9-11-2025

September 11 - 17, 2025

Falls Church, Virginia • w w w . fc n p . c o m • Free

Founded 1991 • Vol. XXXV N o . 31

The City of Falls Church’s Independent, Locally-Owned Newspaper of Record, Serving N. Virginia

Democracy Affirmation Feted By F.C. Council

HISTORY IN THE MAKING

Portraits of African-American & Woman in Chambers At Last

by Nicholas F. Benton

Falls Church News-Press

This Monday’s Sept. 8 meeting of the Falls Church Council goes down in history as one of the most meaningful affirmations and celebrations of, as Mayor Letty Hardi put it, “who we are as a city,” made more important in the context of the current egregious assaults on democracy and the rule of law by the U.S. President and his actions.

The capacity audience in the Council chambers at City Hall participated in a series of poignant special recognitions, highlighted by the unveiling of portraits that will henceforth hang in those chambers of, for the first time ever, a woman (the City’s first ever woman mayor, Carol DeLong) and an AfricanAmerican (Falls Church’s first African-American Council member, Frederick Foote Jr.).

The dramatic unveiling of the portraits, commissioned by the Council as part of the independent city’s 75th anniversary

Continued on Page 3

Fall Festival

Pages 8-9

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, portraits of a woman and an African-American were hung in the Council chambers at the Falls Church City Hall at an unveiling during the F.C. Council meeting this Monday. Renderings of former Mayor Carol DeLong and former Councilman Frederick Foote Jr. have now joined Founding Fathers as permanent fixtures. See story this page. (Photo: FCNP)

Big Festival, Taste of F.C. & Run for Schools This Weekend

by Nicholas F. Benton

Falls Church News-Press

A massive weekend of public events is upon the City of Falls Church with two of its most popular events of the year.

The 49th annual combined Falls Church Fall Festival and Taste of Falls Church event is on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. behind City Hall. Then on Sunday, the Falls Church Education Foundation’s annual

Run for the Schools, with more than 900 runners already registered. The weather forecast is perfect both days, highs in the low 80s and no rain.

Saturday will be a day of live music, activities and tastings from local restaurants. Over 90 vendors and civic organizations will join the day. Fifteen restaurants and breweries are participating in this year’s Taste of Falls Church sampling portion. Attendees can try foods

and beers in exchange for taste tickets, which are available to purchase for $3 at the festival or for pre-order starting on Monday, Sept. 8.

There will be a main stage and a children’s stage with performances for kids from 11 a.m.

– 3:30 p.m. Arlington-based guitar duo Wicked Game will kick off the main stage performances at 10 a.m., followed by Flashback Band, The Coozies and Gotcha Covered. The kids’

lineup includes Latin American music and a CityDance dance class, as well as puppet and magic shows.

Saturday at City Hall also includes the weekly Farmer’s Market in its front parking lot.

The City of Falls Church Police Department has issued a traffic advisory about the two days of events. On Saturday, portions of Little Falls Street,

Continued on Page 4

PAGE 2 | SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2025

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Fa l l s C h u r c h Our Man In Arlington Business News & Notes

Bill Fogarty

“What Does Voting Mean To You?” This question is posed to the public at a voting rights exhibit (“From Barriers to Ballots”) at Arlington’s Central Library. The exhibit provides an opportunity to learn important history about voting rights, involving national, state, and local stories. The most fascinating part to me is to see how people respond to that question about voting.

The question is listed on cards at the exhibit, asking people to submit their answer. Several cards are chosen to be posted as part of the exhibit. Here are some of my favorite answers: – It means I am a participant in my democracy, not just an observer. Being a participant in the process of governance.

– On election day I remember John Robinson riding through the neighborhood with a bullhorn reminding everyone to vote.

– Voting is a thank you to the women who came before me, a promise to those after me.

– Voting is both an obligation to those who fought and sacrificed for my right, and an opportunity to effect the change I want to see.

The exhibit includes a section highlighting three people from Arlington: John Robinson, Gertrude Crocker, and Portia Haskins. Crocker was jailed three times during the Wilson Administration for picketing outside the White House for women’s voting rights. Crocker was sent to the infamous Lorton prison, where she took part in a hunger strike that left her severely ill.

John Robinson was a lifelong resident in the Green Valley neighborhood, with an extensive record of activism starting in the 1960s. He enthusiastically encouraged voter participation (as indicated in one of the comments above).

Robinson founded and was director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Green Valley for over 40 years. In 2020 the town square in Green Valley was named after him.

In the 1960s Portia Haskins, a Hall’s Hill resident, took part in sit-in protests in Arlington, and worked with the NAACP and Congress of

Racial Equality (CORE). Haskins successfully challenged the poll tax as the plaintiff in a landmark lawsuit that struck down the poll tax.

The poll tax was a huge obstacle to voting.

One challenging aspect was that it required payment for the prior three years, but the most pernicious requirement was that payment had to be made six months in advance. Many people showed up on election day and were denied the right to vote, even if they had the money to pay the tax. The NAACP worked tirelessly over the decades to inform people of these requirements. There was a flyer from 1951 with explicit instructions on how to get registered in time. Another flyer succinctly stated, “If you don’t vote in Arlington, you don’t count in Arlington.”

In addition to the poll tax lawsuit, another successful voting rights lawsuit came out of Arlington during the 1960s. Harrison Mann, one of our state delegates at the time, was the named plaintiff in a lawsuit that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. This case became known as the “One Person, One Vote” case. The attorney was Edmund Campbell, a longtime community activist.

This lawsuit involved Virginia’s history of disproportionate representation in the General Assembly that discriminated against the more populous parts of the state, such as Arlington. A House of Delegates district in southern Virginia had only 14,829 people, while a district in the Arlington/Fairfax area had 106,092 people. The Virginia system was based in part on land area, which led Campbell to utter a terrific sentence in his oral argument: “Acres don’t vote; it’s only people that vote.” In writing the opinion for the Court, ruling in Arlington’s favor, Chief Justice Earl Warren stole Campbell’s line with a similar quote: “Legislators represent people, not trees or acres.”

We are fortunate that, in Arlington’s history, many people worked to create an opportunity for all to vote, and to be represented in a fair manner. I encourage you to check out the exhibit. And remember, early voting starts soon.

To quote the NAACP flyer: “If you don’t vote in Arlington, you don’t count in Arlington.”

2025 Summer

Home Protection Event!

LIFETIME TRANSFERABLE WARRANTY +

End Cleaning Out Gutters!

Zero Clogged Gutters Guaranteed Without LeafFilter

Welcome An Honor Flight

The Hilton Garden Inn Falls Church will be hosting the Honor Flight San Antonio this weekend. This Honor Flight of veterans is expected to arrive tomorrow, September 12 at approximately 5:30 p.m. and the community is invited to join the welcoming ceremony. The Sheriff’s Department, St. James Catholic School Girl Scouts and other organizations may also join us.

Live Music in Commons Park Kick off the weekend in West Falls. The West Falls Community Association hosts free live music in The Commons every Friday in September, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Bring a blanket, a bite from the local restaurants, and enjoy the music. This Friday, September 12, Brandon Kennedy will perform.

City Feedback Sought Falls Church City would like customer feedback on its permitting process. Please complete the survey linked here to let the City know how it is doing and where improvements can be made. It should take 5-10 minutes to complete and closes at 4:00 p.m, Thursday, September 11. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/P3PKCDK

The Roaming Stone The Casual Pint brings back The Roaming Stone in time to get your knives ready for pumpkin and turkey carving. Sunday, September 14, 12:00 – 3:00 p.m they will set up outside for knife, tool and scissors sharpening and you can have a pint and watch some football while you wait! Mug Club members get 10 percent off sharpening.

Celebrating Homestretch’s Anniversary Homestretch is celebrating its 35th anniversary dedicated to helping homeless families with children secure permanent housing and self-sufficiency. The event, Mix Tape, will be Thursday, September 18, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Crescendo Studios.

It features a silent auction, food trucks, music, games and a 360-degree photo booth.

This is a call to action for the community to support the continuation of this successful program. Tickets are on sale now via the website.

Preparing Your Financials for Tax Time Tuesday, September 16, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. – Bob LeMay, a CPA, leads this webinar and will walk you through the financial information you need to gather, how to organize your records, and what to keep in mind to make tax time less stressful. Note: This session focuses on financial preparation, not tax return filing or tax advice. The session will run on Tuesday, September 16, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. and the link will be shared upon registration. https://wbcnova.centerdynamics.com/workshop.aspx?ekey=10450044

Tarot & Oracle Workshop with Peter Coe The Center for Spiritual Enlightenment brings Peter Coe in for a Tarot and Oracle Workshop on Saturday, September 13, 11:00 – 3:00 p.m. Explore the mythology behind each Zodiac sign and discover how to connect with celestial star patterns.

