the air at the moment Associate
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