Falls Church News-Press 8-20-2020

August 20 – 26, 2020

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Year of Firsts As F.C. Schools Begin Semester Virtually A Pre-Labor Day Start & Pending Completion Of New High School Add To School Year’s Unique Feel

BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

Three new features will join the start of the new Falls Church City public school year Monday, Aug. 24.

First, it marks the first time that the school year will begin before

Labor Day. Second, it will commence 100 percent virtually at least into mid-October.

A third new feature is the anticipation associated with the imminent completion and occupation of an entirely new state-of-the-art George Mason High School complex by this

F.C. Council Special Election Field Set With Late Entrant

BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

It is now set who the candidates will be on the Nov. 3 ballot for a special election to fill the Falls Church City Council seat vacated by the death in late July of Council member Daniel X. Sze. Three contenders who’ve qualified for the ballot constitute collectively what is likely the youngest field in the history of the Little City, and all are decidedly home grown.

Moreover, they all have all expressed a passion for providing affordable housing and other forms of support for marginalized elements of the community.

There was a remarkably compressed window of opportunity for candidates to file and submit the 125 valid signatures of registered voters in the City due to legal timing requirements. So there were

barely two weeks for candidates to step up and take the plunge before last Friday’s 5 p.m. deadline.

According to the City’s Registrar of Voters David Bjerke, the three candidates that have qualified are all long-term City residents and all are seeking election to public office for the first time. They are, in order of their filings being certified by Bjerke, Debbie Hiscott, executive director of the Falls Church Education Foundation (FCEF), Joshua Shokoor, a 2005 graduate of the City’s George Mason High School and member of the City’s Housing Commission, and Simone Pass Tucker, a 2016 graduate of Mason High.

Simone Pass Tucker, at age 22 a third candidate to submit petitions, bringing them to the

Continued on Page 19

December and classes beginning at the new facility in January.

Next week’s new start date, approved by the F.C. School Board last fall, also pushed up the date of the annual all-school Convocation that was held this Tuesday through the benefits of Zoom, the online

meeting platform that enabled 392 teachers, staff, administration, School Board, City Council and key City officials to share a hour-and-ahalf introductory experience to kick off the new school year.

City Schools Superintendent Dr. Peter Noonan, commencing his

fourth year in his post, told the virtual “assembly” that “the excitement is palpable” as the start of the new school year approaches and “there is an enthusiasm even greater than we’ve seen in the past.”

Continued on Page 4

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LONGTIME CITY OF FALLS CHURCH Sheriff Stephen Bittle (right) of�icially stepped down on Saturday, with interim sheriff Metin “Matt” Cay was sworn in until the position is up for election in Nov. 2021. See News Briefs on Page 9 for more information (C������� P����)

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SEE OBITUARY, PAGE 4

SEE STORY, PAGE 4

SEE STORY, PAGE 8

Blystone was one of the most effective civic leaders in the City for more than 20 years, beginning with 12 years’ service on the School Board from 1971 – 1983 and six years on the City Council from 1984 – 1990, including two years as mayor from 1988 – 1990.

To witness Trump cutting foreign aid, blocking asylum seekers, cozying up to authoritarians and seeking “deconstruction of the administrative state” is enough to prod a reitred diplomat like Dick McCall to disgorge words like “despicable” and “heartbreaking.”

While the hardest hit demographic in Fairfax Health District has recently begun to abate, concerns over employment and housing that expose the group to greater community transmission persist, as does the urgency over the issues’ response.

INDEX

Editorial............................................... 6 Letters.......................................... 6, 19 News & Notes............................. 10,11 Comment ................................ 7,12,13 Crime Report .................................... 12 Calendar ........................................... 14 Classified Ads ................................... 16 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword ......... 17 Critter Corner.................................... 18 Business News ................................. 19

PAGE 2 | AUGUST 20 - 26, 2020

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

AUGUST 20 - 26, 2020 | PAGE 3

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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PAGE 4 | AUGUST 20 – 26, 2020

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Retired F.C. Diplomat Blasts Trump Policies, Recalls Work Abroad

by Charlie Clark

Falls Church News-Press

Many retired federal officials help make Falls Church interesting, but count Dick McCall among those who chaff at the country’s direction under the Trump administration.

To witness Trump cutting foreign aid, blocking asylum seekers, cozying up to authoritarians and seeking “deconstruction of the administrative state” is enough to prod a diplomat to disgorge words like “despicable” and “heartbreaking.”

McCall, 78, left the government nearly two decades ago after a high-impact career on Senate committee staff and at the U.S. Agency for International Development, where he helped steer the U.S. role in pivotal changes in places such as El Salvador and the Philippines. In reflections with the News-Press this month, McCall instructed that signing a diplomatic agreement “is the easiest part; it’s maintaining it long-term that presents the biggest challenge.”

The Trump “America First” approach of selective disengagement from long-term overseas nation-building “will exacerbate the problems even more, and goes against our historic leadership in the world as being a sanctuary

for those fleeing violence and oppression,” he said. The former overseas development colleagues with whom McCall keeps in touch “feel the same way.”

A former journalist who grew up in the small Great Plains town of Rushville, S.D., McCall moved to Falls Church in 1975. He broke into international development work in the 1970s, working for Sen. Gale McGee, D-Wyo., and former Vice President-Returnedas-a-Senator Hubert Humphrey, D-Minn. That led to a job at age 34 in the last year of the Carter administration as assistant secretary of State for international organization affairs, monitoring the United Nations and the Organization of American States.

McCall’s relevance took off during the 1980s when he staffed for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (serving Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Paul Sarbanes, D-Mass.,) and at the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, under Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., and Paul Tsongas, D-Mass.). In the ‘90s he worked for USAID under Clinton administration appointee Brian Atwood.

The current approach at USAID, McCall says is to “cut aid with no strategy whatsoever.

That’s one of the big problems.

We try to remake countries in our own image, with our Constitution,

without first going through a grass-roots process of working out a consensus around government, the rules and regulations that define the institution, that are supported by the people in the recipient country.”

Among the overseas dramas in which McCall played a part was the surprise and sudden election in the Philippines in February 1986. After decades of solid U.S. support for Ferdinand Marcos (the motive was preserving vital American bases established there in World War II), the increasingly resented and out-of-touch Marcos had imposed martial law. This challenged the Reagan administration and Congress to encourage a transition or withhold long-standing aid.

McCall was one of three U.S. officials tasked with monitoring the election to assure its validity. “It involved considerable travel,” he said, and there were five different organizations processing returns in each precinct.

“When we asked for vote tallies, we were told they were locked up.” Only the volunteer National Citizens Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) had representatives in all precincts, McCall remembered, and certification took three days. Marcos at first claimed victory. McCall and colleagues historian Allen Weinstein

Superintendent Says F.C. Schools ‘Were Made For This Moment,’ Proud of Staff Continued from Page 1

It goes not only in the preparations for the new year, but also the anticipation that a brand new high school will be ready by this December. “It is on time and on budget,” Noonan said. The completion and inauguration of the $120 million project “is going to be a major cause of celebration for the entire community.”

He noted the exterior of the project is almost complete and that it will come “net zero ready” in terms of energy usage with geothermal and green roof sources and a “dashboard” on display showing students and the public in general how much energy is being utilized from any given source at any given time.

He said it is as yet unofficial, but it is being explored to call the environmental dashboard for the late Falls Church City Councilman

Daniel X. Sze, who died in July after serving 10 years on the City Council as a major advocate on behalf of proenvironmental policies.

The theme of the Convocation and of the coming school year, Noonan said, is “The Time is Always Right to Do What is Right,” a quote from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that derives from the wider social ferment of the period, inclusive of the Black Lives Matter movement.

He said the F.C. system’s team “is the best team in the nation to deliver in this crisis.”

The challenge for the period, he said, is to achieve “ecosystemic resilience,” to be “collectively resilient solution-seekers and productive team members,” with the International Baccalaureate curriculum infused at all levels of the K-12 system.

The IB curriculum, a “caring culture” and a focus on “closing gaps” by demanding equity are key goals of

the school year. “This requires standing up against inequitable systems on behalf of the marginalized, supporting students by name and needs,” he said. “Now more than ever we have to work together.”

He added, “We were made for this moment,” citing the Dr. King quote, and said, “Let’s meet the moment and be a resilient organization.”

He concluded, “I am proud to be your superintendent,” confessing he was getting a bit “verklempt,” adding “I have love in my heart for you all.

Go forth and be brilliant. I am a realist. This year will be different. I am excited to meet the challenges.”

Other speakers at the Convocation included Falls Church Mayor David Tarter who offered “the thanks of a grateful city.” He said, “Education is key to Falls Church. You face the most difficult professional year of your careers, but a new high school is opening soon and better days are

THE LONGTIME DIPLOMAT, Dick McCall’s career took off in the 1980s when he staffed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. (Photo: Courtesy Charlie Clark) and Republican Senate aide Chip Andreae met with Marcos, who claimed he had evidence of fraud by his opponents. But the world was stunned when returns emerged showing that Corazon Aquino and her “People Power Revolution” had won with nearly 70 percent of the vote. “So President Reagan basically backed off” on support for Marcos, McCall said.

