September 28 – October 4, 2017
FA LLS CHUR C H, V I R G I NI A • WW W. FC NP. C OM • FR EE
FOU N D ED 1991 • VOL. XXVI I NO. 32
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All but one in a large gathering of three PTA and PTSA organizations of parents with children in the Falls Church School system voted in support of passing the $120 million bond referendum to build a new high school. SEE NEWS BRIEFS, PAGE 8
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F.C Council Candidates Square Off In First Debate of Election Season
Multiple F.C. Civic Groups With Hands In Hosting Wednesday’s Event
Absentee voting for the Nov. 7, 2017 General Election started Friday, Sept. 22, that included the unveiling of new hack-proof “digital scanner” voting machines. SEE PAGE 4
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It has to be admitted that Donald Trump is doing exactly what he was elected to do. He was not elected to be a legislative president. He never showed any real interest in policy during the campaign. He was elected to be a cultural president. SEE PAGE 17
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The Charleston-based husband and wife duo Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst known as Shovels & Rope will be providing some melodic Americana when they visit Leesburg next month. SEE PAGE 25
AT WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S �irst debate of Falls Church City Council candidates, �ive of the six on the November ballot were present, including (left photo, left to right) Marybeth Connelly, Ross Litkenhous and Dan Maller and (right photo, left to right) David Snyder and Dan Sze. The moderator was Ken Feltman (left photo, standing at podium). (P�����: M��� D������) BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
What was billed as the first debate among candidates seeking election to the Falls Church City Council last night turned into more of a discussion of the $120 million high school bond referendum. Two of the incumbents on the Council seeking re-election
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Editorial.................6 Letters...................6 News & Notes12–13 Comment ........ 14-17 Sports .................18 Business News ...20
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all asked through the moderator, Ken Feltman. Only in the final moments was the audience invited to ask direct questions. Vice Mayor Marybeth Connelly led the charge explaining the ins and outs of what’s gone into the thinking for proposing the bond referendum, with support from incumbent David Snyder. The “no” vote was defended by
F.C’s Shields Offers Early Tax Rate Projection for Next FY BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON
INDEX
went into details on the reasons on why they voted to have the referendum placed on the Nov. 7 ballot, and a third incumbent explained why he was only one of two “no” votes on that proposition taken in late July. About 40 people attended the debate held in the American Legion Hall on N. Oak St. Wednesday night. Questions were
It was earlier coming than usual this fall, but Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields told the F.C. City Council Monday night that, despite solid fourth quarter numbers for the City’s operations, a six cent real estate
tax rate increase will most likely be required to, assuming the $120 million school bond referendum passes in November, pay for the new construction of George Mason High, the Mary Riley Styles Public Library and a renovated City Hall. According to the number crunching of new F.C. Chief
Financial Officer Kiran Bawa, even with good numbers ending the fiscal year on June 30 and very tight budgeting going forward, the six-cent bite will be required, but will draw back to four cents after four years since the plan for the new high school would be to “front load” the borrowing. But this is almost six months
incumbent Dan Sze. Of the two “newcomers,” or non-incumbents, in the debate one has been on the Council before — Dan Maller, an attorney — and one is a fresh face, Ross Litkenhous, a young father of three who said he chose to run because of how big an impact living in the City has
Continued on Page 10 before this discussion gets serious for the next fiscal year’s budget, and Council members Phil Duncan and Dan Sze were among those who said that “there will be impassioned debate” on the Council over such matters as the City’s fund balance policy, for example, going forward. Still, given the recovery in fourth quarter revenue numbers reported last night, “We’re in good shape to take on major obligations,” Duncan said. Vice Mayor Marybeth Connelly cited the improving numbers for
Continued on Page 5
PAGE 2 | SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017
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SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017 | PAGE 3
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PAGE 4 | SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Nov. Election Absentee Voting Now Underway by Nicholas F. Benton
for those with blindness or other disabilities can use a pencil. In either case, there is a paper ballot that is produced that is automatically dropped into a sealed box when a vote is cast. Bjerke said the new machines were obtained in short order when the state decertified F.C.’s older models, direct recording electronic, or DRE, machines that the City has used since 2004. earlier this month. The action came following a national computer conference in Las Vegas in July when it was determined that many other machine models could readily be hacked. He said that about 22 jurisdictions in Virginia have replaced vulnerable machines under order from the Virginia State Board of Elections, but he has no idea what’s being done in other states. For Falls Church, requests for absentee ballots by mail must be submitted to the Office of Voter Registration and Elections in City Hall by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct.
Falls Church News-Press
Absentee voting for the Nov. 7, 2017 General Election started Friday, Sept. 22, that included the unveiling of new hack-proof “digital scanner” voting machines. In Falls Church, the absentee voting can be done at the Registrar’s office at City Hall. This election will include candidacies for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, contestants for four seats each on the Falls Church City Council and School Board, and a referendum concerning a $120 million bond for a new high school in Falls Church. It includes the race for state delegate, with Marcus Simon facing only third party opposition, and for the City’s three “constitutional officers,” treasurer, sheriff and commissioner of the revenue, all uncontested this year. Falls Church Registrar David Bjerke showed off the new machines, one where the ballot is cast electronically and the other
CITY OF FALLS CHURCH VOTERS will find these new digital scanner voting machines at the polls this November. (Photo: City of Falls Church) 31, though the Office recommends submitting by Oct. 24 to ensure timely receipt. Applications must be received by this deadline in order to receive a ballot in the mail. City of Falls Church voters
also have until Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017, to vote absentee in-person at City Hall, 300 Park Avenue, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. and on two Saturdays: Oct. 28 and Nov. 4, both from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. The Virginia Department
of Elections deadline to register to vote is Monday, Oct. 16. Anyone who is not already registered to vote (including 17-year-old citizens who will turn 18 by Nov. 8, 2017) must do so by Oct. 16 to be able to vote in the Nov. 7 election.
