August 10 – 16, 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. 25
Falls Church • Tysons Corner • Merrifield • McLean • North Arlington • Bailey’s Crossroads
Inside This Week Council to Vote on Maple Ave. Rezoning
The long-awaited zoning change and Comprehensive Plan amendment requested by Council member David Snyder and his family to allow for the construction of a new home on N. Maple will come to the City Council this Monday seeking a final approval. See See News Briefs, page 9
In Annual ‘State of City’ Interview, Mayor Senses Public Support for Referendum Cites Challenge to ‘Get It Right’ in Coming Period
by Matt Delaney
Falls Church News-Press
No Injuries in Railroad Ave. Home Fire
Estrada had been counseled at several of the schools he worked for, including Henderson Middle School, where “administrators talked to him about his behavior and under no circumstances should you [Estrada] be alone with a female student,” as verified by a court transcript of the hearing. Estrada’s February arrest prompted the Manassas Park Police Department and Child Protective Services to conduct a joint investigation into alleged criminal misconduct that took place at Manassas Park Middle School between September 2014 – April 2015.
City of Falls Church Mayor David Tarter voted in support of the City’s most expensive infrastructure plan in its history with the full Capital Improvement Plan last month, involving the massive undertaking of building a new George Mason High School and major renovations and expansions to the Mary Riley Styles Library, City Hall and parts of Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School. The new high school component, at a price tag of $120 million, will be on the ballot seeking approval by voters this November. As citizens prime for the start of election season and in the aftermath following the vote, Tarter sat down with the News-Press for the annual “State of the City” conversation this week. In the first of a two-part feature, the mayor shared his views on why the plan is essential for the City and delved into the how the City is handling its development goals. News-Press: Election season is right around the corner, what are you expecting see from it? Tarter: Well, I’ll tell you I don’t know. We’ve got some new candidates, some new folks who are running for office, [so] I don’t know. But I’m looking forward to the turnout, the discussion, the dialogue, I think we’ll have a vigorous debate about the school and the referendum, which I think is very healthy for our community, and I’m looking forward to that conversation. N-P: Are any of the new candidates bringing new ideas to the table or will they fit the mold of their predecessors?
Continued on Page 5
Continued on Page 4
An early morning fire last Sunday has displaced Falls Church homeowners on Railroad Avenue but there were no reported injuries. See News Briefs, page 9
Frank Bruni: Sorry, Mike Pence, You’re Doomed
The other day, from the Naval Observatory in Washington, you heard a howl of such volume and anguish that it cracked mirrors and sent small forest animals scurrying for cover. Vice President Mike Pence was furious. See page 16
FALLS CHURCH MAYOR David Tarter offered his annual “State of the City’ interview for the NewsPress in a two-part feature in the paper. (Photo: News-Press)
F.C. Presbyterian’s ‘Welcome Table’
Former Teacher Sentenced to 20 Years In Jail, Will Serve 8 for Sexual Battery
It’s the third Wednesday of the month and the Falls Church Presbyterian Fellowship Hall is already crowded, with almost 200 guests patiently waiting for the start of the Welcome Table dinner. See page 8
Index Editorial..................6 Letters................6, 8 News & Notes.10–11 Comment........ 14–16 Calendar........18–19
Classified Ads......20 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword...........21 Critter Corner.......22 Business News....23
by Matt Delaney
Falls Church News-Press
Former Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School math teacher Jose Daniel Estrada was sentenced to 20 years in prison with 12 years suspended last Friday for sexually abusing two students earlier this year. Estrada, who pleaded guilty to two counts of felony aggravated sexual battery charges in May, will serve the first eight years of his sentence in federal custody, with the remaining 12 years on supervised probation. If he violates his probation, Estrada will have to return to prison to serve
the remainder of his sentence. Estrada, 36, will also have to register as a sex offender at the start of his supervised probation. This marks the end of a saga that had loomed over the Falls Church school system since the beginning of the year. On Jan. 17, 2017, a student reported misconduct by Estrada to school officials who immediately placed the sixth grade teacher on leave. A month later, following a police investigation, Estrada was arrested and charged with two counts of felony aggravated sexual assault on Feb. 17. At a Feb. 24 arraignment hearing, the prosecution claimed