Beginner and experienced readers will enjoy hands-on practice to deepen your intuitive skills. Advanced registration is recommended.

 Business News & Notes is compiled by Elise Neil Bengtson, Executive Director of the Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce. She may be emailed at elise@fallschurchchamber.org.

With LeafFilter

Promo Code: 285

CALL 877-614-6667 FOR A FREE INSPECTION! *Promotional offer includes 20% off plus an additional 10% off for qualified veterans and/or seniors. One coupon per household. No obligation estimate valid for 1 year. +See Representative for full warranty details. See website for all license and registration numbers AR 366920923, AZ ROC 344027, CA 1035795, CT HIC.0671520, FL CBC056678, IA C127230, ID RCE-51604, LA 559544, MA 176447, MD MHIC111225, MI 262300173, 262300318, 262300328, 262300329, 262300330, 262300331, MN IR731804, MT 226192, ND 47304, NE 50145-22, 50145-23, NJ 13VH09953900, NM 408693, NV 86990, NY H-19114, H-52229, OR 218294, PA 179643, 069383, RI GC-41354, TN 10981, UT 10783658-5501, VA 2705169445, WA LEAFFNW822JZ, WV WV056912.

Limited time only!*

Bonus offer!*

Installation

Discount

75% OFF + $250

Visit us at fcnp.com

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2025 | PAGE 3

F.C. Council Shows Support for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion

Continued from Page 1

year, included remarks by a number of important citizens, including Nikki Henderson of the Tinner Hill Foundation who said, “All of us here are part of making history, witnessing for the very first time ever the City of Falls Church has ever had portraits of a female mayor and African-American leader in its City Hall. This is truly an historic moment, and for the young people here, they will carry this on and tell this story.”

Mayor Hardi opened the ceremony saying, “With these portraits, we see the story of progress, of leadership in many forms, showing what it looks like when we are better when everyone has a seat at the table, with new voices, many perspectives and possibilities bringing the promise of a more inclusive, diverse and vibrant future. Future generations of leaders still to come can now come in, look up and see themselves reflected in these portraits.”

The artists, Asia Anderson of the Foote portrait and Deborah Conn of the DeLong portrait, selected and

commissioned in an arduous two year process as part of a celebration of the City’s 75th anniversary, spoke about the inspiration for their works, and former Councilman Phil Duncan, son-in-law of DeLong, and Chet DeLong, the former mayor’s husband now 100 years old, spoke.

Then Ed Henderson and wife NikkI Henderson, accompanied by a number of youngsters, spoke about the legacy of Foote and the big picture of the portraits. Veteran Councilman Dave Snyder then spoke about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s claim that the “arc of history bends toward justice, but only if we do it,” and that the portraits reflect that.

But the momentous event was only one part of a series of recognitions that underscored the City of Falls Church’s commitment to democracy, inclusiveness and fairness.

They included a resolution honoring Hispanic Heritage Month that was read by Council member Erin Flynn, who choked up reading the portion that read, “We are proud of the cultural enrichment of the Hispanic population as it contributes to the great diversity and unity

of the City of Falls Church and the City will continue to protect and celebrate the history of its Hispanic and Latin American residents.”

She subsequently explained that her emotional reaction came in the context of the current “gross federal overreaction” underway.

Mayor Hardi added that her sentiment “reflects the views of all of us up here.”

Representing a proclamation declaring Disability Voting Rights Week, noting the importance of ensuring the voting rights of all, long-time City of Falls Church resident Renee Andrews noted that she is the daughter of parents who fled Hitler’s Germany.

Another resolution affirmed Welcoming Week in Falls Church, noting that “immigrants and refugees are a vital part of our community, enriching our culture, bringing fresh perspectives and new ideas, starting businesses and fueling the economy, and contributing to the vibrant diversity that our City values.”

Still another one declared Sept. 28 as “Good Neighbor Day,” and yet another supported by the Daughters of the American

Revolution, declared Sept. 17 to 23 as “Constitution Week” on the 238th anniversary of the drafting of the U.S. Constitution noting “the Constitution does more to establish our rights as a people in America, but continuously defends those rights.”

The resolution “urges all to reaffirm the ideals of the Constitution by vigilantly protecting the freedoms guaranteed to all through this guardian of our liberties.”

Another important ceremony at the meeting honored the City of Falls Church’s Employees of the Year, being Bethany Tran Howard in the City Finance Department and Paula Hawkins with the Mary Riley Styles

Public Library.

Finally, there was an annual report on the same library by its new director Megan Dotzler that use of the library is way up and now there are twice as many library cards in citizens’ possession as there are residents of the Little City.

(More on the Employees of the Year and the library’s annual report will appear in next week’s edition.)

Finally, the Council gave a unanimous final approval to a bill shifting the cost of trash pickup from being included in the general real estate tax to a complex pay per household model, as detailed in earlier editions of this newspaper.

Transform Your Bathroom and Change Your Life.

FREE TOILET + $1,500 OFF* For your FREE information kit and our Senior Discounts, Call Today Toll-Free

1-877-591-9950

*Free toilet with purchase and installation of a walk-in tub or walk-in shower only. Offer available while supplies last.

No cash value. Must present offer at time of purchase. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Market restrictions may apply. Offer available in select markets only. CSLB 1082165 NSCB 0082999 0083445 13VH11096000

Fall is in the Air!!

12-3 N U T/S N SA E P O

210 N Oak St * FALLS CHURCH CITY

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!! 5BR/3.5BA Colonial, in a quiet neighborhood centrally located in the Heart of Falls Church City!! Close to W&OD Trail, Shops & Restaurants. Less than 6 blocks to downtown Falls Church, Cherry Hill Park, Farmers Market, Community Center, Whole Foods, Harris Teeter & many Restaurants.

Main Level features Hardwood flooring and tons of natural sunlight. Entry Foyer Opens to large Family Room w/ two-story cathedral ceiling. Eat-in Kitchen w/ counter space & Eat-in Breakfast area, opening to Dining Room w/ Gas Fireplace & ceiling fan. Plus Half Bath, Laundry Room, and 2-car Garage. Upper Level features hallway overlooking lower level, Large Primary Suite w/ walk-in closet, full Bathroom and extra storage space. Three additional bedrooms all have ceiling fans and share a second full Bathroom. Lower level features a large Recreation Room with wet-bar area, a Fifth Bedroom, Full Bathroom, and extra storage space in the Utility Room. Covered Back Porch overlooking a fully fenced backyard w/ Shed. Offered at $1,599,000.

If you are looking to Buy, Sell, or Rent in 2025 please call Chris or Matt for a No Obligation consultation.

Chris Earman

Member NVAR Residential Top Producer Club Weichert, Realtors Chairman of the Board Club (703) 628-4541 Chris@EarmanRealEstate.com

Matt Earman

Member: NVAR Residential Top Producer Club Weichert, Realtors Ambassadors Club (703) 328-4563 Matt@EarmanRealEstate.com ®

REALTOR

Your Local Falls Church Realtor 703-760-8880 Falls Church/McLean

EQUAL HOUSING

OPPORTUNITY

PAGE 4 | SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2025

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Fall Festival & Taste of Falls Church Saturday, Run for Schools Sunday

Continued from Page 1

between Park Avenue and Great Falls Street, will be closed to vehicular traffic for the festival.

Between 7 a.m. and noon, no vehicular traffic will be allowed onto Little Falls Street from Park Avenue. The traffic light at Little Falls Street and Park Avenue will also be on flash during this period. Little Falls Street at Great Falls Street will only be accessible to Falls Church Festival and Farmers Market vendors.

From 10 a.m. to noon, Little Falls Street will reopen to one-way-only traffic from Great Falls Street. After Noon: Little Falls Street will open up to all traffic in both directions.

Primary parking for the Falls Church Festival will be on select side streets and the Kaiser Permanente garage. The public is urged not to park in private lots.

Accessible parking for the Farmers Market (8 a.m. to noon) and Falls Church Festival (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) will be located on Great Falls Street.

On Sunday a number of road closures

and parking restrictions will be in place for the Run for the Schools race. From 7:45 a.m. to 10 a.m., the streets noted below will be closed and parking will not be permitted: Walnut St., Lincoln Ave. from Walnut St. to N. Spring St. and from Great Falls St. to Meridian St., N. Spring St. from Lincoln Ave. to Fulton Ave., Fulton Ave. from N. Spring St. to Pennsylvania Ave., Pennsylvania Ave. from Fulton Ave. to Park Ave., Park Ave. from Pennsylvania Ave. to N. Maple Ave., N. Maple Ave. from Park Ave. to W. Jefferson St., W. Jefferson St. from N.

Maple Ave. to Little Falls St., Little Falls St. from W. Jefferson St. to Great Falls St., Great Falls St. from Little Falls St. to Lincoln Ave. and from Dorchester St. to N. West St., Meridian St. from Lincoln Ave. to the City boundary, Dorchester Rd. from Meridian St. to Great Falls St., N. West St. from Great Falls St. to Highland Ave., Highland Ave. from N. West St. to Walnut St. All those streets and designated blocks will be closed for the duration of the race. Roads will reopen at approximately 10 a.m.