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Shields Projects 6 Cent Tax Rate Hike to Pay for School & More Continued from Page 1
the City’s meals tax, personal property tax and gross revenue tax numbers, all sharply up, as evidence that the City’s future remains bright. Sales taxes were up 9.6 percent, meals taxes up 8.8 percent, gross receipts (BPOL) taxes up 4 percent and personal property taxes up 10 percent, with 500 more cars now in the City than a year ago, according Bawa’s report. The results of the quarter produced a surplus of $496,000 for the City coffers that was assigned to the “undesignated fund balance” for the time being. Shields said his projection of a six cent tax rate increase that would kick in next summer if adopted next April is predicated on holding the line of the operational costs for the City and its schools at not greater than the projected rate of revenue growth, which is expected to be around three percent. He announced that at the outset
KIRAN BAWA, F.C.’S NEW chief �inancial of�icer, presented to the City Council cheery fourth quarter numbers for the City’s �iscal year that ended June 30. (P����: N���-P����) of the Council’s Oct. 18 meeting will be a walking tour of the proposed new Broad and Washington mixed use project, followed by tours of the recently completed and occupied Lincoln at Tinner
Hill and 301 W. Broad projects. To date, with both projects already nearing capacity, they have averaged only one school-age student per 10 apartment units, Shields said.
SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017 | PAGE 5
PAGE 6 | SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017
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E D I TO R I A L
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What If Amazon Comes Calling?
We dare not even suggest that Falls Church should try to respond to Amazon’s “request for proposal” for a site to locate a new east coast headquarters, although the temptation will be greater as the board of directors of WMATA votes today to allow all of its real estate holdings to be open for negotiation in such an RFP. WMATA’s got valuable land all over the Metro region and as we all know it’s quite cash strapped at this point. Amazon says it is looking for a grand space for up to a million square feet of development and 50,000 employees. Now, one acre constitutes about 43,000 square feet, and for the sake of argument, it could harbor 10 times that amount if there were buildings 10 stories high, So in a perfect universe, Amazon could fit comfortably on the combination of 10 acres of the George Mason High School site, the 20 plus acres of underutilized WMATA land next to it, the acreage constituting the Federal Realty strip mall (Giant, etc.), the university grad center site, and over 20 acres that Beyer Automotive has almost completely assembled. That could be over 50 acres with the following advantages: 1. It is on top of a Metro station, 2. It is just outside of D.C. (Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos would have a very short commute to his Washington Post headquarters downtown), 3. It is right in the lap of two existing major university graduate programs (University of Virginia and Virginia Tech) and top notch public schools, and 4. It would mean having to deal almost entirely with a manageably small political jurisdiction with a minimum of the hassles bigger ones bring. For its part, Falls Church might hope to get a whole bushel basket of amenities, including world class auditorium or performing arts space, a whole lot of really smart people living moving nearby, and maybe even a big help in building the new high school we need so badly (F.C. Superintendent Peter Noonan let slip at the joint PTA meeting Tuesday that he oversaw construction of a new high school when he worked in New Mexico that a high-tech developer was willing to pay for in its entirety.) So what’s wrong with this notion, aside from objections that all the usual suspects bring about traffic and density? It’s what Falls Church has been leaning toward all along. The only thing wrong we can come up with is this: it simply “ain’t gonna happen!” Don’t ask why, but explanations can range from the amount of competition for the project that is out there, up and down the eastern seaboard, to, well, the idea that it’s just plain out of Falls Church’s depth. Hmmm. Alas, if that’s true, then the takeaway might be that one never knows what opportunities for good things are looming out there, and we should keep our eyes peeled and our powder dry.
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Room for Competition In City of Falls Church
Editor, I’ve lived in the City for 23 years and bicycle my way through it on a daily basis. For over 15 years I have used the services of the Bike Club at 438 S. Washington St. While the store is overly cluttered – kind of like the Gardiner Art Museum in Boston – I have always found the work to be of fine quality and very reasonably priced. The owner and his employees are outgoing,
resourceful and very efficient. Not everyone feels the same and they have other choices to care for their cycles. In the last few years many other, more expensive shops have appeared in the City; and while they may be more spacious, they are also much more expensive. Recently, one of these new shops had the Bike Club cited for its cluttered interior causing it to close its doors until it could come up to code.While it is everyone’s
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right to work in the business they desire, it is not one’s right to use subterfuge to put a competitor out of business. If your product is better you will earn business without having to scrape for reasons to put them out of business. There is room for business competition based on the quality of the service. Steve Morse Falls Church
Reporting On Referendum Debate Was Not Balanced
Editor, I was disappointed by the News-Press coverage of the
Oxford style debate on the referendum to finance $120 million bond for the construction of a new George Mason High School. Instead of further informing the public by reporting pro and con positions on key issues affecting this controversial matter, you chose to simply say a debate had occurred. Further, the percentage change for the “no” vote actually increased by 33 percent and the “yes” vote by only 17 percent. Your reporting is in error. The News-Press reporting on the referendum has not been balanced. Curtis Schaeffe Falls Church
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
CO MME NT
SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017 | PAGE 7
G � � � � C � � � � � �� �� George Mason High School Boosts Speech & Debate B� W���� K���
