July 30 – August 5, 2020
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FOU N D E D 1991 • V OL. X XX NO. 24
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Long�me F.C. Council Member Daniel X. Sze Dies of Cancer at 69 Remembered For Tireless Advocacy On Environmental, Sustainability Causes In 10 Years With Council BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
The highly-regarded Falls Church City Councilman Dan Sze died Monday night after a battle with esophageal cancer. Sze served on the Falls Church City Council from 2006 – 2010, and from 2013 to his
passing this week. Sze, 69, last attended a Council meeting, virtually, on July 13, when he reported himself present but exited the meeting early. It was first publicly announced that he was battling cancer by Mayor David Tarter at the July 20 City Council meeting when he was absent.
The American flag at the Falls Church City Hall is being flown at half mast for the next week, City Manager Wyatt Shields announced in reporting Sze’s death to the City staff. Shields’ statement to the City staff read as follows: “I am sorry to share with you that City Council Member Daniel
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
The Falls Church City Council Monday voted unanimously to advance a new gun control ordinance that bans the carrying of weapons on City-owned or operated properties despite a heavy outpouring of written citizen comments opposing the step. Legislation passed by the Democratic-controlled Richmond state legislature earlier this year and signed into law by Gov. Ralph Northam allowed local jurisdictions for the first time in over 30 years to fashion their own restrictions on guns, and Falls Church has followed Alexandria and Arlington to push for the same restrictions that the City has lobbied for over decades. A second hearing and final vote on the proposed ordinance TR2019 will be held on Aug. 10. It is expected that the meeting will be held online at that time.
In a related development Monday, the Council confirmed the appointment of 13 citizens and City staff personnel to its new Use of Force Review Committee. The formation of the new committee arose in the light of this summer’s heightened “Black Lives Matter” movement arising from a uniformed officer’s killing of George Floyd in late May in a video viewed by millions on national TV, but it also coincides with the City’s adoption of a gun control ordinance. The 13 citizens chosen for the committee were from 69 applicants and 23 finalists. Selected to the committee are public representatives Brian Cheswick, Julie Felgar, Janis Johnson, Toni Lewis, Joseph Rollo, Dana SalvanoDunn, Raymond Touomou, department representative Jenny Carroll, Employment Advisory Council rep-
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on regional and statewide policy boards. He led the City policy that all new or renovated City facilities must achieve LEED standards, and he strongly supported the new high school design for net zero carbon emissions.
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F.C. Council Gives Preliminary OK to Gun Ban on City Property BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON
‘Dan’ X. Sze died last night, after a battle with cancer. All those who worked with him will miss his keen intelligence, his hearty greetings, and the jovial conversations they shared with Dan. “Mr. Sze was a strong leader for environmental stewardship in his service on the City Council and
THE 2020 SENIOR CLASS of George Mason High School donated $4,000 to fund two micro grants as a part of program led by the City of Falls Church’s Economic Development Authority this spring and summer. BB Skincare Inc. was one of the businesses that received a $2,000 due to help from the students’ funding. Pictured here are BB owner Brandon Nguyen (center), Mason alumnus Helen Morris (left) and EDA Chair Bob Young. (C������� P����)
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SEE NEWS & NOTES, PAGE 11
SEE NEWS&NOTES, PAGE 11
SEE NEWS BRIEFS, PAGE 15
Falls Church theater company Creative Cauldron has teamed up with the new Mission Lofts in Bailey’s Crossroads to host the Cauldron’s Summer Cabaret series in the complex’s courtyard, with performnances continuing through the next number of weeks.
Falls Church theater company Creative Cauldron has teamed up with the new Mission Lofts in Bailey’s Crossroads to host the Cauldron’s Summer Cabaret series in the complex’s courtyard, with performnances continuing through the next number of weeks.
The City of Falls Church Recreation and Parks Department announced Wednesday that the Falls Church Festival (scheduled for September 12) and Farm Day (scheduled for October 10) are canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
INDEX
Editorial............................................... 6 Letters................................................. 6 News & Notes................................... 11 Comment ................................ 7,12,13 Crime Report .................................... 12 Calendar ........................................... 14 Business News ................................. 15 Classified Ads ................................... 16 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword ......... 17 Critter Corner.................................... 18