Beginning in the early ‘80s, McCall was dispatched by Sen. Kerry to civil-war-torn El

Salvador, which for more than a decade suffered violence, human rights abuses and a right-wing government led by such strongman characters such as Roberto “Blowtorch Bob” D’Aubuisson,” as McCall recalled him. In helping conduct the United Nationssponsored talks, “I had established good relations” with labor organizer Leonel Gomez, who was pursuing land reform as well as

ahead of us.”

F.C. School Board Chair Greg Anderson encouraged the system’s “active practice of anti-racism” being “principled, open minded and fair.”

Farrell Kelly, Henderson Middle School teacher who heads the Falls Church Education Association, assured all the system’s employees that there is a commitment to adaptability in the current situation and that the association is “a voice to all our employees.”

Rising GMHS senior Elizabeth Snyder, voted last week to be the student member of the School Board, hailed the many dedicated people involved.

Debbie Hiscott of the Falls Church Education Foundation noted that the FCEF raised $1 million in the last four years in support of the schools, including $120,000 for a Family Assistance Fund to help student families in need during the current pandemic.

In the virtual meeting were also representatives of the high school PTSA, middle and elementary school PTAs, and the athletic, band and choral boosters.

In his “Road to Reopening” communique to the entire school community last Friday, Noonan said, “I want to assure everyone that we are focused on ensuring that what we do is developmentally and age appropriate for the respective levels of students we serve and is as familyfriendly as possible.”

He added, “We know from the research that sitting in front of a computer all day is not appropriate for any aged student. For example, at the PK-2 level, the direct instruction will be done in short spurts throughout the day, and then we work our way through the grade levels as each affords a unique and different developmental approach.”

Live virtual sessions will be recorded, he said, “so if the timing doesn’t work with your work schedule or family, you can always come back later and view the daily recorded sessions with your child.

We desire that as many kids as possible log into the live instruction as we are also trying to develop a sense of community and support the social and emotional health of students through these connections.”

Continued on Page 19

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

AUGUST 20 – 26, 2020 | PAGE 5

Former F.C. Mayor Betty Blystone Dies

Former City of Falls Church Mayor Betty Blystone died on Aug. 8, according to her daughter Debbie.

Blystone was one of the most effective civic leaders in the City for more than 20 years, beginning with 12 years’ service on the School Board from 1971 – 1983 and six years on the City Council from 1984 – 1990, including two years as mayor from 1988 – 1990.

She also served as president of the Citizens for a Better City (CBC) from 1991 – 1993 and again from 2003 – 2004 and was a 50-year member of the F.C. League of Women Voters, honored as the recipient of the Matty Gundry Award by the F.C. Commission for Women, of the Carol V. Shreve Award for Meritorious Humanitarian Service by the F.C. Chamber of Commerce and of the Jane and Wayne Dexter Award for excellent service from the CBC. Blystone and her colleagues in the leadership of the City in the 1970s and 1980s, including former four-term mayor Carol DeLong, guided the City through many challenges in that era to

Status Update on Wednesday, August 19 City of Falls Church Date

FORMER FALLS CHURCH CITY Mayor Betty Blystone firmly establish excellence in governing and policy making as an ongoing legacy for the City, including with key infrastructure improvements and a campaign to combat the decline in the City’s population during the 1980s.

Sally Eckfelt of the CBC stated that Blystone was “a leading light in our community, one of the ‘greatest generation’ and one of our most admired.”

Falls Church City Councilman Phil Duncan offered the following tribute to Blystone:

“The Falls Church we know and love today is built on a foundation laid with vision and care by “Greatest Generation” leaders such as Betty Blystone, who died Saturday.

“Betty was a model public servant: deeply knowledgeable about the City; a keen sense of where we should go as a community; a steady hand and calm presence in turbulent times; and a fun person to sit down with and dish about politics and people. Goodbye, ‘BettyB,’ you will be missed.”

Cases Hospitalizations Deaths # Cases per 100,000 People

Wednesday, August 19 63

9

6

426.5

Monday, August 17

63

9

6

426.5

Wednesday, August 12 61

9

6

412.9

Monday, August 10

61

9

6

412.9

Wednesday, August 5

59

9*

5*

399.4

Monday, August 3

59

10

6

399.4

Wednesday, July 29

54*

10

6

365.6

Monday, July 27

55

10

6

372.3

*NOTE: These numbers went down as the Virginia Department of Health found that the individuals lived in the Fairfax County part of Falls Church, not the City of Falls Church.

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E D I TO R I A L

A New School Year Begins

What a school year it is going to be for everyone in and around the Falls Church City Public School system! The upbeat spirit so evident in the system’s virtual online Convocation Tuesday morning served to kick off what will certainly be a challenging but hopefully tremendously productive and fruitful experience for everyone involved. These are times for change.

There are going to be sacrifices and students are going to have to do without, as was the case last spring, with poignant experiences like concerts, plays, dances and sporting events and, of course, the priceless daily face to face interactions with their teachers and peers. We do not minimize these losses in the slightest. We can only hope that progress bringing this pandemic under control will make it possible to recover at least some of these options at an early date in the new school year.

But with all the very serious problems afflicting our world right now — a deadly worldwide pandemic, global economic depression and the rise of white supremacist movements with their threats to democracy — we are confident that the best of our students, their families, friends, and professional advisors and instructors will be focused on achieving the skills, knowledge and insights all 2,600 or so of the students in the City’s collective care require to meet the challenges of these times not just for themselves but for the world as a whole.

Millions of young people in our society are already stepping up their game in response to these crises and the problems they will undoubtedly bring on in the coming months and years. Our future, under the best of circumstances, will be very different from the past even as it prevailed only six months ago.

To the good, there is a clear potential for a powerful cultural reset, an opportunity to correct the deep inequities that became gradually baked into our collective consciousness by the reaction of some powerful interests against the rise of the civil rights movement and era of the Great Society.

That pushback by purveyors of hate and division gave us the slogan, “Greed is Good,” in the l980s and aggressively ate away at our culture to abandon “the angels of our higher nature” in favor of the kind of moral cesspool currently in the White House.

But young passionate hearts, girded by a new zeal for equality, justice, compassion and opportunity, are rising now to see we don’t go back to a cultural ethos defined by greed and selfish self-interest. So, education becomes so acutely important, to teach the traditions, ways and inventive possibilities of better societies, even better than any yet known on this planet.

Serious fresh knowledge, rejecting the nihilistic cynicism of so-called “postmodernism” and its fixation on attacking truth based on soulless power, must build on a New Enlightenment of scientifically-based humanism as the necessary root of a sustainable democracy.

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Creative Cauldron Is Also A Valued F.C. Small Business Editor, I join people in supporting the survivability of Clare and Don’s, the State Theater, and Thompson Italian. Small businesses make Falls Church special. But there is another small business that is being ignored in the conversation and whose continued existence depends on the Broad & Washington project getting built — Creative Cauldron.

Creative Cauldron is a mul-

tiple award-winning theater and arts education organization that has been in Falls Church for over a decade. The theater and youth programs attract audiences and students from all over the metro region, and bring people to our City’s restaurants and other businesses. Creative Cauldron has been promised a new home in the Broad & Washington project. Currently the organization rents a space in

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Pearson Square that costs over $70,000 a year in rent and associated costs just to keep the doors open. Creative Cauldron has not been permitted to reopen because of the Covid-19 requirements, and the landlord is unresponsive about making any accommodation for this extremely stressful situation.

The restaurants in question are concerned about parking. The developer has been working with all the restaurants to provide parking solutions during construction, and the new project will not only replace all of the existing public spaces but will also provide more parking for the public.

Creative Cauldron is concerned about survival. Without the new home at Broad & Washington its future is in jeopardy.

Another point to remember is that the City Council insisted that the developer provide a grocery store in the project. Insight Properties has delivered on that requirement. Not only that, but the Broad & Washington project will include one of the most successful grocers in the country. Why is the developer now getting criticized for including what the City asked for?

More Letters on Page 19

CO MME NT

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

AUGUST 20 – 26, 2020 | PAGE 7

G � � � � C � � � � � �� �� Voting By Mail Is Safest Option During Virus Pandemic B� D���� B. B�����

Risk mitigation. Elections are important but most of the public have no idea what it takes to run an election. Elections are event management and since the event cannot be moved to a different date without passing a new law, elections are also emergency management. We must have contingency plans for every foreseeable issue. If a derecho comes through on Election Day, we have Public Works standing by with generators to keep our polling places powered even though we have battery backups on all our equipment. If there is an earthquake, the election officers have directions to resume operations outside the building. Basically, we are in the business of risk mitigation.

Being in a pandemic with social distancing and mask requirements have thrown another wrench into the world’s plans and that includes those of us who run elections. We want to lower the risk that any registered voter has contagion exposure AND we want to increase the chance that every registered voter’s ballot is counted.

What accomplishes both? Vote by mail.

But mail-in voting is a misnomer. Really what we are advocating is voting at home.