FALL

H

S

CHURC

What’s Coming In the News-Press REACH MORE THAN 9,000 READERS

SEPTEMBER 18TH

SEPTEMBER 25TH

FALL HEALTH GUIDE

FOR ADVERTSING • CONTACT SUE: SJOHNSON@FCNP.COM

Celebrate Fall With Catering!

Pre-order by Sept 25 and get a FREE 1 lb. side — coleslaw or potato salad — with catering orders $200+.

Code: FALL25 | Order Today!

243 West Falls Station Blvd.

Falls Church, VA

masonsfamouslobsterrolls.com

A hot bowl of pho at Eden Center.

Voted best shopping center in the DMV!

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

The Football Ritual of Watching Lives Ruined Nicholas F. Benton FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

Washington

Post columnist Megan McArdle deserves high praise for her courageous column in her paper’s Sept.

2 edition entitled, “The Uncomfortable Truth About Watching Football.” Standing up to the massive tidal wave of social mania over the opening of another football season, she dared to call into serious question the entire enterprise because of its devastating physical effect on players, most importantly in terms of inducing dementia through brain damage known as “chronic traumatic encephalopathy,” or CTE. What a downer, the people cry.

Boo! The entire nation is fixated on the start of the professional National Football League (NFL) with sales of favorite team jerseys, face paint, chips, dips, beer and pizza through the roof with billion dollar TV ad campaigns, and TV news swamped by hyped-up newsmen and weathermen (not just sports reporters) touting “our” obvious keen interest in the minutiae of “our” local team’s doings. But what they are crazed about is a national ritual that is destroying lives in the cruelest of ways, as science proves..

How many mammoth stadiums, sole lasting monuments to our current culture, are filled to the brim with fanatics (“fans” for short) every Saturday for college games and Sundays for pro games, screaming and chanting for their favorites as players on the field, now at record levels of weight and speed, plow into each other down after down, as they do every day of the week during practices, too. Millions are spending their entire weekends engaged in these rituals, between travel times to and from stadiums and pre-game tailgating, long post-game rides out of crammed parking lots and to home, only then to watch on TV what they saw, over and over, as talking heads gab incessantly with endless so-called “analysis.”

All this happens as our cities are being illegally occupied by a domestic military and stories mount of grievous and cruel arrests and deportations, news of our president cavorting with pedophiles, presidential appointees in mass firings or the equivalent

of our nation’s top foreign intelligence officers or ending vital public health protections against us all, and tariff policies that amount to a massive new tax on every one of us. Meanwhile, The Post is making key editorial decisions to relegate local news coverage of this at the back of its paper, behind the sports section, while penning editorials praising the occupation of D.C. and (in the same edition as McArdle’s column, no less) singing the praises of the new football season. Meanwhile, Republicans are running campaigns this fall based on one issue, transgenders in restrooms and, of course, sports.

Though coming 12 years after this writer began speaking out about CTE and football, McArdle’s column constitutes a so, so sorely needed bucket of cold water on the nation’s football-intoxicated faces, but with no guarantees it will sober anyone up. A subhead in her column highlights that “While six percent of men around age 62 report serious difficulty concentrating,.remembering or making decisions, 47 percent of the former NFL players do.”

The big-money NFL is getting away with this due to heavy influence on the media, such as The Post, but also because currently CTE can only be diagnosed in persons after they are dead, although symptoms abound earlier.

The center of the study of CTE is at Boston University, and scientists there think that it will be only a few more years before ways are found to diagnose CTE in living persons.Then, there will be enormous pressure to subject active players to be tested for it, and the results could be truly shocking.

There is no other sport, except for boxing or its more extreme versions now proliferating, where the fundamental purpose of the game is for participants to slam into each other. While there are unintentional collisions in any competitive sport, they are relatively rare.

The result of living tests will not prove different than what we already know from post-mortem examinations, including that there is a high prevalence of it even among high school players.

It is lower than for pro or college football, but appears on average in three of 20 high school players, doomed to futures of pain, confusion and early death due to playing football.

CO MME NT A Penny for Your Thoughts

SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2025 | PAGE 5

By Penny Gross Former Fairfax County Supervisor

The Department of War? Really?

The man who covets the Nobel Peace Prize, who calls himself the “peace” president, who says he “wants to stop all wars,” unilaterally changed the decades-old name of the Department of Defense (DOD) to celebrate victory in war, rather than peace. This move should put an end to the noise about a Nobel prize for Donald Trump.

When President Harry Truman unified the various armed services departments into the Department of Defense, he viewed it as an action to deter wars in the future, not an action to wage more war. Mr. Trump, who never served in the military (neither did 14 of 16 Trump cabinet members), said that the nation needs to do more to celebrate its war victories, and renaming DOD will do that. This from a president who has purged the military of leaders who are persons of color, women, or both.

A president who vilifies decorated LBGTQ+ service members and hinders their retirement benefits, who has made draconian cuts to critical medical and rehabilitation services needed by combat veterans. And a president who orders destruction of a speedboat in international waters of the Caribbean because he said it was

involved in drug smuggling. Drug smuggling is a crime, but interdiction and prosecution constitute the legal approach, not targeted destruction of the boat, its cargo, and killing all 11 people on board.

Donald Trump always has been the aggressor, in boarding school (his only taste of military discipline), in his real estate and other business deals, with his two older sons, in his politics and his campaign rhetoric.

Renaming DOD as the Department of War gives him another opportunity to exercise his native aggression, this time against international allies and enemies, and possibly versus America’s own citizens and visitors.

This is antithetical to our national values. Since the end of World War II, America has been a rational, trusted, and generous partner on the international stage. Not every foray has been successful, but other nations knew what they could expect from the leaders of the United States.

Not anymore. Trump has neutered the Republican-led Congress which, constitutionally, must approve declarations of war and departmental name changes, but shows little inclination to buck Trump’s aggressions, domestic or overseas. Trump and Secretary Pete Hegseth aren’t play-

City of Falls Church C r i m e R e p o rt Week of Sep 1 - 7, 2025 Driving on Suspended License, Pennsylvania Ave, Sep 5, 11:04 p.m., a white male, 35, of Fairfax County,

was arrested for Driving on Suspended License.

Tampering with Auto, Buxton Rd, between 7:00 p.m. on Sep 5 and 9:00 a.m. on Sep 6, two secured vehicles were tampered with and rummaged through.

ing with toy soldiers in a diorama, or a video game where everything on the screen blows up with lots of flash but no reality. The warrior ethos and “lethality” must be balanced with measures of humanity and empathy, values that don’t appear to be high on either man’s list.

It was 24 years ago this week that al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden orchestrated the attacks on America that used commercial jetliners as weapons and killed nearly 3000 people, mostly American citizens. It shocked the world and changed forever the way Americans viewed the world and each other.

No longer was America safe from enemy attacks within its own borders, and “see something, say something” became the watchword, sometimes pitting neighbor against neighbor about things as simple as diverse cultural observances.

During the difficult weeks, months, and years that followed, no one suggested that the DOD should revert to the Department of War. DOD leadership and the intelligence community coordinated activities (I still remember hearing the Air Force flying the late night “cap” over the National Capital Area for weeks later) that were designed to defend against future attacks, not to wage war.

During the Vietnam War, an iconic protest poster declared “War is not healthy for children and other living things.” You might change a name but the poster was correct.

War is not healthy…for anyone.

Larceny from Building/Fraud - Credit Card, E Broad St, May 14, 12:48 p.m., victim reported that an unknown suspect stole their wallet from a secured locker and made several fraudulent charges with their credit cards. The unknown suspect is described as a black male approximately 5’10”- 6’0” in height, approximately 190 pounds, wearing a black sweatshirt with white lettering on the front, gray sweatpants, white shoes, and black sunglasses.

(This is from the City of Falls Church.)

Coming Health & Wellness Guide September 18th

Senior Section September 25th

For Advertising

PAGE 6 | SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2025

Editorial

Since 1991, an award-winning LGBT-owned general Interest community newspaper.

