June 15 – 21, 2017
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 I No. 17
Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads
Inside This Week
1st & 10
Stuart Name Change Vote Set for July
After nearly five hours of deliberation Monday, the Fairfax County School Board’s decision to change the name of J.E.B Stuart High School, or not, inched forward as board members agreed to finally vote on the proposition at its July 27 meeting following a work session on the topic July 17. See page 4
Providence Players End Season Saturday
2013 Tony award-winner “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” is a marvelous choice for the last show of this season’s productions by the Providence Players of Fairfax. See page 22
David Leonhardt: The Halfhearted Opposition
The Republican health care bill now sneaking its way through the Senate has a good chance of becoming law, even though it would do miserable damage. See page 14
Tinner Hill Blues Fest Rocks Falls Church
The Tinner Hills Blues Festival brought out the crowds Saturday to Cherry Hill Park for the 24th edition of the musical celebration. See photos, page 8
GEORGE MASON HIGH SCHOOL’S girls lacrosse team (left) earned its first Virginia state championship last weekend while the Mustangs girls soccer team brought home its 10th consecutive state title. (Photos: Courtesy George Mason High School, John Rollins)
Mustangs Girls Lacrosse Wins 1st-Ever State Title; Girls Soccer Captures 10th Consecutive Va. Crown Two of George Mason High School’s athletic programs proved to be the cream of the crop during Virginia High School League championships last weekend with the girls lacrosse team winning its first ever 4A state title and the girls soccer team earning its 10th consecutive 2A state title.
Index Food & Dining......20 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword...........21 Critter Corner.......22 Classified Ads......23
ship and a nail-biter, too. Facing off against Stuarts Draft High School for the second time in eight days, Mason secured their 10th title in a row with a 1-0 victory over the Cougars. — Matt Delaney See more in Sports, page 17
3 Falls Church School Board Members Won’t Seek Re-Election This November by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
Editorial..................6 Letters....................6 News & Notes.10–11 Comment........ 12–14 Business News....15 Calendar........18–19
In Salem, the Mustangs took home the lacrosse crown by topping region champs Riverside High School, 15-14. Mason has lost to the Rams just one week earlier in the regional finals. The soccer state title game in Radford was also a rematch of the region champion-
With the deadline passing Tuesday night to file requisite papers and signatures to qualify for the November ballot, three of the four incumbents of the Falls Church School Board whose seats are up for re-election have chosen not to run for another term. Michael Ankuma, John Lawrence and Margaret Ward will not be seeking re-election, according to the Falls Church Registrar’s office at Tuesday’s 7 p.m. deadline. The only exception is Board
Chair Lawrence Webb, who will be on the ballot. Still, in addition to Webb, there is a robust representation of five candidates for the four seats, none of whom have held elected office in Falls Church before — Gregory John Anderson, Alison Kutchma, Shawna Russell, Shannon Litton and Richard Crespin. For the Falls Church City Council, incumbents Marybeth Connelly, David Snyder and Dan Sze have filed to seek re-election, with only Councilmember Karen Oliver not filing. New candidates who’ve qualified for the ballot
are former City Council member Dan Maller, Ross Litkenhous and Spencer Parsons. For the City’s three Constitutional offices, all the incumbents filed to run again, and as of now will do so uncontested. So Treasurer Jody Acosta, Revenue Commissioner Tom Clinton and Sheriff Steve Bittle are all expected to retain their positions come November. For Webb, this year’s election will mark his fourth time on a Falls Church City ballot. He broke into local politics with an upset election to the City Council
in 2008, winning by less than three dozen votes. He lost a bid for re-election to the Council in 2012, but then ran unopposed to fill a seat on the School Board in 2013. His tenure in public service so far is eclipsed only by Snyder, who will be seeking an unprecedented seventh term on the Council since first running in 1994. Sze will be seeking a third term on the Council, and Connelly a second. The same goes for Maller, who served from 2006 to 2010, but has not sought a follow-up term until now. So, in sum, there will be six candidates seeking four seats for both the City Council and the School Board.
Continued on Page 5