In an era of “fake” news and incivility, it’s especially important that our students learn to become good citizens. Speech and debate can help by encouraging them to be polite, respectful, articulate and knowledgeable. Attend a weekend tournament, and you’ll see why. Students arrive Saturday by 8 a.m., dressed in suits. They intelligently and persuasively discuss current events, ethical questions, social issues, history or literature. They thank judges for volunteering. They applaud competitors, often with words of encouragement. They don’t take out their cell phones when others speak. Rather, they listen. I’ve judged speech events for the past two years, and I’m impressed by the talent and decorum of these students. In our stormy and uncertain times, they give me hope for the future. George Mason High School has increased its commitment to its speech and debate team, which began as a club with a volunteer coach in late 2013 and has grown rapidly. Last year, the team attracted more than 30 students, most of whom were freshmen and sophomores. This academic year, principal Matt Hills and athletic director Julie Bravin have hired coaches to work with students in two debate events — Public Forum and Lincoln Douglas — and in speech, which includes seven events at the local level. Mason is also expanding the team’s
reach. Thus far, the team has competed mostly in the Washington Arlington Catholic Forensic League (WACFL), which includes private and public schools in northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland. The team has begun to make a name for
“Speech and debate gives students a voice. It enables them to speak out on topics that interest them, and it teaches them valuable skills.” itself. Last year, its students won medals at WACFL’s local tournaments. At its annual tournament, two sophomores placed first in junior varsity Public Forum. Another sophomore placed first in a speech event and went on to become a finalist at the National Catholic Forensic League’s annual tournament in May, which drew 3,000 students from across the country to Louisville, Ky. A sophomore also won a first-place speech award at a national tournament hosted by George Mason University in December. This year, for the first time, the Mason team will also compete in the Virginia High School League, which holds a few tourna-
ments in the spring semester. Just like athletic teams, its members will vie for a state title. If they qualify, they can also compete in the annual National Speech and Debate Association Tournament, the largest such event in the United States. So what exactly is speech and debate? In Public Forum, a pair of students debates both sides of a political issue with another pair, using fact-based arguments. In Lincoln Douglas, an individual debates an ethical issue or moral quandary with another student. Speech offers a broad range of events. Students can deliver speeches written by others (Declamation) or by themselves (Original Oratory.) They can speak off the cuff on general topics (Impromptu) or current political events (Extemporaneous.) They can, as individuals or as a pair, craft a 10-minute performance based on a book, short story, play or poems (Dramatic Interpretation, Duo Interpretation, Oral Interpretation). Speech and debate gives students a voice. It enables them to speak out on topics that interest them, and it teaches them valuable skills. They learn to research, organize, and present material in clear and compelling fashion. As a former journalist, I appreciate that they learn there are two sides to almost every story. They also learn — especially in speech — to improve diction, volume, intonation, pacing and pausing. “The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed
pause,” Mark Twain once said. He also said effective speaking requires practice: “It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.” These skills would be a welcome relief to anyone who’s ever gone into a cold sweat when asked to make a presentation. I have a nephew who joined his high school’s speech and debate team as a freshman, because he was nervous and would stutter if he had to speak in front of a group. By the end of freshman year, he stopped stuttering, and by the end of high school, he was a speech champion who won a college speech scholarship. We know that effective public speaking can be key to career success. This is one reason why, according to a 1999 limited data analysis by the Wall Street Journal, some colleges give an admissions bump to students active in forensics. Speech and debate can prepare students to be well-informed leaders of the future — something essential for any democracy. It was late in arriving at an impressive International Baccalaureate school like Mason, but now that Mason has a team firmly in place, I hope students seize the opportunity. Students interested in the speech and debate team can reach out to Kishwar Rafique at rafiquek@fccps.org. Wendy Koch is a volunteer parent judge for George Mason High School’s speech and debate team.
Q������� �� ��� W��� Since 2000, do you approve of the job Falls Church has done on economic development? • Yes • No, they haven’t done enough
Last Week’s Question:
Are you registered to vote in the City of Falls Church?
• No, they’ve done too much • Unsure
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PAGE 8 | SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017
The Blessing of Animals on The Feast of St. Francis Sunday, October 1st 5:00 p.m. Outdoors in the Historic Churchyard S. Washington St. at E. Fairfax St. All Pets and Service Animals are WELCOME
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Fa l l s C h u r c h
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
NEWS BRIEFS 3 PTAs Almost Unanimous for Referendum It was a watershed night in the 2017 campaign to build a new high school in the City of Falls Church Wednesday. A large turnout from the City schools’ three PTA and PTSA organizations of parents with children in the Falls Church Schools gathered at the George Mason High School auditorium, and after an hour and a half of presentations and questions, all voted veritably unanimously to support passage of the $120 million bond referendum to build a new high school. The votes from the high school and middle school organizations were unanimous, and there was a lone dissenting vote from the elementary PTA. Among the most forceful arguments made by School Superintendent Peter Noonan and City Manager Wyatt Shields dealt with the consequences of a failed referendum effort. With the dilapidated state of the high school now requiring $20 million in repairs and ADA and related upgrades, and enrollment projections mandating up to 20 new classrooms, a “no” vote on the referendum would saddle the City with $70 million in costs with none of the collateral improvements that a new high school would bring and no provision for economic development to offset more than two-thirds of the total cost.
WMATA Board to Vote on Entering Amazon Negotiations
115 E. Fairfax St. www.TheFallsChurch.org 703.241.0003
The Board of Directors of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority will vote today (Thursday) on a resolution to enter negotiations on the inclusion of Metro properties as part of a local jurisdiction proposals to attract Amazon and its $5 billion east coast headquarters plans, according to Bisnow. Amazon wants to build a site to accommodate eight million square feet of development and 50,000 employees. The deadline for its request for proposals is Oct. 19. Among the many sites where WMATA has property adjacent a Metro station that could be combined with other properties is at the West Falls Church Metro station in Falls Church, where there is over 20 acres of surface parking space. But there is no indication that a response to Amazon’s request focused on that site is in the works.