Vol. XXXV, No. 31 SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2025 • City of Falls Church ‘Business of the Year’ 1991 & 2001 • • Member, Virginia Press Association •

Nicholas F. Benton Owner & Editor-In-Chief nfbenton@fcnp.com

Nick Gatz Managing Editor ngatz@fcnp.com

Sue Johnson Advertising Sales sjohnson@fcnp.com

Ted White Copy Editor Circulation

delivery@fcnp.com

To Contact the News-Press

phone: 703-532-3267 email: fcnp@fcnp.com display advertising sjohnson@fcnp.com 703-587-1282

classified & Legal ads classads@fcnp.com letters to the editor letters@fcnp.com News & Notes newsandnotes@fcnp.com Obituaries obits@fcnp.com subscriptions distribution & delivery delivery@fcnp.com www.fcnp.com The News-Press is certified by the Commonwealth of Virginia to publish official legal notices including probate, abc notices, small and foreign estates. We will provide the appropriate paperwork. A comprehensive book on the 36 year history of the News-Press, “The Life and Times of the Falls Church News-Press”: by Charlie Clark (History Press, 2023), can be purchased at local bookstores or online. The Falls Church News-Press is published weekly on Thursdays and is distributed free of charge throughout the City of Falls Church and the Greater Falls Church area to over 140 locations. Offices are at 105 N. Virginia Ave., #310, Falls Church, VA 22046. Reproduction of this publication in whole or part is prohibited except with the written permission of the publisher. ©2025 Benton Communications Inc. The News-Press is printed on recycled paper. A searchable archive of all issues of the Falls Church News-Press since 1991 can be found at bit.ly/44kt6Sc.

E D I TO R I A L

Slaughter Rule Election

Notwithstanding the failure by The Washington Post to have a single word about the election even in the relegated-to-behind-sportsand-style Metro section of its Wednesday edition (the outcome, a huge blowout, was called far earlier than the Post’s usual deadlines), the outcome of Tuesday’s special election victory in Northern Virginia’s 11th Congressional District by James Walkinshaw comes as an enormous, earth-shaking repudiation of everything the Trump administration, the MAGA movement and the current GOP stands for.

The 50-point margin of victory for the former close top aid to the late Rep. Gerry Connolly set records for slaughter-rule-level electoral slaughters. And this was done against one of the more formidable Republican candidates for that seat since a Republican had held it for 11 straight terms before Connolly came on the scene. No doubt the district, covering a large part of eastern Fairfax County immediately adjacent to Falls Church, has become demographically more liberal in the last 20 years, but a 75-to-25 percent slamming, including sweeping every single one of the district’s 181 precincts, is unheard of, but, yes, in Trump years, true.

Everybody who lives in Northern Virginia knows exactly why, even though some attribute it to a foregone conclusion. No, it was not, especially not by the margin that was involved. The GOP’s Stewart Whitson was a solid opponent. It didn’t matter.

Walkinshaw has been sworn in already, as of yesterday, the day after the election outcome was announced, and so he will be part of votes to mandate the release of all the Epstein files, and then on the federal budget deliberations that will need to be resolved before the end of the month to avoid a government shutdown.

In Tuesday’s election, Walkinshaw won every single precinct in the 11th District handily, topping 80 percent of the vote in 36 of them while Whitson topped 40 percent in only three. In the Bedford precinct near Falls Church, Walkinshaw got 40 of 41 votes for a 97.1 percent to 2 percent margin. The overall Walkinshaw margin was 16 percentage points higher than Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris got last November.

With massive boos echoing everywhere he goes, whether a D.C. restaurant or the U.S. Open tennis final in New York, as his abuses pile up everywhere, even sudden shocking events are not going to stop the building momentum, there is the fact that everyone is discovering that this would-be emperor has no clothes (ugh, please, put something on!). He is an effective agent of a hostile foreign power who is actively tearing our nation apart from within. His main incentive to remain in office is to remain out of jail.

Now, the coming statewide elections in Virginia that culminate this November are the next best way that we in this commonwealth can add in a major way to this growing force of momentum. Our opportunity to restore sanity to this nation is before us right now.

Platform 1. Keep the news clean and fair.

2. Play no favorites, never mix business and editorial policy.

3. Do not let the news columns reflect editorial content.

4. Publish the news that is public property without fear or favor of friend or foe.

5. Accept no charity and ask no favors.

6. Give ‘value received’ for every dollar you take in.

7. Make the paper show a profit if you can, but above all keep it clean, fearless and fair.

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

CORRECTION Due to a licensing issue, Vienna Theatre Company has changed its fall opener to “Under A Cowboy

Moon” by Carl L. Williams rather than “Becky Nurse of Salem.” The play runs Oct. 17 – Nov. 2, 2025.

Can’t Find a Copy?

The FCNP is available at 140 locations in Falls Church & Environs For a full list of sites & locations, check fcnp.com/locations --------Got a ? About F.C. History?

Every issue of the FCNP since its inception in 1991 can be searched online at bit.ly/44kt6Sc. -------------Need to Post a Legal Notice?

The FCNP is certified to publish it at a reasonable rate.

Contact us at Classads@fcnp.com

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2025 | PAGE 7

Are You Ready to Vote? VOTE411 Can Help You Prepare

By Barbara Lipsky Communications Co-Chair Falls Church League of Women Voters

Early voting in this fall’s general election begins on September 19.

Are you ready? Have you registered to vote or checked that your voter registration is up to date? Do you know who and what is on the ballot?

Do you plan to vote on Election Day (November 4), or do you want to take advantage of early voting days or request a by-mail ballot?

The League of Women Voters of Falls Church (LWVFC) can help you accomplish these tasks. One of the main tools we offer the public is our nonpartisan voter information website, VOTE411.org. This is one stop shopping for everything you need to know about the upcoming election. When you go to Vote411, you can click on different choices to “Register to Vote” or “Check Your Registration” or “Find What’s on Your Ballot.” It also includes a polling place locator so that you can be sure where to vote.

One of the most useful and popular features of Vote411 allows you to see exactly what will be on your

ballot. When you enter your street address, Vote411 will show the races that you will be voting on whether at the national, state or local level.

It then allows you to click on each candidate for office and see the candidate’s answers to questions posed by the League. The League prints the candidates’ answers verbatim without any editing. You can compare the answers from each candidate as you are deciding how to vote. The League’s website is strictly nonpartisan; it makes no recommendations about which candidate or party to select.

Falls Church City voters will find Vote411 particularly helpful as it has information on all the local candidates running for city offices. This year, Falls Church City voters will be electing four members of the City Council, four School Board members and three “constitutional officers:” Sheriff, Treasurer and Commissioner of Revenue. These candidates were sent questions on local issues prepared by LWVFC. The candidates’ answers to these questions are included in the online Voters Guide, along with biographical information and a photo of the candidate. Voters in this year’s election will also be

selecting state-wide officers, including Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and a member of the Virginia House of Delegates.

Vote411 also has information on these state-wide candidates and their responses to questions posed by the state and regional levels of the League of Women Voters.

Candidate Forum on September 25: To further inform voters about those running for the four seats on the City Council, the local League will co-host with the Village Preservation and Improvement Society (VPIS) a Candidate Forum on Thursday evening, September 25, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the American Legion Post, 400 N. Oak Street. LWVFC and VPIS moderators will be asking several questions of the candidates but we will also be reserving time for questions from the audience. We hope you will attend and bring your questions for the candidates!

Printed Voter’s Guide: In addition, in the coming weeks, LWVFC will publish a printed Voters’ Guide in the Falls Church News-Press and will make this guide available at the Mary Riley Styles Public Library and at the polls on Election Day. The League is grateful to the Falls

Church News-Press; they have generously included our Voters’ Guide in an issue of the paper near election day for many years.

At the State and National levels, the League of Women Voters Protects Voting Rights: All Falls Church members are also members of the Virginia and US Leagues of Women Voters and thus contribute to their efforts to protect voting rights of all citizens. Last year, the League of Women Voters of Virginia joined the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights and African Communities Together to file suit against a state program that purged supposed noncitizens from the voting rolls based on DMV records that were not necessarily reliable or up-to-date as to the voter’s current citizenship status.

The lawsuit contends that the state’s practice is actually removing eligible voters, and particularly naturalized citizens, in violation of the 1993 National Voter Registration Act. In a win for voting rights and the rule of law, Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on August 12, 2025 largely denied the state’s bid to dismiss the lawsuit, allowing the case to proceed to dis-

covery and trial.

At the national level, the League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS) is working to defeat the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act), proposed federal legislation that would require voters to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. The League argues that the bill creates significant barriers to voting, especially for married women who may not have a birth certificate with their current legal name, as well as for rural voters, seniors, and others who lack may lack easy access to documents such as passports. Passed by the US House of Representatives, the legislation is now before the Senate.

Join Us: If you are interested in participating in readying citizens to vote this fall and supporting the League’s state and national initiatives, we hope you’ll join us.

LWVUS has introduced a new nationwide membership portal, which is used by all members to join the League, update their contact information, and renew their memberships. Please visit portal.lwv.org for more information on joining the League.

commanding, demonstrated by dominance in many of the dialogues with his younger brother.

Not long after the boys move in, we are introduced to their beautiful and light hearted Aunt Bella (Sarah Cusenza) who lives with Grandmother.

Bella is an animated ray of sunshine, but a mentally challenged grownup with a childlike optimism and outlook who stands in sharp contrast to what we visualize as the dark and grey archetypal grandma (Sally Cusenza, Sarah’s mother in real life!).