While our office will use the USPS to mail you your ballots beginning in mid-September, it is up to you how those ballots get back to our office. The law requires the voter to personally deliver their ballot if not using a commercial service (USPS, UPS, FedEx, Uber? Lyft?). So you can walk your by-mail ballot to our office at your convenience when you’re ready to cast

it. We will also have some type of mailbox for you to drop your ballot in outside City Hall, but we are waiting on guidance from the state, possibly an Attorney General’s opinion, to see

“Being in a pandemic with social distancing and mask requirements have thrown another wrench into the world’s plans and that includes those of us who run elections.” exactly what that looks like.

However, I want you to know that we have been working with the USPS. Both outgoing and incoming ballots will be barcoded so they can be tracked in the mail. We will give you a link to a tool that will track those ballots and it is on our website at www.fallschurchva.gov/ vote These barcodes are called Intelligent Mail Barcodes and they don’t just help track, but they help the USPS know exactly where to deliver the mail. And these ballot envelopes

feature a special insignia to further help the USPS workers recognize that these are a priority.

For the purposes of risk mitigation, the best way you can vote is to go online, right now, to the Virginia Department of Election’s Citizen Portal website: https://vote.elections.virginia. gov/VoterInformation and use your Virginia DMV ID (driver’s license, learners permit, etc) to request your ballot be delivered to you at home.

Don’t have a DMV ID? Then print the application, fill it out, sign it and email it to vote@fallschurchva.gov or mail it to our office.

If we receive your absentee by-mail ballot application by September 1st, we will mail it in the first mailing in mid-September so that you receive it as early as possible. If you apply before September and don’t receive your ballot

by October 1st, contact us. We want to reduce the risk that you don’t receive your ballot.

After you cast your ballot, whether you send it back to USPS, use our mailbox, or bring it to our office in person, you can go back to the Virginia Department of Election’s Citizen Portal and check the status of your ballot. We’ll update your voter record to reflect that your ballot was returned and you can be certain that your ballot will be counted no matter what risks develop between now and the deadline of Election Day. If you still want to vote in-person, we recommend you take advantage of our new early voting law. Any registered voter can vote inperson early just because you want to, no form

required. It’s just like Election Day, just early.

We start in-person early voting on September 18, 2020. In fact, I suggest that if you have not applied for a by-mail ballot by September 18, for risk mitigation purposes, vote early in our office. This way you ensure that your ballot will count, we reduce the risk of too many voters on one day spreading contagion, and our office does not risk getting over burdened with both in-person early voting and absentee by-mail applications.

The more voters who take advantage of either by-mail voting at home or early in-person voting, the more we help those voters who require access to a polling place on Election Day and the more we reduce risks for election officers who have the courage to serve on Election Day. Some of these voters have their own risks and issues, and if we can keep the total population of Election Day voters to a minimum, without depressing turnout, the better we will have mitigated risks for all voters during a pandemic, and the greater chance every voter’s ballot will count.

David B. Bjerke is the Director of Elections & General Registrar of Voters, City of Falls Church Office of Voter Registration & Elections: 300 Park Ave., Room 206C , Falls Church, VA 22046 Office: 703-248-5085 (TTY 771); Cell: 571 238-4190; Fax: 703-248-5204 Office: vote@fallschurchva.gov; Direct: dbjerke@fallschurchva.gov

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PAGE 8 | AUGUST 20 – 26, 2020

FOOD ASSISTANCE was cited as the most critical need by Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross.

While Fairfax County undergoes its own process into disseminating funds to community organizations to provide groceries, the faith community has also stepped in to help, such as a food pantry at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Bailey’s Crossroads. (Photo: News-Press)

Covid-19’s Effect on F.C. Latinos Reveals Clear Cause, But Complicated Response

by Matt Delaney

Falls Church News-Press

The Latino population’s struggles with the coronavirus pandemic stick out among Northern Virginia’s otherwise deft handling of the disease over the past five months.

While the hardest hit demographic in Fairfax Health District has recently begun to abate, concerns over employment and housing that expose the group to greater community transmission persist, as does the urgency over the issues’ response.

When data on the racial breakdown of health district’s residents was released in late May, Latinos made up over 60 percent of all cases of Covid-19 despite only accounting for 16 percent of the district’s population. In August that number dropped down to just under 50 percent, but it still dwarfs the next largest group in Whites at 17.5 percent.

Fairfax County zip codes with high Latino populations lead the health district in cases per 100,000 people. That includes places such as Hybla Valley (41 percent Latino) and Groveton (35 percent) near Route 1 at the top with 3,486.4 cases per 100,000 people. Not far behind are local hotspots in Bailey’s Crossroads (36 percent) in fourth with 3,151.2 cases per 100,000, West Falls Church (30 percent) in seventh with 2,862.5 cases per 100,000 and Annandale (33 percent) in eighth with 2,689.8 cases per 100,000.

“There’s a lot of anxiety around Covid-19 in our patients,” said Terry O’Hara Lavoie, co-founder of the nonprofit healthcare provider, Culmore Clinic. “We have to do a lot of reassuring of patients.”

Culmore Clinic wasn’t able to offer testing in the beginning of May, but Lavoie and executive director Anne-Lise Quinn said their spike in cases came during mid-

April, judging from the symptoms patients described during telehealth calls. That meant its own spike was in line with the county’s, but roughly a month ahead of Virginia’s statewide spike of mid-May. The free clinic’s patient population is around 59 percent Latino, but over 90 percent of those who have tested positive were its Latino patients. That included nine who were hospitalized and one male patient with pre-existing conditions who died as a result of the virus.

A transition to telehealth on March 17 made Culmore Clinic more available to its patients during the pandemic. What was once only operating for in-person visits a day and a half each week jumped up to six days a week, and its medical professionals who are all volunteerbased, were happy to be so useful during such a trying time.

Partnerships with NOVA Script Central helped patients get prescriptions for an affordable rate, as

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

did cooperation with Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center to provide free groceries after a visit. The clinic also offered personal protective equipment to patients following a virtual visit with its medical team.

But the treatment side of the equation has been kept busy by two factors that facilitate the spread among local Latinos.

For one, the group largely falls in a lower socio-economic class that consists of service workers, according to CASA de Virginia director Luis Aguilar, a nonprofit that supports the Latino community with legal, educational and health resources. They don’t have the luxury of working from home that many white-collar employees do, so Aguilar said those Latinos couldn’t take off because they didn’t want to fall behind on rent or bills, if they were lucky enough to keep their jobs in the first place.

The other complicating factor was their living situations, which are in part from the economic challenges Aguilar laid out before, but also due to cultural preferences.

“Within the Latino community, we tend to care for our senior citizens,” Aguilar said. “We even keep them in our households, that way we can always care for another.”

But this lifestyle has made it easier to introduce the virus into homes when, as Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross said, there may be up to seven people residing in a two-bedroom apartment.

Gross’ district encompasses two hotspots in Bailey’s Crossroads and Annandale. She recalled a conversation with Culmore Clinic’s directors back in the spring where they told Gross it was three streets in the Culmore neighborhood that had most of the new infections.

It reminded Gross of comments made by Prince George’s County, Maryland’s public health director during a Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments meeting earlier this summer.

“Americans have very short memories. They’re so surprised that something like a pandemic would affect people who are poor [and] low income...this is the way it’s always been,” Gross said paraphrasing the health director’s comments, before speaking for herself.

“In many of the areas where we’re seeing higher results of Covid-19 infections, it’s the poor, undereducated, over-crowded, frontline, entry-level workers. This repeats itself throughout history.”

The county’s Medical Isolation Program has offered some reprieve for those who live in crowded homes. Local hotels receive funding through the county to allow Covid-positive patients to self-iso-

late in vacant rooms and prevent them from bringing the virus home.

While the diagnosis of the community spread appears clear to all those involved, the pace at which it’s been addressed has received mixed reviews.

Due to Fairfax County’s size, it received $200 million directly from the federal government through the Coronavirus Aid, Recovery and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Twenty million dollars has been allocated to Basic Needs Support, or food and financial assistance, with the latter taking the form of rent, mortgage, security deposits, housing fees (late, condo, HOA, etc.), utilities and prescription assistance. Gross said hardest hit areas received a larger share of the funds.

Those funds began being passed down to community-based organizations on May 26. One such organization is the Annandale Christian Community for Action, which will receive $3 million in funding total, according to Gross, but is delivered in $1 million increments so the county can track spending.

So far, the county has designated $153 million for a specific use, with another $47 million waiting to be allocated.

Gross is confident the remaining money will be available to get Fairfax County through the end of 2020, but Aguilar has felt the process is far too slow.

He said the local and state governments reactive approach, rather than a proactive one, has had them lagging behind the needs of the Latino community. Aguilar had already ruled out significant help from the federal government.

Aid is all the more important, Aguilar said, considering some Latino families were left out of aspects of the CARES Act support because of their status as undocumented immigrants.

Aguilar noted that CASA has helped fill in the gaps that the government couldn’t.

For instance, it provided personal protective equipment and gave individual families between $250 – $500 in cash payments to help them out. CASA has also provided food assistance to those in need.

To him, delivering news to local Latinos about how seriously they should follow public health guidelines is easy. Convincing them that it is more important than supporting their family is not.