Man Dead After Self-Inflicted Gunshot in Merrifield A shooter at Merrifield law office is dead after a self-inflicted gunshot Wednesday evening, Fairfax County Police report. An investigation is currently underway after police responded to reports of shots fired in the 8100 block of Gatehouse Road in Falls Church around 4:50 p.m. Wednesday. Several hundred people, including children, were evacuated from the building, which also houses the Falls Church Merrifield Preschool. The Fairfax County Public Schools headquarters that lies adjacent to the office building was also put on lockdown. Police have identified the shooter as 52-year-old John Francis Wood of Vienna. No other injuries were reported.
Roosevelt St. Work to Begin, S. Washington Underway The City of Falls Church Department of Public Works will begin the construction phase of the Roosevelt Street Corridor Pedestrian Accessibility project next week, according to a City Hall press release. The public can expect construction activity along portions of Roosevelt Street, Roosevelt Boulevard, Ridge Place and E. Broad Street between next Monday, Oct. 2 and late Spring 2018. The goals of the project are to upgrade pedestrian access along the corridor and make Roosevelt Street a safer route for all users, the City statement said. Pedestrians and drivers will see many modifications along the thoroughfare once the project completes. (Meanwhile, in a second location, utility undergrounding has begun along the S. Washington St. corridor that will continue through Spring 2018). According to City Hall, for the Roosevelt effort, a portion of the project will require the complete closure of Roosevelt St. between Roosevelt Blvd. and Ridge Pl. for a period of 60 days.
Perriello Addresses F.C. Dems Former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello was the keynote speaker at Sunday’s Falls Church Democratic Committee annual potluck at the Community Center. The unsuccessful challenger to the Democratic nomination of Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam last spring, Perriello is now campaigning for Northam and the entire Democratic ticket, and told the crowd Sunday night that this November’s state election, “the first statewide election in the Trump era,” will be a “14 year election” insofar as it will lay the ground for the 2020 U.S. census and the redistricting that will occur after that which will set political boundaries through 2030. He noted an all-time high of 89 out of 100 races are being contested this time. Recognized was Nancy Scott, wife of the late State Del. Jim Scott, with remarks from State Del. Marcus Simon, and Bridget Kraft, who was named winner of the local committee’s annual Marion Driver Award.
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SOME OF THE more than 40 people who attended Wednesday’s F.C. City Council debate. (P����: M��� D������)
Council Candidates in 1st Debate Continued from Page 1
made on him and his family since moving here from Alabama and because of the expertise in areas of economic development that he brings. On the school bond issue, Maller said he favors a “reluctant yes” vote and Litkenhous was much more enthusiastic. Therefore, among the five candidates seeking four seats in the election, Sze was the lone dissenting vote, claiming his opposition is based more on the process than on whether City actually needs a new high school or not. But as has been done numerous times at public meetings and in other settings, the alternatives were again laid out that without the passage of the bond referendum, the cost to the taxpayers of just patching up the existing decrepit and undersized high school would probably be more than if the funds for a new high school were approved, and a comprehensive plan that includes an offset by projected economic development of two thirds of the cost. Otherwise the event was a cordial and non-consequential affair. One of the six candidates who qualified for the ballot, Spencer Parsons, did not show up for the debate. He’s a first time candidate who has not been a significant presence in City political events to date. Wednesday’s event organizing group, billed as the Citizens for a Better City, the Falls Church Republican and Democratic Committees, the F.C. American Legion, F.C. Chamber of Commerce, the Falls Church Way and many others, has a similar
debate planned for six candidates seeking four seats on the F.C. School Board on the November ballot, and that will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 25 at the same location. The first question by Feltman, following a greeting by Harry Shovlin, set the tone for a “feel good” approach to the debate. He asked what each candidate considered are the “three jewels in the Falls Church crown.” Connelly said they were having a community worth treasuring, public education, which was why the city was founded, and its history. Litkenhous cited a “sense of community,” the schools and the future. Maller said what Falls Church represents as the smallest independent city in America “is something you can’t get anywhere else,” where one person can make a difference. He also cited the value of its neighborhoods. Snyder said it is the principles and values on which the city was founded, its inclusiveness, commitment to working together, its citizens and schools and those who show leadership in a small community. Sze said “everybody here cares,” and schools that turn out better results than the best prep schools. Connelly spoke to the importance of economic development and “intentionally shopping in Falls Church.” No one expressed concern that the bond referendum, if passed, would cause the city to temporarily exceed the 12 percent limit on indebtedness. There was negativity in some
of the earliest questions submitted in writing by the audience, including one asking the incumbents to share “their greatest regrets on the Council.” Snyder wouldn’t bite, saying, “There are so many rewards, it’s hard to see negatives.” Sze defended his support for the Railroad Avenue cottage colony plan, saying it represented an “experiment to retain people who want to downsize and stay in the City.” He said there’s already evidence of people interested in “buying into this paradigm,” and that the “cottage decision was a great one.” Litkenhous said that the City should consider creating special taxing districts where a higher tax burden is absorbed by those benefiting from it, and Maller said that more needs to be done to offer “generous tax deferrals” to help people be able to stay in their homes as they age. Each candidate was asked how they felt themselves to be different from their opponents. Sze said the better question would be “how am I like the others?” He cited the shared desire to improve the community, “to make it a better place than we found it,” adding, “We all think that way.” Connelly said that when she became a mom, everything changed for her in terms “of the way I went about my life.” Litkenhous said “I totally believe in the community of the future that is here.” Snyder said he focuses on listening to all, taking everyone seriously and being respectful. Maller said the City is stronger when citizens stand up even when they are in a minority.