Bella has a big secret to share if the boys promise to keep it to themselves. They promise. And away she goes to steal the show.

But where is grandma?

We wait and we wait for her appearance, anxiety building until... at last!

Later comes a man in black, the boys’ Uncle Louie (Brian Jimenez and Robert J. Ryley on different nights) a mobster who’s got problems of his own; who doesn’t?

And here arrives still later, for a

few minutes, at least, the hilarious Aunt Gert (Teresa Preston) whose speech impediment we really should not laugh at (Grandmother has caused it all), but my! How funny Gert is!

But will their dad ever return?

Joel Durgavich is Eddie, the boys’ nervous and weak father, his own problems springing from his mother (the root of most of her children’s problems).

Grandmother, a strict German, has problems of her own, deep problems.

Not all is gloom and doom though since many lines throughout the show jolt the audience into howls of laughter. (Really.)

Ari McSherry’s lighting is always on cue, illuminating a phone booth or another rectangle when Eddie appears on an otherwise darkened stage in the corner to communicate sporadically to his sons from his transitory spots in the South to give updates on his whereabouts and status.

The show by Neil Simon (19272018) is loosely based on Simon’s unhappy childhood in New York

City where he grew up with his brother and constantly fighting parents. His father would sometimes leave the family for months at a time and the boys had to go live with relatives.

To escape the stress, Simon went to movies, lots of movies, and decided he wanted to make people laugh when he grew up.

And do he did and does.

Chantale Plante is the director of this outstanding play which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and four Tony Awards for Best Play in 1991.

Farrell Hartigan’s costumes, especially all the dresses, tastefully capture designs from the World War

II era, the actors changing astonishingly fast behind the scenes.

Meredith Fletcher’s makeup and hair fashions add credibility to the time. Tom O’Reilly has created a comfortable, complex grandmother’s domicile.

Other key production team members are Eleanor Tapscott, producer; Korey Freeman and Diana Selman, assistant producers; Morgan Thomas, assistant director; Lisa Nuccio and Zach Perkins, stage managers; ; David Correia, sound; Brooke Angel Markley, properties.

Now through September 27, Thursday – Saturday at 8 p.m. with half hour talkbacks after 2 p.m.

Lost in Yonkers at LTA Stuns With Brilliant Cast Performances

By Patricia Leslie

If theatergoers missed what I saw last weekend at the Little Theatre of Alexandria, I am certain few seats will remain after word hits the street about “Lost in Yonkers.”

It’s that good of a show; it’s great!

It’s fab!

It’s 1942 and two young teen boys have been left in the care of their mean and spiteful grandmother whose dad has left them temporarily while he goes off on a new traveling job to earn money to pay off their deceased mom’s medical bills.

That neither Arty (Benjamin Gorini) nor Jay (Jacob Perlman) shows much emotion or distress over the loss of their mother is a surprising omission from the script, but the distraction and reality of living with their angry grandmother weighs uppermost in their minds.

The two boys often trade fast verbal jabs and never miss a cue although Arty’s words are sometime garbled in his fast delivery.

As the older and more mature of the boys, Jay is naturally more

BENJAMIN GORINI IS Arty, Sarah Cusenza is Bella and Jacob Perlman is Jay in Little Theatre of Alexandria’s “Lost in Yonkers. (Photo: MATT LIPTAK)

PAGE 8 | SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2025

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2025 | PAGE 9

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

TASTE OF FALLS CHURCH MENU OFFERINGS

PAGE 10 | SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2025

LO CA L

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

News & Notes

F.C. Schools’ Enrollment Flat So Far, Dade Reports At this Tuesday’s meeting of the Falls Church City Public Schools’ School Board, Superintendent Dr. Terry Dade reported that as of Monday, Sept. 8, student enrollment in the K-12 system is “essentially flat compared to the last school year,” an unexpected result.

Current enrollment is 2,716 students, Dade said. Last year the count was 2,714, as reported to the state on Sept. 30, 2024. Demography consultants for the schools predicted that a net of more than 150 new students would enter the City’s schools this year.

Dr. Dade said his staff would “take a closer look” at enrollment trends and report back to the School Board at its next meeting Oct. 7.

“We’ll dive deeper into this,” Dade said. “Are there any ‘ah-hahs’ we’re seeing, like ‘Oh, this [multi-family] complex did not yield as many students as we thought [it would].’”

Dade held out the prospect that late-registering students could surge enrollment by the time FCCPS gives its official headcount to the state on Sept. 30.

But that deadline is just three weeks away, prompting School Board Chair Tate Gould to express some doubt that very many late-entering students will arrive in such a short time.

Several Board members expressed keen interest in learning more about the enrollment conundrum at the Board’s Oct. 7 meeting.

City Council is expected to give the School Board and Superintendent guidance on spending for FY26-27 in early December. The number of students in the City system is cornerstone information in planning for the schools’ budget and staffing.

–Phil Duncan

Classy New Steakhouse Holds Grand Opening in F.C. After a couple weeks of a “soft opening,” the classy new steakhouse, GrillMax Steakhouse and Raw Bar held a fancy grand opening event Monday hosted by the F.C. Chamber of Commerce that drew Mayor Letty Hardi and members of the Falls Church City Council, City Hall staff, and Economic Development Authority. In terms of class and quality, the restaurant immediately rises to among the top few prime dining establishments in the Little City.

Co-owner Andy Leach told the News-Press that the name of the restaurant, one of four now in the D.C. area (the other three in Maryland), was cooked up to get across a signature idea of steaks sporting an “x” on their grill markings. He and co-owner Jackie Baker, along with manager Amy Leach, were on hand Monday for the lavish spread of generous food samplings ranging from tasty appetizers to steak and rib portions to raw oysters and desserts.

With upstairs, private rooms and outdoor options, and bars on both levels, the restaurant at 455 S. Maple is the company’s third run in tandem with the development partners of the 455 at Tinner Hill residential units above the restaurant that include John Gudelsky, Jeremy Duffy and Joe Herton. Leach said he found working with the City getting the restaurant set up has been a “very cooperative experience.”

VIRGINIA U.S. SENATOR Mark Warner gave James Walkinshaw a ringing endorsement in a Fairfax County press conference last Friday. Walkinshaw, a Democrat, wound up winning with a resounding 75 percent of the vote. See Editorial elsewhere this issue. (Photo: FCNP)

CO-OWNER OF THE new GrillMarx Steakhouse and Raw Bar in F.C., Andy Leach (left) consorted with Falls Church Economic Development Authority president Ross Litkenhaus (center) and F.C. Mayor Letty Hardi at their grand opening Monday (see story, elsewhere this issue). (Photo: FCNP)

WELCOMING A NEW member of the Falls Church Office of Communications team Monday at the Dogwood restaurant were (left to right) Maggie Redden, Deputy Director, Mary Catherine Chase, Director, Rachel Neil, Videographer and Michael Timpane, FCCTV Station Manager. (Photo: FCNP)

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

LO CA L

SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2025 | PAGE 11

Equality Virginia Endorses 2 Dem Statewide Candidates

In White House on 9/11, Speaker Set Next Tuesday

The Equality Virginia Advocates Board has voted to endorse State Senator Ghazala Hashmi for Lieutenant Governor and Jay Jones for Attorney General, it announced this week.

“Over the past two years, Virginia’s pro-equality legislature has served as a critical safeguard, stopping attempts to undermine LGBTQ+ rights and defeating anti-LGBTQ+ bills advanced by the governor. Virginia continues to stand out as the only Southern state with nondiscrimination protections written into law—a result of persistent advocacy,” the statement says. “At a moment when the federal government escalates attacks on LGBTQ+ people, these pro-equality leaders are committed to ensuring that Virginia remains a safe and welcoming place to live, work, and thrive.

Equality Virginia Advocates Executive Director Narissa Rahaman released the following statement: “As the LGBTQ+ community faces unprecedented attacks across the country from Donald Trump, we are clear-eyed about what is at stake for Virginia. In every election, the stakes for LGBTQ+ people become more personal. By endorsing Ghazala Hashmi for Lieutenant Governor and Jay Jones for Attorney General, we are sending a resounding message that we are choosing progress over the real threat of regression.”

A 9/11/01 Anniversary Book Event at The Whittemore House in D.C.’s DuPont Circle, sponsored by the Woman’s National Democratic Club, will feature a conversation with a man who was actually in the White House bunker alongside Vice President Dick Cheney and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, as the attacks were occurring on that dreadful morning, Marine Corps Lt. Col. Robert Darling Jr. Col. Darling (now retired from a long, distinguished military career) will bring that horrid day alive again, step by painful step, from his first-hand vantage point with Cheney and Rice in the cockpit of history. In his book and in vivid detail, Bob Darling retells the story in his own words, in conversation with career journalist David Hoffman.