“What’s hard for me to tell them to do is wash your hands and stay home when they don’t have the income to stay home. Some folks have to go outside and figure out a way to pay their rent or their bills,” Aguilar said.

AUGUST 20 - 26, 2020 | PAGE 9

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Fa l l s C h u r c h

NEWS BRIEFS F.C. Sheriff Bittle Retires, Interim Sheriff Matt Cay Sworn In City of Falls Church Sheriff Stephen Bittle retired on Saturday after serving the City for 54 years. Sworn in Saturday as his interim replacement was Metin “Matt” Cay, who had served as chief deputy in the department. The position will be subject to an election in November 2021.

Sheriff Bittle started as an officer in the City’s Police Department in August 1966. He left the department in December 1992 and was appointed as interim Sheriff and was officially elected Sheriff in 1993, subsequently serving a total of 28 years in the position. In February 2017, the Virginia House of Delegates honored Sheriff Bittle for what was at the time 50 years of service, lauding his “professionalism and service.” It credited him with implementing a communityoriented policing strategy that has strived to build mutual respect between his deputies and members of the public. Interim Sheriff Cay has over 20 years of law enforcement experience.

He started service with the City in 2003 in the Sheriff’s office, then joined the Police Department and then rejoined the Sheriff’s office as chief deputy in October 2016. Prior to that he practiced law in Virginia. (See photo, Page 1).

State LWV Hails Northam’s Voter Health Proposals Tuesday, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam made recommendations aimed at supporting the 2030 Westmoreland St. | Falls Church health and safety of voters and poll workers during the pandemic. “We commend the Governor 703-531-0781 chesterbrookres.org on his elections proposals and urge the General Assembly| to adopt them,” said Deb Wake, president of League of Women Voters of Virginia. “Voters should not need to choose between their health and their right to vote, a cornerstone of our democracy. Secure and flexible access to voting will preserve public health and safety.” The governor’s plan to permit voters to deposit their absentee ballots in secure drop boxes will preserve voter health. More than 30 states now permit voters to deposit their ballots in strong, tamper-proof drop boxes. The League also supports the governor’s proposal for prepaid return postage on absentee ballots, and budget provisions that will enable absentee voters to correct errors on their ballots. These recommendations will help ensure that all voters can make their voices heard at the polls.

Arlington Plans ‘Middle Housing Study’ Arlington County plans to launch a new Missing Middle Housing Study to reexamine its missing middle housing stock. Prior to the official study, which will begin this fall, the county released a Research Compendium, which is full of information about the types of housing currently available, and the racial disparities that may exist because of policy decisions on housing types. The study is aimed at providing a general understanding of the county’s housing challenges, and what policy changes can create new housing types. It follows a recent trend in the region as local governments seek to address a housing supply and affordability crisis. Missing middle housing refers to housing that has a density between single-family detached homes and mid-to-high-rise apartment buildings, such as attached row homes, townhomes, duplexes, triplexes, and small apartment buildings.

WMATA: 87 of 91 Metro Stations Now Open Metrorail Silver Line service was restored last Sunday, Aug. 16, for the first time since Memorial Day along the Silver Line, WMATA has announced. Six Fairfax County stations have also reopened following planned summer work, including the West Falls Church station, resulting in 87 of 91 Metrorail stations open for customers. Wait times have been reduced, with trains running every eight minutes on each line during rush hours, and every 12 minutes during off-peak times, identical to pre-Covid schedules. This coming Sunday, Aug. 23, new Metrobus schedules will take effect across the region, with significantly more frequent service on almost every line. Customers are reminded that masks or face coverings are required when traveling on Metro, including all stations, trains, buses and MetroAccess vehicles. As ridership increases, social distancing may not be possible on every train and bus, WMATA reported, saying customers may wish to consider traveling during off-peak hours.

Virginia Mandates OSHA Workplace Safety Standards Virginia has become the first state in the nation to adopt federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) workplace safety standards designed specifically to ensure the protection of workers from infection risk. The new OSHA Covid-19 regulations require that all employers take specific actions in response to those regulations.

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PAGE 10 | AUGUST 20 – 26, 2020

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News-Press

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Community News & Notes

THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION opened up the Asian Pacific American Trump Victory Field Office inside of the Eden Center on Tuesday. A crowd of about 70 people gathered to listen to speakers such as congressional candidates Jeff Jordan and Aliscia Andrews, RNC co-chairman Tommy Hicks and Trump Victory Senior Advisor John Pence (pictured, right), who is the nephew of Vice President Mike Pence. (Photo: News-Press)

F.C. Students Win Scholarships From AAUW

THREE FALLS CHURCH SISTERS who are recent graduates of George Mason High School all earned straight A’s for the Spring 2020 semester from their respective colleges. (From left to right): Meredith Johnson ‘18 at the University of Richmond (in the Jepson School of Leadership), Molly Johnson ‘15 at George Mason University (in the accelerated Masters program in Special Education), and Melissa Johnson ‘16 at Mount Holyoke College (where she graduated cum laude in May as a Psychology and Education major). (Photo: Courtesy Tom Johnson)

The American Association of University Women of Falls Church Area (AAUW-FC) awarded 10 scholarships to outstanding young women scholars who graduated in June 2020 from Falls Church area high schools.

The recipients are: Alaa Al-Jariri, Maricris De Castro, Yonelle Kankam, Ariel Mahase, Samantha Mamani, Lizzany Mayta, Yamila Merida, Lesly Garay Reyes, Maria RiveraDamiao and Zulma Solis.

Each of these young women displayed dedication to excellence, had a stellar academic record and also contributed to

her community. They expressed a desire to continue to contribute and become future leaders in their communities.

The awards are in furtherance of AAUW’s goal to advocate for women and girls, a mission of the organization since its founding in 1881, and will be used by the scholars to pay certain expenses of the first year of college. The young women’s achievements were celebrated in individual, appropriately socially distanced and masked ceremonies with their families present. Each winner was awarded a plaque and an AAUW mug to remind them of AAUWFC’s support for their educational goals.

For more information about

AAUW-FC, visit fallschurchareava.aauw.net.

Fairfax County Offering Free Tdap Vaccine Fairfax County’s Health Department is administering a free Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis) vaccine for all rising 7th graders and transfer students.

All students are required to be up to date on their immunizations by the start of the 2020-21 school year, regardless of whether classes are virtual or in person.

Immunizations will take place at Joseph Willard Health Center (3750 Old Lee Hwy., Fairfax) and the Mount Vernon District Office (8350 Richmond Hwy. #233,

Send Us Your News & Notes!

The News-Press is always on the lookout for photos & items for Community News & Notes, School News & Notes and other sections of the paper. If you graduate, get married, get engaged, get an award, start a club, eat a club, tie your shoes, have a birthday, have a party, host an event or anything else you think is worth being mentioned in the News-Press, write it up and send it to us! If you have a photo, even better! Because of the amount of submissions we receive, we cannot guarantee all submissions will be published, but we’ll try our best!

Community News & Notes: newsandnotes@fcnp.com | School News & Notes: schoolnews@fcnp.com Mail: News & Notes, Falls Church News-Press, 105 N. Virginia Ave #310, Falls Church, VA 22046

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Alexandria) on Aug. 21 from 1 – 4 p.m.

By appointment only; limited appointments are available.

To schedule an appointment, call 703-246-6010 (TTY 711).

To minimize time at the clinic, email the child’s vaccination records to Springfield.office@ fairfaxcounty.gov.

Face coverings/masks are required for anyone over two years of age. Temperature checks will be conducted at the entrance and visitors must maintain six feet of distance. No Covid-19 services will be provided.

For more information, visit fairfaxcounty.gov/health/immunization.

Dean’s List Honorees for Area Students Announced The following are local students who received academic distinctions as a part of their university’s Dean’s Lists. Other honors any student received are specified.

University of Alabama — Buse Atmaca, Dean’s List (Falls Church).

Champlain University — Louis Klarfeld and Owen McCready (both from Falls Church).

Clemson University — Katherine Isabelle Stricker and Samuel Wirth (all Falls Church) College of Charleston — Nicholas Baker (Falls Church).

Drake University — Carmen Palumbo, President’s List (Falls Church) and Zoe Treibitz (McLean).

Emerson College — Elizabeth Fretz (Falls Church).

Fairfield University — Sofia Aguiar; Lauren Binstein and Molly Hilliard, Dean’s List (all McLean).

James Madison University — Sarah Naeher, Leith Rayes; Jacob Abruzzi; Justyn Girdner; Madeline Hof; Nathan Bloomgarden; Cintia Samaha; Christopher Vo; Sara Zhu; Sindi Lopez; Julia Pipan; Isabelle Nadler;

Gavin Tomchick; McKayla Bobitski; Saul Fernandez; Malia Sarver; Amanda Craddock; Dylan Tracey; Marie Bisson; Cara McFall; Joseph Lampman; Craig Hagigh; Jack MacPherson; Christopher Ho; Ryan Woody; Annette Schlitt; Mary Klemic; Alexander Baron; Adam Harris; Aubrey Broxson; John Farmakides; Thubwang Amdo; Nathan Huynh; Jayly Morrobel; Mark Hine; Kurt Finkenstaedt; Laura Friloux; Alexa Donaldson; Barbara Maxwell; Nathaniel Moonis; Jacqueline Dua; Harris Sanori; Lorelei Legg; Grant Tomchick; Keziah Korankye and Peter Haensel (all Falls Church).

