June 4 - 10, 2015
Falls Church, Virginia • w w w . fc n p . c o m • Free
Founded 1991 • Vol. XXV N o . 15
Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads
Inside This Week F.C. Summer Real Estate Special Edition Inside
The News-Press Summer Real Estate special is here with stories on upgrading your home for the future, harnassing the power of the sun and a unique and historic Falls Church property overhaul. See pull-out inside
F.C. Ranks 17th on ‘Best Small Towns’ List
Flurry of Last Minute Filing Activity Spurs Hopes for Lively Fall Races New F.C. Council, School Board Bids Ahead of Deadline by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
The City of Falls Church is number 17 in a new list ranking the best small towns in the country to live, work and play. See page 8
David Brooks: The Campus Crusaders Every generation has an opportunity to change the world. Right now, college campuses around the country are home to a moral movement that seeks to reverse centuries of historic wrongs. See page 12
Press Pass with The Nighthawks
Mark Wenner and his three bandmates in the roots music quartet The Nighthawks are stripping it down, going acoustic for their new album Back Porch Party and taking the party on the road. See page 33
TENANTS FACED OFF with management of the aging Broadfalls Apartments at a meeting of the Falls Church Housing Commission Tuesday night in a meeting hall at the St. James Church. Many grievances were aired and promises of improvements, but rents will still rise and the building’s plumbing system will not be overhauled. (Photo: News-Press)
Broadfalls Tenants, Manager Face Off at Housing Group
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
Index Editorial..................6 Letters....................6 News & Notes.12-13 Comment..12-14, 27 Calendar.........28-29
Sports .................34 Classified Ads .....36 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword...........37 Critter Corner.......38
Under the auspices of the Falls Church Housing Commission and with two F.C. City Council members, a Planning Commissioner and director of the City’s Human Services Department present to witness, a strong contingent of tenants of the aging Broadfalls Apartments in the 700 block of West Broad Street had the opportunity to vent their frustrations with issues of security,
maintenance and poor communication directly to building manager Mike Dalton at a meeting in a St. James School hall Tuesday night. The meeting turned into a lively exchange of grievances, on the one hand, and management’s claims of its efforts to keep the 113 residential and seven ground floor retail units functional, and while some of the smaller matters may get ironed out, there is no question that rents are going to continue to rise, even as building owner
Larimar, according to Dalton, has no plans for major upgrades or a renovation. The frustrations attending the dwindling stock of affordable dwelling units in the City, and the region, were brought out in this event, even as civility ruled. Lindolfo Carballo, director of the Falls Church-based CASA de Virginia advocacy group, was the moderator, and he expended considerable energy getting every one of the 30 or so tenants
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As the deadline now looms immediately for candidates to be certified to run for City Council and School Board in the City of Falls Church this November, things have started to pop. While last week the News-Press reported a disappointing lack of citizen interest in running for the six positions (three City Council, three School Board), now a veritable whirlwind of enthusiasm and energy has formed from a number of quarters, angling to make the most out of this last weekend before next Tuesday’s cut off point. This includes the fact that two veterans, Nader Baroukh on the City Council and Kieran Sharpe on the School Board, have not tipped their hand with any signs of seeking to run again. However, only 125 petition signatures from registered voters in the City are required, so even going into the final days anything remains possible. Officially filed with the City Registrar of Voters office as of late yesterday are six candidates, three each for the School Board and Council. All three Council candidates have been certified for the ballot, including incumbents Mayor David Tarter and Councilman Phil Duncan and Johannah Barry, who is seeking to regain the seat that she vacated on the Council in 2012. For School Board, current chair Justin Castillo has been certified for the ballot, while petitions have been submitted by Mark Kaye and Philip Reitinger that are awaiting verification and certification.
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