Darling’s book is entitled, “24 Hours Inside the President’s Bunker, 9/11/01, The White House.

A Personal Account of the Unprecedented Actions Taken to Defend America.”

“It’s the duty of Americans never to forget about that tragic morning -- when people leapt to their deaths and buildings fell, and the Pentagon was struck, and heroic passengers aboard an airliner brought it down in Shanksville Pa. in an aircraft likely headed straight to a fiery collision with the US Capitol building while Congress was in session,” Hoffman said this week.

CANDIDATES’ ROW, an almost full roster of candidates seeking election this November to the Falls Church City Council and School Board were on hand for a open “Getting to Know You” reception hosted by the Citizens for a Better City Friday at the Falls Church Arts’ gallery on W. Broad. Left to right: Brian Pendleton (Council), James Thompson (Council), Anne Sherwood (School Board-incumbent), MK Hughes (School Board) , Laura Downs (Council-inc.), David Snyder (Councilinc.), CBC Host Hal Lippman, Marybeth Connelly (Council-inc.), Arthur Agin (Council), Sharon Mergler (School Board), Kathleen Tysse (School Board-inc.). School Board incumbent candidate Lori Silverman was the only candidate not present. (Photo: FCNP)

THIS PAST SATURDAY the Falls Church VFW Post in Conjunction with American Legion Post 130 of Falls Church hosted an Honor Flight Visiting the Nation’s Capital.

The Posts welcomed the veterans who enjoyed a Buffet Dinner provided by Lost Dog Cafe and received a mail call with letters of support and thanks for their service. Our Local Veterans organizations host numerous events in support of veterans regularly in addition to open houses for the public.These events are made possible through donations, sponsorships, and hall rentals from the local Falls Church Community. For more information on how to join, support, or for hall rentals with our local Veterans Organizations contact: Vfw Post 9274 - (703)241-9274 • www.vfwpost9274.org.

American Legion Post 130 - (703) 533-1945 (Photo: Dave Crance)

THE ARTISTS who were commissioned to create portraits for hanging in the Council chambers of the Falls Church City Hall were present at their unveiling Monday night: Left with microphone, Asia Anderson who painted Frederick Foote, Jr., and right, Deborah Conn, who painted Carol DeLong. See story and photo, Page 1 of this edition(Photo: FCNP)

PAGE 12 | SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2025 AUCTIONS ATTN. AUCTIONEERS: Promote your upcoming auctions statewide! Affordable Print and Digital Solutions reaching your target audience. Call this paper or Landon Clark at Virginia Press Services 804-521-7576, landonc@vpa.net

HOME IMPROVEMENT Vinyl Replacement Windows Installed!

Starting at $350 Call 804-739-8207 for More Details! Ronnie Jenkins II Windows, Siding, Roofing and Gutters!

FREE Estimates! Call 804-739-8207 for More Details! American Made Products!

SunSetter. America’s Number One Awning! Instant shade at the touch of a button. Transform your deck or patio into an outdoor oasis. Up to 10-year limited warranty. Call now and SAVE $350 today!

1-844-746-2332 No more cleaning out gutters. Guaranteed! LeafFilter is the most advanced gutter protection for your home, backed by a no-clog guarantee and lifetime transferrable warranty. Call today 1-877-6146667 to schedule a FREE inspection and no obligation estimate. Plus get 20% off!

Seniors and military save an additional 10%. Restrictions apply, see representative for warranty and offer details

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

C L AS S I F I E DS

Prepare for power outages today with a Generac Home Standby Generator. Act now to receive a FREE 7-Year warranty with qualifying purchase. Call 1-844-9471479 today to schedule a free quote. It’s not just a generator. It’s a power move.

Safe Step. North America’s #1 Walk-In Tub. Comprehensive lifetime warranty.

Top-of-the-line installation and service.

Now featuring our FREE shower package and $1600 Off for a limited time! Call today! Financing available. Call Safe Step 1-877-591-9950 Replace your roof with the best looking and longest lasting material steel from Erie Metal Roofs! Three styles and multiple colors available. Guaranteed to last a lifetime! Limited Time Offer – up to 50% off installation + Additional 10% off install (for military, health workers & 1st responders.) Call Erie Metal Roofs: 1-844-902-4611 The bathroom of your dreams in as little as 1 day. Limited Time Offer - $1000 off or No Payments and No Interest for 18 months for customers who qualify. BCI Bath & Shower. Many options available. Quality materials & professional installation. Senior & Military Discounts Available. Call Today! 1-844-945-1631

fcnp.com

SERVICES

Cleaning Services

DIVORCE-Uncontested, $475+$86 court cost. WILLS-$295.00. No court appearance. Estimated completion time twenty-one days. Hilton Oliver, Attorney (Facebook). 757-490-0126. Se Habla Espanol. BBB Member. https://hiltonoliverattorneyva.com.

House Cleaning Service

Portable Oxygen Concentrator May Be Covered by Medicare! Reclaim independence and mobility with the compact design and long-lasting battery of Inogen One. Free information kit! Call 888-608-4974 We Buy Houses for Cash AS IS! No repairs. No fuss. Any condition. Easy three step process: Call, get cash offer and get paid. Get your fair cash offer today by calling Liz Buys Houses: 1-844-216-5028 Switch and save up to $250/year on your talk, text and data. No contract and no hidden fees. Unlimited talk and text with flexible data plans. Premium nationwide coverage. 100% U.S. based customer service. For more information, call 1-855262-5564

classads@fcnp.com

PUZZLE NO. 306

Other Services

Avaliable 7 days a week Weekly - Bi Weekly - Monthly or One time Jobs Move out - Move in 28 years Experience • Good references • Free Estimates

For Information Call Susy

703-901-0596

Handyman

Landscaping

Doug's Handyman Service

LAWN & LANDSCAPE SERVICE

Interior/Exterior Repairs FREE Estimates Licensed, Bonded & Insured Call: 703-556-4276 www.fallschurchhandyman.com

Complete Lawn and Landscaping Service Spring Cleanup, Flowers and Mulching Lawncare Service • Tree Sevice • Leaf Removal

Call Gabriel - 703-546-6383 References • Free Estimates

Painting Pedro & Son Painting Interior - Exterior Fence | Deck | Power Washing Call Pedro 703-861-5584 Reference This Ad for a Free Estimate

ads@fcnp.com

Gutterworks

Gagnon’s Gutterworks CLEANING/INSTALLATION/REPAIR LICENSED & INSURED POWER WASHING

WWW.GAGNONSGUTTERWORKS.COM • New Gutter Installation, Gutter Cleaning and more • Lawn Care Services - Mowing, Weed Control, Seeding • Power Washing - Whole House Roof Cleaning, Concrete, Siding and Decks • Free Estimaes - Licensed and Insured, ALL Work Guaraneed • Senior Citizen Discount • $5.00 Off for First Time Customers (Mention This Ad)

703-716-0377 OR 571-421-3663

SERVING NORTHERN VIRGINIA TGGUTTERS@YAHOO.COM

40. Minor role 42. Cincinnati nine 44. Barbecue attachment 45. Fish story

46. Large number 47. Pester 48. Be in arrears 49. Put money on 50. Addition shape

ing 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 Copyright551-3247. © 2025, Penny Press Office at (804) 367-8530. Toll free call (888) For the hearing impaired call (804) 367-9753.

4. Clan 38. “When Harry ACROSS

Copyright © 2025, Penny Press

ACROSS

1. Spiders’ works 5. Component 9. Inquire 12. On the pinnacle 13. PBS science show 14. Game cube 15. “The Lion King” villain 16. Light 18. Group of words 20. Barely passing grade 21. More inferior 23. Madden 27. Dashing 30. Recluse 31. Anger 32. Australian animal 34. Paving liquid 35. Skating areas 37. Piano classes

39. Not on schedule 40. Grasp 41. Age of note 43. Perches 47. Lords 51. October’s stone 52. Great respect 53. Take out, as text 54. Cleo’s river 55. Retrieve 56. Convinced 57. Hearty meat dish

DOWN 1.

2.

3.

4.

Hornet Clearly outline Wild pig Spread out awkwardly 5. Raging fire 6. Finger’s opposite

7. Steer clear of 8. Better half 9. Summer cooler 10. Term of address 11. Crucial 17. Sub 19. Douses 22. Fair booth 24. Involved with 25. Lacking fat 26. Does wrong 27. Lass 28. Opera solo 29. Period preceding Easter 30. Cowboy’s need 33. Educated 36. Ship bottom 38. Stirring utensils

36. Eerie 37. “____ on Melancholy” We are pledged to the letter and spirit of Virginia’s poli40. Open a jacket cy for achieving equal housing opportunity throughout the maybe Commonwealth. We encourage and support advertising and 41. Laughing ___ 42. Divisions of tim marketing programs in which there are no barriers to obtain-

ANSWER TO PUZZLE NO. 306

1. Dock 6. Portray 9. Word of inquiry 12. Knowing 13. Baseball’s Gehrig 14. Chopping tool 15. Fasten again 16. Designated 18. Punches 20. Great deal 21. Similar 24. Bring 26. Electrified particle 27. Fore’s opposite 28. Sound systems: hyph.