Lawrence University — Morgan Taylor (Falls Church) McDaniel College — Sheila Evans, Honors and Nicholas Cummings, Highest Honors (both from Falls Church).

Ohio University — Jessica Bernhardt (Falls Church).

Roger Williams University — Adelia Di Scipio (Falls Church).

Shenandoah University, Dean’s List — Alexandra Simonson; Kelsey Cantwell; Clarisse Ann Calpito and Karina Starling (all Falls Church).

Susquehanna University — Dalia Hamilton and Max Miller (both from Falls Church).

University of Delaware, Dean’s List — Grace Akins, Mackenzie Cogar and Camila Villasboas (all Falls Church).

University of Iowa — Morgan Paynter (Falls Church).

Wheaton College — Alexis Huggins, given Department Honors by the Politics and International Relations Department.Youngstown State University — Dai Hong (Falls Church).

F.C. Women Voters Host Talk with Del. Marcus Simon The League of Women Voters of Falls Church invites the public to a virtual meeting featuring

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DEAN EDWARDS (right). a former News-Press employee, will be taking on the principal organizing role for this summer’s new F.C. organization, LGBT Falls Church, founded by the News-Press’ Nicholas Benton (left), a “gay pioneer” who was the co-founder of Gay Liberation Front chapter in the immediate post-Stonewall era. The new organization has applied for non-profit status and will soon be offering an array of community events and initiatives. (Photo: News-Press) guest speaker, Delegate Marcus Simon, who represents Virginia’s 53rd district (including the City of Falls Church) in the Virginia House of Delegates.

He will be speaking about this year’s legislative session in Richmond, which resulted in the adoption of many new laws for the Commonwealth of Virginia, on topics including voting, gun violence prevention, energy, the environment, wages, student debt and equal rights.

Delegate Simon will also provide his suggestions for how to

EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD HAS A

DiscoverTheForest.org

AUGUST 20 – 26, 2020 | PAGE 11

advocate for change while maintaining physical distancing. This event will take place on Sunday, August 23 at 3:30 p.m., via Zoom.

For more information and to obtain a Zoom link for the meeting, email Barbara Lipsky at blipsky@cox.net.

Landscaping Class for How To Handle Native Grasses On Aug. 21 from 10 – 11:30 a.m., a class on “Native Grasses, Sedges and Rushes for the Home” explains how those features can

add structure and beauty to people’s gardens all year long.

Participants will explore the landscape uses for native grasses and sedges, learn how to maintain them, and appreciate the important ways that these plants support wildlife.

The speaker is Extension Master Gardener Elaine Mills who researches and writes the resources for the Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic at mgnv.org/plants.

Free. RSVP at mgnv.org/events to receive a link to participate.

Naturehood

CO MME NT

PAGE 12 | AUGUST 20 - 26, 2020

A Penny for Your Thoughts

News of Greater Falls Church

By Supervisor Penny Gross

When my mother was born, her mother, my grandmother, couldn’t vote. She could give birth, work a homestead with her husband, handle firearms in the wilderness, and wring a chicken’s neck for the stewpot, but she was disenfranchised because of her gender. My grandmother grew up in Wyoming, where women had the right to vote since 1896, but she had moved when she married, and was disenfranchised as a result. Perhaps that is why she always was interested in government and encouraged me to study government in college.

The women’s suffrage movement in the United States began in 1848, when women leaders demanded the right to vote during the first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York. In the 72 years that followed, women exercised the rights they did have – to lobby, march, picket, and protest – to gain the right to vote. Many women were imprisoned, and subjected to horrible abuses during incarceration, right here in Fairfax County. The United States Congress finally approved the Susan B. Anthony Amendment, and sent it to the states for ratification. When the 36th state, Tennessee, voted to ratify, the 19th Amendment became part of the U.S. Constitution on August 26, 1920, which now is known as Women’s Equality Day. Now, my grandmother could vote, regardless of where she lived!

However, the 19th Amendment did not guarantee the right to vote to all women in the United States.

Native Americans did not gain that right until 1924; female Asian Pacific Islander Americans, incredibly, had to wait until 1952. In some southern states, including Virginia, the African American vote was suppressed until passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. Suppression affected not only female voters. I remember my uncle, a retired Army officer, telling me, in 1965, that he had to return home from his Belle Haven polling place because he forgot the bring his receipt proving he paid the poll

tax before being allowed to vote. Coming from Oregon, which abolished the poll tax in 1910, I was appalled! Fortunately, the requirement to pay a poll tax in order to qualify to vote was overturned by the Supreme Court in 1966, but it remained on the books of the Acts of Assembly until this year.

As noted above, in 1917, many suffragists were imprisoned in the Occoquan Workhouse in southern Fairfax County, simply because they participated in protests in front of the White House. Their imprisonment proved to be the turning point in the quest for the vote, and the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment was to be celebrated by the dedication of the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial at Occoquan Regional Park. The groundbreaking was accomplished last November, but Covid-19 has delayed the construction of the memorial. However, Turning Point will host a webinar and other activities to celebrate the anniversary of women getting the vote. Log on to https://suffragistmemorial.org for more information.

There’s a lot of chaos and trepidation about voting, and the sanctity of the vote, in this year’s presidential election, fomented by the president himself. Supporters of women’s suffrage worked too long and too hard to obtain and preserve the vote, and their vote is more important this year than ever before. The last day to register to vote in this year’s election is October 13. You can apply now for an absentee ballot at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/ elections/absentee, vote absentee in person at one of the satellite locations beginning on October 14, or vote at your regular polling place on November 3, 2020. My grandmother would be proud!  Penny Gross is the Mason District Supervisor, in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. She may be emailed at mason@fairfaxcounty.gov.

C i t y o f Fa l l s C h u r c h

CRIME REPORT Week of August 10 - 16, 2020 Fraud, 1100 blk W Broad St. Between September 2018 and August 2020, a known male subject pretended to be a representative of a business and fraudulently obtained money.

Larceny from Vehicle, 500 blk Randolph St. between August 13 and 14, unknown suspect(s) entered a vehicle and took items of value.

Tamper With Auto, 1200 blk W Broad St. August 15, 11:45 PM, witnesses reported seeing an unknown

male entered a parked vehicle before leaving in a separate vehicle.

Strangulation, 6700 blk Wilson Blvd. August 16, 1:27 am, following a call for service, a male, of Arlington, VA, was arrested for strangulation, abduction, possession of cocaine, preventing an individual from dialing 911, assault and battery, drunk in public, and violation of a protection order.

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Delegate Marcus Simon’s

Richmond Report This has been an unusual summer for Virginia’s part time legislators as we’ve been working hard to help our constituents navigate the new reality that is life during a pandemic. From helping navigate the Virginia Employment Commission, to requests for eviction relief, to simple things like getting a car title to complete the private sale of car, nothing works the way it used to, the way it should, or as well as we would all like it to.

Add to that, the recent demonstrations and demands for reform in the way we police our communities and administer justice and punishment, the budget impact of our shut down and multi-phased reopening and, for many of us, new leadership roles. For me, my part-time job as a legislator feels more like full-time and a half occupation.

Not that I’m complaining. I’m incredibly fortunate and privileged to be in a position to help my community navigate our way through these troubled times, and look forward to continuing the work we started in January to build a Virginia that works for all of us.

To that end, the work will get even more intense as the 2020 Special Session gaveled in this week, with the House meeting at the VCU basketball arena so we could conduct our business safely and at a social distance.

The House Democratic Caucus released our list of legislative priorities earlier this month, and they reflect our focus on meaningful criminal justice reform and continued relief for individuals and businesses affected by Covid-19. In addition, we’ve laid out a blueprint to support our teachers and students as they begin a new school year and to reinforce our health care system.

Although our 2020-2022 State Budget won’t quite look the same as it did earlier this year, we continue to prioritize funding for broadband access to support K-12 remote learning, invest in higher education, enhance telehealth opportunities, safeguard the integrity of the November election, and extend housing protections for the most vulnerable during this pandemic. The reforecasted budget will also include additional funding for any of the criminal justice reform and police accountability measures that we pass during the Special Session.

As a member of the House Courts Committee, I participated in all of the joint public hearings that we did with the House Public Safety Committee over the past few weeks. We heard valuable testimony from experts in the field, advocate groups, and members of the public, which directly impacted the legislation introduced during the Special Session.

Covid-19 Relief: I was proud to have successfully worked to get Senator Barbara Favola’s paid sick leave bill passed in the House of Delegates in March, only to see the State Senate change their mind at the last minute and let it die as the clock ran out on regular session. With all we’ve experienced during the pandemic, I was pleased to see it at the top of our agenda to revisit during this Special Session.