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Community News & Notes
MEMBERS OF FALLS CHURCH’S local Baha’i community were recognized by the Falls Church City Council Monday night, having been active for “nearly 50 years, embracing members from all races, nationalities and cultural backgrounds,” according to a proclamation signed by Mayor David Tarter. It added that “in the 19th century, Baha’u’llah, the founder of the Baha’i faith, taught principles of human dignity and capacity, and of fellowship and collaboration among the followers of all religions, races, nationalities and cultures.” October 22 will mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of the founder and it was announced that the Falls Church Baha’is will host a potluck picnic and special program open to all in Cherry Hill Park on Oct. 21 from noon – 4 p.m (Photo: News-Press)
Women’s Club Awards Funds To Beneficiaries New Dominion Women’s Club (NDWC) awarded funds to beneficiaries the club raised this past year totaling over $20,000. NDWC supports non-profit organizations in the community which promote the arts, assist lower income residents, preserve history and help educate and engage healthy youth. The club awarded checks to four local organizations at a recent NDWC meeting held at the McLean Community Center. Club President Desi Woltman presented funds raised during the 2016-17 club year to representatives from the following beneficia-
ries: Lori Carbonneau, Executive Director, McLean Project for the Arts; Paul Kohlenberger, Board Member, Friends of Historic Pleasant Grove; Midas Vogan, Development Director, Safe Community Coalition; and Vic Kimm, Vice President, SHARE of McLean. Paige Farrington-Himes, VP of Resource Allocation for NDWC, said, “It is a pleasure for our Women’s Club to donate the fruit of our efforts to these four beneficiaries who do so much for our community. We hope to have an even more successful year in 2018.” “Thanks to the enormous effort and dedication of our club members, broad support from the
McLean community and the generosity of our sponsors, we had a banner fundraising year. The most gratifying aspect is being able to redirect all that goodwill to these deserving organizations which do so much to benefit our community,” commented club president Desi Woltman. “We owe a special thanks to our stalwart sponsors like BOWA, Keller Williams (Monica Gibson) and Giant Food; as well as to our new platinum sponsor, Bill Page Toyota and gold sponsors Bloomingdale’s, Cerebrum MD, McLean Properties, The JBG Companies and Washington REIT.” Founded in 1968, NDWC is now celebrating its 50th anniversary. The club plans several
CLAIMING THE TOP PRIZE at the Free Fall Skateboarding competition in Quakerstown, PA and the Poolesville (MD) Day Contest is Thomas Jefferson Elementary fifth grader Quinn Harbin. The 10 year old is seen here showing off his new gear. (Photo: Courtesy Jody Harbin) community fundraisers, service projects and activities throughout the coming year. Its next initiative is coordinating the Children’s ArtWalk, a breathtaking outdoor exhibition of student artwork from local elementary schools featured at the 11th annual MPAartfest in McLean Central Park on October 1st, from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Clay Rice Hosts Class on Heirloom Silhouettes Renowned silhouette artist Clay Rice will guide a classs on
Heirloom Silhouettes. Rice is a third generation, nationally recognized silhouette artist who picked up the trade from his grandfather and is also a children’s author who will be at the Doodlehopper 4 Kids (234 W Broad St., Falls Church) this Sunday, Oct. 1 from noon – 4 p.m. This activity is ideal for children with a creative knack who are looking for a different and unique way to express their artistic tendencies that could also serve as decoration around the house. Fees apply for silhouettes, sign-up prior to the event date.
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, 200 Little Falls St. #508, Falls Church, VA 22046
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Inaugural Fall Fun Festival at Second Baptist Church
Games for all ages (with prizes), face painting, vendors, Margaret’s Soul Food Truck and a Moon Bounce provide something for everyone at the 1st Annual Fall Fun Festival at Second Baptist Church (6626 Costner Drive, Falls Church) on Saturday, Oct. 7 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Game tickets are will be available for 25 cents each. If you have questions, please call the church office at 703-533-3217.
Candidate Forum at Mason District Center The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) is sponsoring a forum of the Virginia House of Delegates candidates from Districts 38, 39, 49 and 53 at the Mason District Government Center (6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale) on Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 10 a.m. This is an ideal opportunity for prospective voters to meet the candidates who could be representing their district after this November’s election and learn more about their platforms and approaches to problems in the communities. Delegate Kaye Kory and her challenger, Paul Haring, will be present at the meeting and will be open to answering inquiries from citizens. This event is free and open to the general public. For more information, call 703-690-6861.
Community Meeting at Mason District Station Area residents who are interested in meeting the police station commanders, the new assistant commander and are pressed to ask questions and learn more about the station that serves them can do so at a Community Meeting
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at the Mason District Station (6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 3. The meeting will include a presentation by Detective John Spata from the Major Crimes Division who will speak about human trafficking. No RSVP needed. For questions or additional information, contact Diane Zierhoffer at zierhofferdm@hotmail.com.