32. Pilfer 34. Severe 35. Some chess pieces 36. Patrolman

____ Sally . . .”

39. Squash 41. Adjusts in length 42. On the cutting ____ 45. Poor 47. Grasp clearly 49. Resolve a debt 53. Heidi’s mountain 54. End 55. Weld 56. Brother’s sib 57. Observe secretly 58. Shipboard buddies

5. Back of the foot 6. In error: 2 wds.

7. Glide 8. Bath basin 9. Crown of light 10. Yoke of ____ 11. Ties the knot 17. Moral precept 19. Not at work 21. Mispronounce 22. Pinch 23. Recognized 25. Gent 27. Additionally 29. Seethe 30. Newsy bit 31. Collections 33. Guardian ____

Classified Ad Rates

ANSWER TO PUZZLE N

$20 dollars for up to 20 words and $0.50 for every word after.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ANSWERS USE AMERICAN SPELLING

Contact Us: DOWN 1. Obstacle classads@fcnp.com 2. Pasture mom 3. Informer 703-532-3267

CROSSWORD PUZZ USE AMERICAN SPE

PUZZLE NO. 308 39. “____ Attraction” 40. Run away to marry 42. Primitive dwelling

43. Cafe sign 44. Rex or Lou 46. Rant and ____ 49. Join in marriage 51. Curvy turn 52. Very small

40. Atmosphere layer 41. Land division 42. Animal’s nail 43. Detest

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Area Art Exhibitions

By Patricia Leslie

Hollywood, guerrillas, recycled tires, cities and Mexico’s Frida Kahlo are some of the topics on display in Washington this fall in exceptional museum exhibitions.

Free entry is found at several of these venues, and for those charging admission, free times and discounts for seniors, students, military and children are usually available.

Curators everywhere know that, like the music of Rachmaninoff, the public can’t get enough of Frida as in Kahlo as in Richmond at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

I can’t ever recall hearing so much talk about an exhibition at VMFA like that about “Frida: Beyond the Myth.”

At least three Washington institutions have sponsored trips down the dreaded I-95 (it’s worth it) to see the show, the only East Coast venue and one of only two places in the U.S. hosting “Frida,” but hurry since Sept.

28 is her last day in Richmond.

It’s doubtful that all 60 plus of her works at the exhibition are familiar to most visitors since the show covers her lifetime (1907-1954) with images, paintings, sculpture, photographs and still lifes, some rarely seen outside Mexico.

Frida developed polio when she was 6 and at age 18 suffered traumatic injury in a bus accident in Mexico City where she was a student.

The accident almost killed her and left lifelong effects on her physical, mental and emotional health, her artistry revealing the pain and anguish she endured until she died.

Interpretive text and audio tours in both English and Spanish support the program with rarely seen film footage including several minutes with her on-again, off-again amante Diego Rivera, whose art is now judged by some to be inferior to Frida’s.

The Dallas Museum of Art, the organizer of the exhibition, has published a magnificent softbound color catalogue filled with full pages of photographs and her works, most in color, and available ($35) in the museum shop with 114 other Frida items in all price points, including furniture, apparel, jewelry, puzzles, stationery, dolls, embroidery, and self-portrait socks.

General admission to VMFA is free but “Frida” is $20 for adults (excepting members) with several

discounts. Open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 200 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd., Richmond, 23220.

While there, don’t miss the Romanov pieces.

In Washington two Black artists, Vivian Browne (1929-1993) and Chakaia Booker (b. 1953) have their own solo shows at the Phillips Collection and the National Gallery of Art, respectively.

Their art is different but their backgrounds have similarities.

Booker has spent most of her adult life in New York like Browne who actively participated in the 1960s’ and 1970s’ protests against the absence of Black art in museums.

Browne studied in Africa where Booker participated in an artist exchange, incorporating African culture and dance in her work.

Browne was a faculty member in the art department at Rutgers University for 21 years; Booker graduated from Rutgers during Browne’s first few years there, and although Booker’s major was sociology, they may have met.

Both have associations with the New York’s Whitney Museum of Art, not altogether pleasant.

Browne was an original director of the Black Emergency Cultural Coalition, an organization created in response to museums’ exclusions of Black artists (please read on for “Guerrilla Girls”), specifically, the failure of the Metropolitan Museum of Art to include a single Black Harlem-based artist in its 1969 exhibition, ‘Harlem on My Mind.”

In 1971 the BECC organized “Rebuttal to the Whitney Museum Exhibition: Black Artists in Rebuttal” to protest that museum’s refusal to appoint a Black curator for its 1971 survey of “Contemporary Black Artists in America.”

Browne had been considered for the Whitney show, but Robert Doty, the Whitney curator and a White man, left without a word after visiting Browne’s studio to see her “Little Men.” Browne’s work was not selected.

But, decades later Booker’s was, in 2000 when her “It’s So Hard to Be Green” was chosen for the Whitney Biennial.

It’s a large piece on view at the National Gallery, one of Booker’s three large sculptures in the East Building Tower in the exhibition, “Treading New Ground.”

To use the vernacular, Booker is a

“recycled tire sculptor,” who shapes art from rubber and steel, her works found in museums and outdoor arenas around the world.

Browne was born in Laurel, FL and the Phillips’s ‘”Not My Kind of Protest” is a perfect title for her show which opens with her famous “little men” series which I found most intriguing of all her pieces because for women “of a certain age,” most of us have experienced “little men” in our professional lives.

She based “little men” on the ones she worked with at New York’s Department of Education from 1966 to 1971. Like many artists, she painted after work, satirizing her subjects by exaggerating them in various positions of dress and emotional states.

They do remind me of horror movies but, sadly, real ones.

Browne said her works were “emotional landscapes” and “deeply personal reflections of the world around her,” including her love of nature.

A Vivian Browne hardcover catalog is available in the shop for $44.95.

Adult admission at the Phillips is $20; free for members and discounts.

The Phillips has “pay what you can” every day beginning at 4 p.m., and on third Thursdays when the Phillips is open until 8 p.m., there is free admission beginning at 4 p.m. 1600 21st St NW, Washington, DC 20009.

Closest Metro station: Dupont Circle. Take the Q Street exit.

The National Gallery always has free admission every day 10 a.m.

– 5 p.m. Closed on Christmas and New Year’s days. West Building: 6th and Constitution; East Building: 4th and Constitution; Sculpture Garden, 7th and Constitution; all, Washington, D.C. 20565. Metro station: Archives-Navy MemorialPenn Quarter.

The National Museum of Women in the Arts celebrates the fortieth anniversary of the founding of the “Guerrilla Girls” with a small show, “Making Trouble,” one every parent should take their daughter to see.

These “Guerrilla Girl” artists and feminists are an anonymous group born in 1985 to draw attention to the absence of women artists in New York, a campaign which continues today.

Their name comes from their lack of identity since they want to be known as a group, not as individuals drawing attention to themselves.

They wear masks, rather like members of the National Guard on the

SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2025 | PAGE 13

streets of Washington today.

Spawning their organization, like the BECC’s birth, was a 1984 international exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art of 165 modern art and sculptures which included only 13 female artists.

As many as eight artists of color were reported, but none were women.

Soon afterwards, the Guerrillas adopted racism as another cause to combat in films, contemporary culture and politics.

A 2019 study of 18 major American museums found art by male artists represented 87 percent of collections.

“Women Artists from Amsterdam to Antwerp 1600-1750” opens at NMWA Sept. 25 and Guerrillas close Sept. 28.

NMWA is open Tuesday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. with free admission on the first Sunday and second Wednesday of every month.

Otherwise, adults, $16. 1250 New York Ave., NW Washington, DC 20005. Metro stations: Metro Center and Gallery Place.

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery hosts a stunning photo show of Hollywood stars from the “Golden Age” of the 1930s and 1940s when Metro Goldwyn Mayer photographer George Hurrell (1904-1992) captured beauty, good looks and everything glamorous with enhancements, distinguished lighting, apparel and backgrounds.

MGM used the portraits in what we call “branding” today to market the film figures, but overtaken by technology and new cameras after World War II, Hurrell’s own brand ceased to be the kind the studios desired and his glamour takes changed to more realistic renderings.

Glamour had faded.

The Portrait Gallery quotes Hurrell: “They were truly glamorous people... the image I wanted to portray.” And he did. “Star Power” closes Jan. 4, 2026.

Admission is free at the National Portrait Gallery, open 11:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. every day, except Christmas, at 8th and G Streets NW, Washington 20001. Metro stations: Metro Center or Gallery Place.