Other worker protection measures will include a presumption of workers’ compensation for first responders, teachers and other high-risk essential workers who contract Covid-19, prohibit price gouging for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and create a Commonwealth Marketplace for purchasing PPE to protect essential workers and all Virginians.

Criminal Justice and Police Reform: During our recent public hearings, we heard from an overwhelming number of constituents who want meaningful, progressive criminal justice reform.

This includes allowing records expungement of certain crimes, increased good sentence credits, allowing increased prosecutorial ability to dismiss charges, and prohibiting no-knock warrants.

We’ll also ban the use of chokeholds, create a statewide Marcus Alert system, prohibit the of certain military-style weapons, and ban sexual relations between officers and arrestees.

We’ll increase police accountability with legislation to strengthen laws related to Citizen Review Panels, to eliminate qualified immunity, to standardize trainings for all police academies, and to mandate reporting and intervention during the misconduct of another officer.

To stop problems before they start, we’ll strengthen the vetting required before hiring a law enforcement officer as well as require decertification of officers who fail to properly perform their duties.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Michelle Obama’s Epic Summons

“A lot of people have asked me, ‘When others are going so low, does going high still really work?’ My answer: going high is the only thing that works.”

Former First Lady Michelle Obama said this in the midst of a passionate and heartfelt, memorable plea to the American people to rescue the nation from the clutches of Donald Trump on the first night of the virtual Democratic National Convention Monday night.

She went on to say this: “When we go low, when we use those same tactics of degrading and dehumanizing others, we just become part of the ugly noise that’s drowning out everything else. We degrade ourselves. We degrade the very causes for which we fight.”

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS But she made it clear that the high road “does not mean putting on a smile and saying nice things when confronted by viciousness and cruelty.”

On the contrary, she said, “Going high means taking the harder path.

It means scraping and clawing our way to that mountain top. Going high means standing fierce against hatred while remembering that we are one nation under God, and if we want to survive, we’ve got to find a way to live together and work together across our differences. And going high means unlocking the shackles of lies and mistrust with the only thing that can truly set us free: the cold hard truth.”

Michelle Obama’s remarks Monday night, and those of a would-be First Lady Jill Biden on Tuesday night, touched on core themes that are completely and totally lost on President Trump and his sycophant followers in crime.

They will never get what Michelle Obama and Jill Biden were talking about, taking their words to be mere ephemeral platitudes providing comfort to the weak.

But they cannot know how basic the sentiments expressed by those women are to the mass electoral uprising that is rising to sweep that foul sack of pus wrapped in a thin orange skin out of the White House.

The office of the presidency has the power to influence the entire population by acting to “summon our better angels or awaken our worst instincts,” and Trump has nothing to offer but “chaos, division, and a total and utter lack of empathy,” Michelle Obama said.

She continued that theme: “Empathy: that’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. The ability to walk in someone else’s shoes; the recognition that someone else’s experience has value, too. Most of us practice this without a second thought. If we see someone suffering or struggling, we don’t stand in judgment. We reach out because, ‘There, but for the grace of God, go I.’ It is not a hard concept to grasp. It’s what we teach our children.”

But, she noted, now our children “see people shouting in grocery stores, unwilling to wear a mask to keep us all safe. They see people calling the police on folks minding their own business just because of the color of their skin. They see an entitlement that says only certain people belong here, that greed is good, and winning is everything because as long as you come out on top, it doesn’t matter what happens to everyone else.

And they see what happens when that lack of empathy is ginned up into outright disdain.

“They see our leaders labeling fellow citizens enemies of the state while emboldening torch-bearing white supremacists. They watch in horror as children are torn from their families and thrown into cages, and pepper spray and rubber bullets are used on peaceful protestors for a photo-op.

“Sadly, this is the America that is on display for the next generation.

A nation that’s underperforming not simply on matters of policy but on matters of character,” she said.

Donald Trump and his ilk live in a hateful postmodern bubble built on the notion that there is really no such thing as love, only power and pleasure. They think perpetuating their rule is by the exercise of raw power, of “shock and awe.”

So, the contest for the soul of American is between Trump and those who can access the reality of a higher power that resides in love, compassion and empathy.

CO MME NT

AUGUST 20 – 26, 2020 | PAGE 13

Nicholas F. Benton

 Nicholas Benton may be emailed at nfbenton@fcnp.com.

Our Man in Arlington

By Charlie Clark

Virginia Hospital Center, that core Arlington health provider that operates without our county’s name, was focused on its massive construction project when the pandemic hit.

Passersby nowadays can’t miss the towering cranes and steep wood-planked walls lining the foundation pit that — after years of negotiations with officials and neighbors — will allow the hospital corporation to add 5.5 acres of modern facilities to its existing 12 acres that date back to 1944.

“It’s a substantial amount, given how tight land is in Arlington,” confirmed Adrian Stanton, vice president for business development and community relations. “But in the context of hospital land across the country, it’s not a lot of land.”

The coronavirus has not delayed the construction (though the weather has) because the excavation phase is “all outside work in which workers are distanced or on heavy equipment,” he said.

“We’ve been fortunate” in staying on schedule for the expansion, the centerpiece of which will be a new Outpatient Pavilion providing easy access for patients from their arrival at the parking garage to the treatment area.

Like hospitals everywhere, though, VHC had to scramble this spring when the grim disease became increasingly real and local.

“Back in April and May, when Northern Virginia was a hotspot, we saw the highest volume of Covid[19] patients, just like other hospitals,” Stanton said. He credits the hospital team and area health officials for “not going with the same phasing as the rest of Northern Virginia” in resuming normal procedures too quickly. “That was the right thing to do, as our numbers have stayed down,” he says, though many now worry about a coming second wave.

Too many patients with normal ailments stayed away from VHC’s emergency room out of fear of the virus, back “when all this was new and the message across the country was to stay home,” Stanton said.

Largely, the public obeyed the message. “We were seeing 50 percent less in ER patient volume daily and monthly,” out of the normal 65,000 – 70,000 annually. Folks who, “instead of keeping up with chronic conditions such as diabetes, COPD, or heart conditions, heard the news that if you have other conditions, you are at greater risk” for Covid. So they stayed clear of the hospital. The impact on health “management created real issues, with patients coming in a lot sicker,” Stanton said.

The bottom line now is that “a hospital is one of the safest places to be. We know how to deal with Covid patients, and we know how to use protective equipment to assure that not only patients but

our workers are safe.” That’s not always true at retail stores.

VHC staff have encountered little resistance to the order to wear masks. “People are good, but the cloth mask is not safe enough for us,” he notes, so all visitors are offered surgical masks.

The 3,000 employees on the front lines at N. 16th St. and George Mason Drive have been on the receiving end of gifts from “incredibly generous community members and community restaurants,” Stanton said. The steady delivery of free lunches and dinners from nonprofits, corporations and individuals was appreciated in a surprising sense. “For the staff, who often don’t have time to go down to the cafeteria, this was affirmation that people on the outside had their back. That meant more than a free meal.” *** Next time you bike or walk the W&OD Trail, think of David Hobson.

The retired executive director of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority died Aug. 1, of pancreatic cancer at a hospice in Pinehurst, N.C. Hobson, 76, was beloved by many Arlington greens as a visionary and collaborator. From 1968 – 99 he worked the authority’s administration to attract state and local grants to acquire land. The group’s capstone achievement: the 45-mile trail laid mostly on the old railroad path from Alexandria to Purcellville.

CA L E NDA R

PAGE 14 | AUGUST 20 – 26, 2020

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

FALLS CHURCHCALENDAR In response to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic affecting the globe and policies enacted to avoid social gatherings, the News-Press will publish a list of virtual events weekly in lieu of its regular listings.

If you have a virtual event you’d like to see listed, please email calendar@fcnp.com.

Deadline is 5 p.m. Monday weekly.

CITYEVENTS SATURDAY, AUGUST 22 Falls Church Farmers Market To Go. The Falls Church Farmers Market has converted to a preorder, to-go event. All orders must be placed in advance of Saturday’s market which will be open from 8 a.m. – noon for pre-order pickup only in front of City Hall (300 Park Ave.). A list of participating vendors and information on preordering can be found at fallsch-

urchva.gov/547/Farmers-MarketTo-Go.

VIRTUALEVENTS

THURSDAY, AUGUST 20 Discover Homestretch (online).

Attendees can learn more about Homestretch’s work, hear from its clients and staff, and take a virtual tour of its facilities. This virtual event will also feature a live discussion with executive director Chris Fay. Register at interland3. donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E82889&id=63.

6 – 7 p.m.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 22 Adapted Nature Hike. This scenic walk will not have steep inclines and is an ideal way for individuals of all abilities to get out into nature. Register adults and youth. Register at https://parks. arlingtonva.us/events/adapted-nature-hike-6. Long Branch

Nature Center (625 S. Carlin Springs Rd., Arlington). 9:30 a.m.

MONDAY, AUGUST 24 ESOL Conversation Group (online). Interested participants can practice their English with a weekly ESOL conversation group.

To request a Zoom invite, email Marshall Webster at mwebster@ fallschurchva.gov. 7 – 8:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 25 Great Books Discussion. A “Great Books” discussion concentrating on literary classics meeting on the second and fourth Tuesday most months. This month’s book is “Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson. This discussion will be held online. Visit fallschurchva. gov/LibraryAtHome for details.