Local Author and Arlington Teacher Debuts New Book Melanie McCabe, an English teacher at Yorktown High School and now three-time author, will debut her new work, His Other Life: Searching For My Father, His First Wife, and Tennessee Williams at the Arlington Central Library (1015 N Quincy St., Arlington) on Thursday, Oct. 5. In the auditorium from 7 – 8:30 p.m. The book centers around the first marriage of McCabe’s father, Terrence, to a woman named Hazel Kramer, whose charm and beauty had struck famous American playwright Tennessee Williams in his youth. Taking on the role of a detective and also a memoirist, McCabe walks readers through her journey trying to fill in the blank spaces of her father’s life before her — one that saw him as an aspiring writer who was infatuated with a woman who eventually suffered a tragic death at 38 years old. She combines the works of Williams’ biographies, her father’s writings and tedious genealogical research to craft a dichotomy that portrays the loving father she knew as well as the debonair writer she didn’t. The book serves as a love story, a mystery and a coming of age tale for McCabe who lost her father as a teenager and got a chance to learn more about him during the writing process. McCabe has previously written two poetry collections, History
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THE CONCERT ACROSS AMERICA TO END GUN VIOLENCE was held just outside of City Hall this past Saturday and witnessed many in�luential �igures drop in, including (from left to right) City of Falls Church Police Chief Mary Gavin, concert coordinator Carol Luten, City Council member Dan Sze, Mayor David Tarter, Vice Mayor Marybeth Connelly and Council member David Snyder. Each person pictured spoke with audience in attendance, with Chief Gavin’s words ringing the loudest: “We live in a culture that is violent, but that’s not what we are...Our police culture is committed to de-escalation, peace-keeping and public safety.” (P����: C������� C���� L����)
of the Body in 2012 and What the Neighbors Know in 2014. His Other Life will be available for purchase following next week’s book launch.
com/HolyTrinityFallsChurch. If you have any questions, contact Holy Trinity at 703-532-6617 or office@holytrinityfallschurch.org and they’ll assist your inquiries.
3 at 12:15 p.m. For more information, visit mcleanwomansclub.org or call 703-556-0197. This event is free and open to the general public.
‘Blessing of the Animals’ Set For this Sunday
Elaine Flynn to Speak With McLean Woman’s Club
Local Resident Wins Vintage Car at Rotary Club Raffle
The Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (3022 Woodlawn Ave., Falls Church) will be hosting an event titled “Blessing of the Animals” on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 2 p.m. Attendees and parishioners are encouraged to bring their pets (on a leash, in a cage or some other kind of containment method) to the church porch in order for their animal to receive a special blessing. For more information, visit holytrinityfallschurch.org or facebook.
The McLean Woman’s Club will host professional impersonator, Elaine Flynn, as she re-enacts “A Chat with Dorothy Parker,” who was a famously witty woman of the 1920s and wrote best-selling poetry, such as Enough Rope and Here Lies, and stories, such as Death and Taxes and Sunset Guns. The presentation will be held at the Trinity United Methodist Church (1205 Dolley Madison Blvd., McLean) on Tuesday, Oct.
Falls Church resident Victor Castillo was the receipient of the Bailey’s Crossroads Rotary Club’s grand prize, which was a 1965 Ford Mustang convertible at the Occoquan Arts and Craft Show on Sept. 24. The car began the restoration process this time last year and was fully operational again by Spring 2017. Second and third prize winners were awarded $500.
t lec E Re
DAVID F.
FALLS CHURCH CITY COUNCIL Excellent Schools & City Services Commercial Development That Lowers the Tax Rate & Respects Neighborhoods Local & Regional Leadership For more information, please visit: www.snyderforfallschurch.com th
PLEASE VOTE ON NOVEMBER 7 PAID FOR BY SNYDER FOR FALLS CHURCH
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
A Penny for Your Thoughts
News of Greater Falls Church By Supervisor Penny Gross
The budget carryover package adopted by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors earlier this month included a $500,000 reserve for gang prevention activities. Prevention, intervention, interdiction and suppression of gangs is paramount in our fight to curtail gang activity, and previous programs using those parameters have met with good success. So it was a bit of a surprise last week when, during the joint county/school boards’ budget discussion, the staff proposal would fund $185,000 for two new positions for the non-profit Northern Virginia Family Services to reduce current waitlists for an intervention program. The response to my question about the length of the waitlist for services was 16 youth. Another proposed position would fund consultant services to gather data about gang-related issues. My reaction to the proposal was a mixture of frustration and anger. It is well known that gangs are recruiting in our schools and neighborhoods. It also is well known that after school programs, especially at the middle school level, are effective in helping youth learn to make the right decisions, build social skills, and even improve school performance. Expanding existing middle school and high school programs, and creating new ones at schools that don’t have them, would be a good investment of carryover funds. (Carryover essentially is the remaining balance from the previous fiscal year’s budget, via unexpended or unused funds. By Board direction, the majority of carryover balances are allocated for the county’s reserves, as recommended by the bond rating agencies.) Following the committee discussion last week, staff will present full strategy and resource plans for
Board approval by the end of this year. Expanding capacity for after school programs must be high on those plans. Have you noticed how many local organizations are celebrating anniversaries this year? Fairfax Water celebrated its anniversary yesterday, celebrating 60 years of providing quality and affordable drinking water to the community; Holmes Middle School in the Lincolnia area of Mason District is celebrating its 50th anniversary on October 21; and the Annandale Christian Community for Action (ACCA) will celebrate its 50th anniversary of service on October 3 at Queen of Apostles Church. These significant anniversaries reflect a time when Fairfax County was changing from an agricultural economy to the vibrant and thriving megalopolis we are today. But the needs – water, education, social services – have not changed. They simply have expanded, and the community still can rely on the good foundation that their founders established decades ago. The Art in the Mason District Governmental Center exhibit features watercolors by Springfield Art Guild member Cynthia Schoeppel. Several of the watercolors feature the same floral theme, beginning with a black and white sketch that is then presented in different colors. Her watercolors of New Mexico also capture the heat and arid landscape of Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch. You almost can feel the temperature rising as you view them. The show can be viewed Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m, until Thanksgiving. Penny Gross is the Mason District Supervisor, in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. She may be emailed at mason@fairfaxcounty.gov.