The National Building Museum opens a new exhibition Sept. 27 about cities called “Coming Together: Reimaging America’s Downtowns” to explore “lessons learned and opportunities embraced in the wake” of Covid-19 and how it transformed work, housing, mobility, entertainment and recreation.

In a multimedia presentation of data, digital interactives, and video, the project, the first of three, convenes urban leaders, residents, employers and others to meet and produce strategies to improve citywide spaces and make a rosy future.

(Negative Trump should attend!)

Down the hall at the museum, a “Brick City” of Legos is ongoing, a treat for children and parents alike.

Another show there is “Mini Memories,” selections from a oneof-a-kind collection of souvenir buildings on view by the public for the first time. From a donation to the museum by Margaret Maj and architects David Weingarten and Lucia Howard, 400 buildings from more than 70 counties are on display.

The National Building Museum is open Thursday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Adults, $10 but no charge for the Great Hall or the gift shop. 401 F Street NW, Washington, DC 20001.

Metro station: Judiciary Square.

And if you can make it to only one museum or gallery, make it the Falls Church Arts Gallery at 700-B West Broad to see what local artists have made, and where you may vote for your favorite. Open daily except Monday. Hours vary. Check the website. Enjoy! This is the full story from the September 4th issue preview. For all the pictures please vist fcnp.com.

“LITTLE MEN” #102, By Vivian Browne (1929-1993), C. 1967 (Photo: Patricia Leslie)

PAGE 14 | SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2025

Meridian Field Hockey,Girls Volleyball Start With Big Wins

By Ryan McCafferty

Week Two of fall sports season is in the books at Meridian High School, and it’s already looking like we’re in for another year of quality victories and deep playoff runs for the Mustangs. Let’s take a look at how everyone fared as the calendar flips to September.

After annihilating Justice 55-0 in their season opener on the road, the football team sadly didn’t have the same luck against Kettle Run, losing 34-8 at home last Friday to the defending State runners-up.

But they had their chances to put up points, and they’ll have an opportunity for their first home win of the year as they stay in Falls Church to take on Annandale this Friday.

Field hockey played its first District opponent of the year, making easy work of Liberty (Bealeton) in a 7-0 rout last Thursday in which all seven goals came from seven different Mustangs. With a record of 2-1 on the season and back-to-back wins, they’ll look to keep their streak going at Alexandria City on Friday.

The boys’ volleyball club took a pair of losses, in three sets against Falls Church on Tuesday and in four at Chantilly last Thursday, and they’ll once again search for their first win of 2025 when they host Annandale this Thursday. The girls, meanwhile, picked up a pair of road wins by beating Unity Reed in four sets last Wednesday and District rival Fauquier in five last Thursday. They improve to 3-1 and will visit Liberty today.

Golf faced off against John Handley and Fauquier last Thursday, placing second behind the former and ahead of the latter. Atticus Kim and Charles Griffith both tied for the second-best individual score in the event. Additionally, the Mustang Girls Invitational was held at Stonewall Golf Club in Gainesville this past Monday, with Era Inglis-Nela leading three Meridian competitors with her 22nd place effort out of nearly 70 participants.

Finally, cross country took part in two meets this week, racing in a District competition at Manassas Park last Wednesday

and in the Great Meadows Invitational on Saturday. William Anderson had himself a week to remember, claiming the win for the boys against Manassas Park and setting the all-time course record

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

C ritter C orner

for a Mustang at Great Meadows as he finished 11th overall, while Michelle Malheiro finished 33rd to lead the girls. This Saturday, Meridian will travel to the Lake Braddock Relays.

DON’T GIVE

CAR THIEVES

A JOY RIDE

Thieves will have a field day with your unlocked car! Find out how you can prevent auto theft and report suspicious activity at HEATreward.com.

THIS IS COCO!

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

Be prepared before the next power outage.

With accessible boarding ramps on Virginia buses, nothing can slow you down! Download the Connecting VA app to plan your trip now at ConnectingVA.org.

Receive a free 5-year warranty with qualifying purchase* - valued at $535.

Call 844-947-1479 to schedule your free quote!

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

LO CA L

SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2025 | PAGE 15

This Week Around Falls Church

Thurs, September 11 Electoral Board Meeting 3:00– 5:00 p.m., Oak Room, City Hall (300 Park Ave.) Revised Retirement Board Quarterly Meeting — 3:00–7:00 p.m., Dogwood Room A & B, City Hall (300 Park Ave.) Falls Church Fiber Artists 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., Mary Riley Styles Public Library (120 N. Virginia Ave.) Fall Storytime (Preschool) 10:30–11:00 a.m., MRSPL (Lower Level) Playtime with Early Literacy Center 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., MRSPL (Lower Level)

Fri, Sept12 Library Closed (Staff Development Day) — All day, Mary Riley Styles Public Library Run for the Schools Packet Pick-Up 4:00–7:00 p.m., Meridian High School (121 Mustang Alley) Live Music in The Commons – Brandon Kennedy 6:00–9:00 p.m., Commons Park at West Falls (7130 Leesburg Pike)

The Quasi Kings (concert) 5:00 p.m., The State Theatre (220 N. Washington St.)

Sat, September 13 Falls Church Farmers Market 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., City Hall Parking Lot (300 Park Ave.) 49th Annual Falls Church Festival & Taste of Falls Church 10:00 a.m.– 4:00 p.m., Community Center Grounds (223 Little Falls St.) Run for the Schools Packet Pick-Up 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., Meridian High School (121 Mustang Alley); 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., Falls Church Festival, Tent #140 Eden Center’s Moon Festival Celebration — 12:00–5:00 p.m., Eden Center (6751–6799 Wilson Blvd.)

Sun, September 14 Run for the Schools Falls Church Education Foundation’s 21st Annual Race Warm-Ups: 7:45 a.m.; 5K Start: 8:00 a.m.;

1-Mile Fun Run: 8:05 a.m.; Location: 300 Park Ave. (between City Hall & MRS Library) Removing Invasive Trees & Shrubs (Talk) 2:00–3:00 p.m., MRSPL (Upper Level) Calm for a Cause: Yoga Release & Restore 4:00–5:15 p.m., 1073 W. Broad St., Suite 215 (West End Plaza) Creative Cauldron: Summer Passport Music Festival (Final Weekend) Evening, Creative Cauldron (410 S. Maple Ave.)

All day, Mary Riley Styles Public Library Film Screening: The Vote (PBS Documentary) 3:30–7:30 p.m., MRSPL (Upper Level) Digital Photo Management (iPhone Workshop) 6:30–7:30 p.m., MRSPL (Lower Level)

Wed, September 17 Mayor’s Agenda Meeting with Staff 8:30–9:00 a.m., Oak Room, City Hall (300 Park Ave.)

Mindfulness Meditation for Everyday Life 10:30–11:30 a.m., MRSPL (Upper Level) Library Board of Trustees Meeting 6:00–8:00 p.m., Mary Riley Styles Public Library (120 N. Virginia Ave.) Planning Commission Meeting 7:30–10:30 p.m., Council Chambers/Court Room, City Hall (300 Park Ave.) Send us your events to calendar@fcnp.com

Mon, September 15

PUZZLE NO. 1042 LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

Fall Storytime (Preschool) 10:30–11:00 a.m., MRSPL (Lower Level) Playtime with Early Literacy Center 11:00 a.m.– 12:00 p.m., MRSPL (Lower Level) City Council Work Session with EDA & Planning Commission 7:30–11:00 p.m., Dogwood Room A & B, City Hall (300 Park Ave.)

ANSWER TO PUZZLE NO. 1042

How to play:

How

Tues, September 16

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 only once.

Fill in th and eve 1 throug

National Voter Registration Day at MRSPL

Each 3x3 box is outlined with a darker line.

You already have a few numbers to get you started.

Remember: you must not repeat the numbers 1 through 9 in the same line, column or 3x3 box.

Each 3 You alre Remem 1 throug

PUZZLE NO. 1044 LEVEL: ADVANCED

PAGE 16 | SEPTEMBER 11 - 17, 2025

The SMILE you want.

The attention you deserve.

Currently accepting new patients

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

Win ner

Bestoffc.com

00

00

,0

,9

40

99

$7

For Sale

$8

Coming Soon...

220 W Greenway Blvd, Falls Church City

We

supporting our Little City!

Falls Church Festival

$3

For Sale

1681 S Hayes St #A, Arlington

70

September 13th | 10 AM - 4 PM

,0 00

300 Park Ave

Proud Sponsor

Main Stage ROCK STAR Beer Garden

6925-H Mary Caroline Circle, Alexandria

Tori McKinney 703-867-8674 Tori@ROCKSTARrealtygroup.com ROCKSTARrealtygroup.com

703.532.3300 | www.doughertyDDS.com 200 Little Falls Street #506, Falls Church VA 22046

©2005-2025 Tori McKinney, LLC

Scan Me