7 – 8:30 p.m.

Author of “The Emancipation of Evan Walls” (online). Interested participants can join a Zoom call for a talk by local author Jeffrey Blount about his recent novel “The Emancipation of Evan Walls” and the topic of racial bullying, followed by a brief audience Q&A. Blount is an Emmy award-winning television director, spending over three decades at NBC, and a 2016 inductee to the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame. Blount will be interviewed by his wife Jeanne Meserve, an award-winning anchor and correspondent, formerly with CNN and ABC News, who now works for Canada’s CTV News. To request a Zoom invite, email Marshall Webster at mwebster@fallschurchva.gov.

7 – 8 p.m.

LIVEMUSIC

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26

THURSDAY, AUGUST 20

Discussion with Jeffrey Blount,

Veronneau in virtual concert.

Visit creativecauldron.org “attend.”

to

FRIDAY, AUGUST 21 Lady Limbo (bring your own chairs). Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 7 p.m. 703-858-9186.

Kathy Halenda Cabaret — mask and social distancing required.

Cherry Hill Park (312 Park Ave., Falls Church). 8 p.m. creative cauldron.org.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 22 The Josh Allen Band with Dee’s Snack Shack Creole & Caribbean (bring your own chairs).

Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 7 p.m. 703-858-9186.

Irene Jalenti in concert — mask and social distancing required.

Cherry Hill Park (312 Park Ave., Falls Church) 8 p.m.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 23 Sean Tracy (bring your own chairs). Falls Church Distillers (442 S. Washington Street, Ste A Falls Church). 7 p.m. 703-858-9186.

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Fa l l s C h u r c h

Business News & Notes Code Ninjas Offering School Day Program Code Ninjas Falls Church is offering Power Up, a new school day program starting September 8 with morning, evening, and full day options available. Students will receive assistance with virtual learning and homework and participate in structured STEM activities during free time. For an extra challenge, students can also enroll in Code Ninjas’ Create Coding Program, which teaches computer coding through game design and robotics. The Power Up program will be run by classroom managers with teaching experience and code “Senseis” who are high-school and college students with a passion for STEM. The activities offered during free time will focus on video game building, robotics, Minecraft, Roblox, drones, and web design. Extended-day options are available for students who need to arrive or depart outside of the normal program hours. Code Ninjas Falls Church has robust Covid-safety protocols, including mandatory face coverings, and has been certified by the Falls Church Healthy Business Program (http://www.fallschurchchamber.org/healthy-business-pledge.) Code Ninjas Falls Church is located at 510 S. Washington Street. To learn more or enroll, contact the center at 703-310-0554 or fallschurchva@codeninjas.com.

Staples Donates 200 Back to School Bags Staples Baileys Crossroads has donated 200 Back to School bags to children in need in Falls Church. The bags include a folder, wood pencils, a bottle of glue, two dry erase markers, and other items donated by customers. They will be distributed through the Falls Church City Public Schools, the Falls Church Education Foundation, and Grace Christian Academy. Both the Baileys Crossroads and the Falls Church City Staples are offering Classroom Rewards programs that provide teachers with 20 percent back in rewards when parents shop, and discounts on a variety of school and Covid-19 related supplies. Staples Baileys Crossroads is located at 5801 Leesburg Pike and the Staples in Falls Church City is at 1104 W. Broad Street. For more information, visit www.Staples.com.

Falls Church Arts Offering a Number of Classes Falls Church Arts is offering a number of watercolor and acrylic painting classes Saturdays and Tuesdays through the end of the month and into September. Classes will be led by local notables including master watercolorist Rajendra KC and arts educator and creative visualist Brian Legan. For more information, visit www.FallsChurchArts.org.

Virginia Reminds Employers to Social Distance & Wear Face Coverings As a reminder to business owners, employees, and patrons, Virginia’s emergency workplace safety standards require all employers to mandate social distancing measures and face coverings for employees in customer-facing positions and when social distancing is not possible, provide frequent access to hand washing or hand sanitizer, and regularly clean high-contact surfaces. In addition, all employees must be notified within 24 hours if a coworker tests positive for the virus. Employees who are known or suspected to be positive for Covid-19 cannot return to work for 10 days or until they receive two consecutive negative tests. These temporary emergency standards were adopted in mid-July and will remain in effect for at least six months, though they can be made permanent through the process defined in state law. The emergency temporary standards, infectious disease preparedness and response plan templates, and training guidance is posted on the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry website at doli.virginia.gov. Workers who feel unsafe in their workplace can file a formal complaint with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration at www.osha.gov/workers/file-complaint.  Business News & Notes is compiled by Sally Cole, Executive Director of Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce. She may be emailed at sally@fallschurchchamber.org.

AUGUST 20 – 26, 2020 | PAGE 15

BECOME A MEMBER OF THE NEWS-PRESS & HELP US KEEP COMMUNITY JOURNALISM ALIVE & WELL IN THE LITTLE CITY. Since 1991, the News-Press has been on a mission to provide independent and honest journalism to the Falls Church community.

We recognize and appreciate the support the City, its businesses and residents have shown us for the past 29 years.

Now, we need your help to continue with our mission.

If you find value in our work and believe the News-Press contributes to the betterment of the Falls Church community, please consider becoming a member today and help us keep you informed on all the happenings — big and small — in The Little City.

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Visit FCNP.com/members to become a member of the News-Press today

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We are pledged to the letter and spirit of Virginia’s policy for achieving equal housing opportunity throughout the Commonwealth. We encourage and support advertising and marketing programs in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap. All real estate advertised herein is subject to Virginia’s fair housing law which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.” This newspaper will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate that violates the fair housing law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. For more information or to file a housing complaint call the Virginia Fair Housing Office at (804) 367-8530. Toll free call (888) 551-3247. For the hearing impaired call (804) 367-9753.

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

By Eileen Levy Sunshine’s good!

Let’s play!

I go first, doggie next.

Up and away!

A RTS&E NTE RTA I NME NT

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Crossword

ACROSS

By David Levinson Wilk 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

15

16

17

18 20

19 22

33

34

10

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29

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51 59

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© 2020 David Levinson Wilk

26

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1. Like Barack Obama’s presidency 8. Some concert pieces 15. British tradition 16. Hype 17. Call for pizza, say 18. Creator and star of “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl” 19. Volleyball great Gabrielle 20. Carves in stone 22. “This comes ____ surprise” 23. Shade of gray 24. Pull a cork from 28. Alphabetic trio 30. Defib experts 32. Suffix with schnozz 33. Camera operators, gaffers, etc.

36. Crossword feature 37. 1960s radical org.

38. Morocco’s capital 39. Lobster’s feeler 40. Takes badly?

41. Cassini of fashion 42. Docile 43. American ____ 44. Target of a skin care strip 45. Flamenco cries 46. Lewis and Long 47. Med. drama locales 48. Person logging on 49. Boston athlete, briefly 50. MSNBC rival

STRANGE BREW

51. Tooth trouble 53. Little chuckle 56. Layer 60. Scuba mouthpiece attachment 62. Oceanographer’s focus 63. Woodworker, at times 64. 1960s radical movement 65.

Brightly colored bird

AUGUST 20 - 26, 2020 | PAGE 17

Down 1. Birch of “Ghost World” 2. Tangle around a surge protector 3. Nash who wrote “Parsley / Is gharsley” 4. Embolden oneself 5. French 101 verb 6. Big retailer in outdoor gear 7. What male lions have that lionesses lack 8.____ and Span (cleaner brand) 9. “I’ve had enough of your big talk” 10. What gibberish makes 11. Stockpile 12. The Blue Jays, on scoreboards 13. ____ snail’s pace 14. “Told ya!”

21. Be appealing on screen 23. “So-o-o cute!”

25. Preparing mischief 26. Type of network 27. Be taken for 29. One doing cat scans?

JOHN DEERING

Sudoku

31. Misses in Marseille: Abbr.

33. Figure of speech 34. Joan of Arc quality 35. Good buddies on the road 39. Susceptible to sunburn 40. Julia of Hollywood 42. Unsatisfactory 43. Ed with the 2017 #1 hit “Shape of You” 48. Loosen, as neckwear 49. Rivera of the original “Chicago” 50. Phone 52. Wear after an accident 54. Sword for an Olympian 55. Frau’s spouse 56. Fig. in the form XXX-XX-XXXX 57. Golf peg 58. Crunchy, as carrots 59. Congregated 61. Actress Zadora Last Thursday’s Solution

By The Mepham Group

Level 1 2 3 4

Solution to last Sunday’s puzzle

NICK KNACK

© 2020 N.F. Benton

8/16/20

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9.

For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk. © 2020 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

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PAGE 18 | AUGUST 20 – 26, 2020

BACK IN THE DAY

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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Falls Church News-Press Vol. XX, No. 25 • August 19, 2010

Mustangs May Play In New High School Athletic Conference

Safety Sign Thefts Spark More Anger In W&OD Trail User Vs. Driver Tiff

George Mason High School athletic teams may find themselves in a newly configured district for the 1996-97 school year if a plan voted on Monday by the Bull Run District principals is approved in September.