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Congressman Beyer’s News Commentary
Important Points on DACA Rescission By Donald S. Beyer
President Trump decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA), created temporary protections from deportation for DREAMers. I strongly opposed the decision to end this program which enjoys broad support across the country. I am seeking a legislative solution in Congress to make the program permanent, including co-sponsoring and signing a discharge petition to force a vote on the bipartisan DREAM Act. The Administration’s decision affects over 12,000 Virginians who previously received legal status and protection. While I will continue working to resolve this situation in Congress, it is important for Virginians to understand how they might be affected. I have compiled resources to help explain these changes. Most important is the October 5 deadline for application to renew DACA status. I Have DACA: How Does the President’s Decision Affect Me?
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has rescinded the memorandum which established the “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” policy, otherwise known as “DACA” in 2012. This rescission changes the rules on acceptance and processing of DACA-related applications. Since this policy is not formally coded as immigration law, it can be terminated or amended by the Executive Branch of the United States Government, headed by the President. President Trump and Acting Secretary Duke have created a “wind-down” mechanism to end the program, putting many DACA recipients in limbo. This guide aims to answer basic questions about the near-future of DACA as outlined by the Trump Administration. It’s my first time applying. Can I still apply for DACA? No, applications for initial consideration are no longer being considered. The last date to submit an application was September 5,
2017. My current status is expiring soon. Can I submit an application to renew my DACA status? If your status expires between September 5, 2017 and March 5, 2018, you may submit a renewal application. Your application must be accepted no later than October 5, 2017. If you have submitted your application prior to this date, it will be processed accordingly. I would like to travel outside of the United States as a DACA recipient. Can I apply for a travel document? No. Current travel documents that are valid may be used for travel, but the Department has made it clear that Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will decide on the document holder’s admissibility. Rep. Donald Beyer can be reached through his website at www.beyer.house.gov, on Twitter @RepDonBeyer or his office at (202) 225-4376.
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YO U DON T H AV E T O BE SO STRONG BUT IF I’M NOT, WHO WILL?
Being a caregiver takes a special kind of commitment. We know your strength is super, but you’re still human.
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F I N D S U P P O R T F O R Y O U R S T R E N G T H.
Our Man in Arlington By Charlie Clark
My East Falls Church neighbors and I are at nerves’ end about a seemingly perpetual construction project we drive or walk past daily. The county’s stormwater drainage system expansion has been underway for a year at N. 24th and Rockingham streets. It has necessitated countless automobile and pedestrian detours around the Kobelco, Ingersoll Rand and Hitachi steam rollers, shovels and earth movers. They’re parked between rusty steel frames used to prevent newly dug trenches from collapsing. The wet, sticky rough-draft asphalt blocked by orange plastic fencing has forced more than a few of us to march through the front-yard grass of surrounding homes (the very ones that will gain the most flood protection once the project is done.) The good news is, that will happen (on time) in October, I’m told by friendly crewmen directing traffic in their hard hats – and by a county engineering team. The latter, led by Ramzi Awwad, Arlington’s Engineering Bureau Chief, consented to an interview to shed light on why my neighbors have the impression the crews keep digging up the same pavement over and over again. The flood control project in our neck of Arlington in what the engineers call “Crossman’s Run” is a bid to bend nature’s will
SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017 | PAGE 15
by re-routing the flow from a creek bed on a watershed cultivated by 19th-century farmer George Crossman. (His house still stands on Underwood St.) That bed runs through many yards (mine included) and absorbs regular gully washers. In 2006, the county had noticed severe flooding on Rockingham and 24th (it was most noticeable to the homeowners whose basements became ponds). So the engineers solicited sealed bids, and Ardent was the lowest qualified bidder for the $2.7 million award. The work involves burying not a small “feeder” but a “trunk line,” or nearly 1,000 feet of concrete pipeline that is five-feet tall. It’s laid down 10-15 feet underground to boost the county infrastructure’s capacity to disperse and drain the water whenever rains get heavy. “We’re taking the opportunity to replace water lines and minimize future disruption,” Awwad told me. “It’s time-consuming, challenging and pretty complex” compared with other county projects. “There is limited space to work, and there are existing utility lines to work around – gas, sewer, and water. We didn’t want to take the existing systems off line, so we leave a parallel system that adds capacity.” In 2014, Virginia updated its stormwater management plan, so the county increased its requirements too, said engineering staffers Aileen Winquist and Liz Thurber. Do the work crews wastefully
C i t y o f Fa l l s C h u r c h
CRIME REPORT Week of Sept. 18 — 24, 2017
Counterfeiting-Forgery, 100 blk N Fairfax St, Sept 18, an incident of check fraud was reported. Smoking Violation, 6757 Wilson Blvd, #15 (H20 Café), Sept 18, 8:49 PM, a male, 42, of Annandale, VA, was issued a summons for Smoking in a Restaurant. Drunk in Public/Obstructing Justice/False Id, 100 blk S Virginia Ave, Sept 19, 12:47 AM, a male, 38, of the City of Falls Church, was arrested for Drunk in Public, Obstructing Justice and Providing a False ID to Law Enforcement.