The changes would not affect this year’s schedule. The new plan would have George Mason playing in a four team district against traditional Bull Run District rivals, Brentsville, Manassas Park and Rappahannock High Schools.

Tempers flared between drivers and W &OD trail users in the City of Falls Church as officials announced the theft of five of the new Yield to Pedestrian signs placed at six W &OD trail crossings in the City last week.

It has made the state’s upcoming Bicyclist and Pedestrian Awareness Week all the more relevant.

Drive Smart Virginia, Bike Walk Virginia and the Virginia Highway Safety Office at DMV will join to promote the week-long event.

MY SHELTER PETS ARE MY BEST FRIENDS SOMETIMES OUR BELOVED READERS give us photographic eye candy to be used in the Critter Corner. Being able to see this chipmunk’s specks of fur and ridges in his ear makes it look so real, it could practically jump off the page.

Just because you’re not famous doesn’t mean your pet can’t be! Send in your Critter Corner submissions to crittercorner@fcnp.com.

OLIVIA MUNN WITH CHANCE AND FRANKIE: ADOPTED 2014 AND 2016.

THESHELTERPETPROJECT.ORG

Make Your Pet a Star! Critter

Corner

Just because you’re not famous doesn’t mean your pet can’t be!

Snap a pic of your critter and email it to: CRITTERCORNER@FCNP.COM OR mail it to Critter Corner c/o Falls Church News-Press 200 Little Falls Street #508 Falls Church, Va 22046

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Pass Tucker, 22, Beats Filing Deadline Continued from Page 1

Registrar of Voters office Friday afternoon shortly ahead of the filing deadline, was certified as qualified for the Nov. 3 ballot, after their petitions were examined

by Bjerke on Monday afternoon.

This November’s election, which will be on the same ballot as the U.S. Presidential and U.S. Senate races, will fill the unexpired term of Councilman Sze that runs to December 31, 2021.

An election to fill the seat for a full four-year term will be held in November 2021.

Then, a total of four of the seven Council seats will be up for election, besides the current vacancy, held by Vice Mayor Marybeth Connelly, David Snyder and Ross Litkenhous.

The News-Press has learned that discussions are currently underway by a number of local civic groups concerning a forum, or debate, to learn more about the three contenders for the special election now only 75 days away.

Hiscott, whose candidacy was announced earlier this month by F.C. Vice Mayor Connelly, gained attention with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic this spring for spearheading a local fundraising drive led by the FCEF that raised

Dick McCall Continued from Page 4

military reformer Gen. Adolfo Blandon.

The latter had “purged the military of killers and started the process of engagement for a prisoner exchange, a negotiated cease-fire and a national child vaccine,” McCall said.

After 13 years of conflict, the country by 1991-92 had “reached the point where the business community said, ‘this is no good, we need to find a way out,’” the diplomat said. McCall participated in detailed talks alongside the U.S. military attaché Col. Mark Hamilton and Ambassador Bill Walker.

He was introduced to “the oligarchs, to understand where they came from, how their business interests were being damaged by the violence.” There were multiple parties, including ARENA and the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front and the communists. At the historic New Year’s Eve final meeting in New York, “It was a matter of bringing all pieces of the

AUGUST 20 – 26, 2020 | PAGE 19

News-Press

TO LETTERS THE EDITOR Continued from Page 6

This has been a frustrating experience. Time is running out for Creative Cauldron. Please support our new home. Approve the Broad & Washington project.

Marty Meserve Falls Church

SIMONE PASS TUCKER. (Courtesy photo) $120,000 in short order for emergency family assistance.

In a statement, she said, “I am particularly passionate about equity issues and want to ensure more affordable housing in Falls Church, particularly for teachers.”

Shokoor is a second generation American and life-long resident of the City of Falls Church.

While studying for a Masters at George Mason University, he interned at the F.C. Department of Housing and Human Services and then was hired by a national affordable housing developer.

On the City’s Housing Commission, he served as its data and communications analyst and

authored the City’s Affordable Living Policy.

Pass Tucker told the NewsPress the hope is to provide “a more diverse voice on the City Council, being “young, not as wealthy, and a member of the LGBTQ+ community hoping to represent other marginalized groups in the community.”

They identify as “non-binary” and rejects usual gender-based pronouns such as “he” or “she” in favor of “they.”

According to the Registrar’s Office, there was a citizen who submitted petitions but failed to qualify for lack of necessary paperwork.

puzzle together” to achieve an unconditional ceasefire,” demobilizing the Salvadoran military and getting the best possible deal, McCall said.

A June 1992 letter from Secretary of State James A. Baker III to Sarbanes praised McCall’s work and called him an “imaginative facilitator for the peace process.” He was also thanked in a 1991 Christmas greeting by the Salvadoran ambassador in Washington.

Both the Philippines and El Salvador today are wracked by violence and are currently ruled by right-wing strongmen.

Does McCall find this frustrating? Yes, but in El Salvador, party control has fluctuated over the years with elections, he noted.

“Once again the biggest problem is that we kind of lose interest after our perceived threat goes away with a peace agreement.

We never assisted the people in El Salvador with moving to a more diversified economy. And the drug cartels take advantage.”

McCall, who raised two sons with his wife Barbara, an Interior Department employee, spent his sixties as a consultant before

fully retiring.

He appreciates the sophistication of Falls Church, from which he and his family maintain friendships with other foreign affairs officials who worked for CIA and the National Security Council.

Perhaps his favorite career accomplishment of all is the work he did in his hometown of Rushville, Nebraska. (population 869), which is near the Pine Ridge Indian reservation.

As a young man McCall was moved by the 1970 book by Dee Brown “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” about genocide of Native Americans.

So when he learned that the Shoshone and Arapaho tribes wanted to set up an independent school system, he began what became a series of visits and lobbying in Washington to assure federal funding from the Interior Department’s Bureau of Indian Affairs.

“The whole mission of the United States was to abolish their history, cultural heritage and identity,” McCall lamented. Half a century later, he proudly notes, those schools are still going.

To F.C. Council & Police: Thank You For New Gun Laws

Editor, We appreciate the unanimous vote to enact a gun ban on City property and at permitted City events.

It is exhausting for gun violence prevention advocates to sustain persistent commitment for the adoption of sensible gun legislation in America.

It is exhausting for pro-gun lobby groups to sustain outrage for the justification of ownership of more than 400 million firearms in America. It is exhausting for law enforcement to sustain vigilance in order to protect citizens and enforce firearms laws in this day and age.

And it was exhausting for you to reckon with this issue in a “grueling and emotionally draining five hour and fifteen minute virtual meeting,” not to mention the time spent in deliberations and fact gathering before the meeting.

Yet, we unfortunately know that there is a humbling to the randomness of tragedy.

Thank you for your attention to House Bill 421 — Locality Firearms Regulations. Falls Church City residents are forever grateful.

Carol Luten Falls Church

Bias In News-Press’ Coverage Of Gun Ban Hurts Reporting

Editor, As a resident of the City, I write in response to the recently passed gun ordinance and the News Press’ highly biased coverage thereof. At the outset, it is clear that our local paper has a serious inability to report merely on the facts, without spinning it in a way that suits the personal political views of its Editor in Chief.

The portion of the ordinance relating to the ban on firearms on parade routes and other public streets is likely fraught with constitutional infirmi-

ties. What is more likely is that the ordinance will be challenged in court.

If that happens, the City will pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees to retain outside counsel; and if it loses in court, it will likely have to pay reasonable attorney’s fees and costs to counsel for the plaintiff. At a time that the City’s revenues are down dramatically, passing this portion of the ordinance is a breach of the council’s fiduciary duties to the citizens and taxpayers of the City of Falls Church.

With respect to Ms. Hardi’s response to the many comments submitted in response to the draft ordinance, I am not aware she addresses the concerns raised herein. I’m also very concerned that the Council rushed this ordinance through without providing appropriate public comment. Written comments are not the same as oral ones and do not convey the same level of passion. It appears that the City has the technological ability to accept oral comments virtually; if not, it should acquire what is needed to do so immediately.

Finally, are News Press polls open to city residents only? If not, please stop your belly aching that that the poll results did not come out the way the News Press wanted them to. Absent a clear limitation, the poll wasn’t hijacked. And I’m sure you aren’t upset about the revenues you are reaping due to the increased number of eyeballs on the News Press’ website from those who live outside of the Little City.

On behalf of many residents of Falls Church, we beseech you to report the facts and limit the spin and commentary to the Editorial Page.

Stewart Fried Falls Church

Sad To See F.C. Council Member Dan Sze Pass Away Editor, I join others in lamenting the death of Daniel Sze, and the loss to the City.

When I dabbled in government, serving as chair of the Environment Sustainability Committee in 2015, Dan was always eager to help, advise and encourage us to get environmental issues on the Council agenda.

I always assumed Dan lived by the motto, “There’s nothing you can’t do, if you don’t care who gets the credit.”

We will miss him.

Ray Arnaudo Mountain View, California

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

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