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Drunk in Public, 100 blk N Virginia Ave, Sept 19, 1:20 AM, a male, 34, of no fixed address, was arrested for being Drunk in Public. Unlawful Entry/Violate Protective Order, 200 blk Gibson St, Sept 19, 2:27 AM, a male, 20, of Falls Church, was arrested for Unlawful Entry and Violation of a Protective Order. Larceny-Theft From Building, 450 N Washington St, Suite 1 (The Yogi Underground), Sept 19, between 10:50 and 11:10 AM, items of
value were taken from the premises. Suspect described as a black male between 20 and 26, slim build, baseball hat and tennis shoes. Driving Under the Influence/Refusal, Felony Hit and Run, 100 blk Rees Pl, Sept 19, 4:23 PM, a male, 73, of the City of Falls Church, was arrested for Felony Hit and Run, Driving Under the Influence and Refusal to Take a Breath Test. Robbery, 205 Hillwood Ave (Marriott Town Place Suites), Sept 19, 8:57 PM. Suspect grabbed a binder from an employee at the front desk. Suspect described as a light skinned black male approximately 5`10”, slim build, wearing a black hoodie, a white shirt underneath, tight fitting jeans, and red shoes. The subject had a light beard and appeared to have a tattoo on his right hand. A second suspect, believed to be involved, was described as a black male, approximately 6`01”, slim build, short hair and a light beard. He was wearing a light colored hoodie and jeans. Investigation continues. Driving Under the Influence/Littering, 100 blk E Annandale Rd, Sept 20, 2:09 AM, a male, 33, of Washington, DC, was arrested for Driving Under the Influence and Littering.
redo past work? Awwad was skeptical. But “sometimes they find an unknown existing underground condition” that requires them to close up a hole, “go back to the drawing board and come back to resolve a problem later,” he said. Asked whether flooding has risen due to climate change or tree removal, the engineers declined to speak on topics outside their bailiwick. Construction improves our shared living space and boosts the economy. But it’s tough on neighbors. (I personally am encountering its inconveniences not just at home, but at my downtown office and at my gym, Sport and Health in Ballston Common.) “We do want to make sure conditions are safe for the traveling public,” Awwad said. “I know it can be frustrating for the residents, so we’re thankful and appreciative of their patience.” *** The “Monster House” on Sycamore and N. 27th streets is no longer such a monster. The exterior of the once-controversial blue structure that towers over neighboring bungalows (its three main interior rooms larger than many Arlington homes) has been tastefully redone in brown. The facade once challenged by Arlington’s Board of Zoning Appeals (its members begged amateur builder Paul Kingery to hire an architect) has now been redone by the current owner, a Falls Church-based artist and architect. He installed shutters and trim to go with the handsome yard stones and shrubbery. Still big, but the monster’s tamed. Failure to Return Bailed Vehicle 156 Hillwood Ave (Enterprise Rent A Car), Sept 21, 6:23 PM, a male, 37, of Arlington, VA, was arrested for Failing to Return a Bailed Vehicle. Drunk in Public, 300 blk Little Falls St, Sept 20, 11:17 PM, a male, 47, of the City of Falls Church, was arrested for being Drunk in Public. Drug/Narcotic Violation/Weapon Law Offenses, 7300 blk Idylwood Rd, Sept 21, 9:10 AM, following a routine traffic stop, a male, 24, of Manassas, VA, was issued summonses for Possession of Marijuana and Concealed Weapon Violation (large bowie knife). Drunk in Public, 900 blk S. Washington St, Sept 23, 3:49 AM, a male, 62, of Dumfries, VA, was arrested for being Drunk in Public. Hit and Run, 1000 blk Seaton Ln, Sept 22, victim heard a loud crash around 4 AM and later discovered vehicle had been hit by another vehicle which left the scene. Larceny-Theft of Vehicle Parts, 200 blk W George Mason Rd, between Sept 8 and 23, a tailgate was taken from a parked truck. Larceny-Theft from Building, 700 W Broad St (The Kensington), Sept 23, a theft of valuable personal property was reported. Assault-Simple Domestic, 300 W Broad St (Stratford Motel), Sept 23, 9:09 PM, a male, 47, of the City of Falls Church, was arrested for Assault and Battery – Family Member
PAGE 16 | SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017
A Rebel and a Race Fiend
Donald Trump is operating the White House as a terror cell of racial grievance in America’s broader culture wars. He has made his allegiances clear: He’s on the side of white supremacists, white nationalists, ethno-racists, Islamophobes and anti-Semites. He is simpatico with that cesspool. And nothing gets his goat quite like racial minorities who stand up for themselves or stand up to him. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors was asked about the annual rite of championship teams visiting the White House, and Curry made clear that he didn’t want to go because “we basically don’t stand for what our president has said, and the things he hasn’t said at the right time.” Trump responded to Curry’s expressed desire not to go by seeming to disinvite the entire team, to which Curry responded with NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE a level of class that is foreign to Trump. Curry said, “It’s surreal, to be honest.” Curry continued: “I don’t know why he feels the need to target certain individuals, rather than others. I have an idea of why, but it’s kind of beneath a leader of a country to go that route. That’s not what leaders do.” Of course, Curry is correct. Not only is this episode surreal, the entire Trump tenure is surreal. He is not a leader. Separately, on Friday night at a political rally in Alabama, Trump took to task NFL players who kneel in protest during the national anthem and NFL owners who allow it. Trump said owners should respond by saying: “Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, out, he’s fired. Fired!” Pause. No, full stop. Folks, this cretin is who we are supposed to call a “president.” He uses harsher language against people quietly protesting injustice than he does against violent racists marching through the streets. Unbelievable. OK, continue. Last year, Colin Kaepernick, who was then a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, kicked off these protests when he began to quietly kneel during the pregame playing of the national anthem. At the time he explained his rationale to NFL Media, saying: “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” He continued, “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.” Let alone that the anthem was authored by a white supremacist, Francis Scott Key, who was a proponent of African colonization – exporting free blacks back to Africa – and an opponent of the anti-slavery movement. Let alone the fact that the third stanza of that anthem, the part that you never hear, goes like this: And where is that band who so vauntingly swore, That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion, A home and a country, should leave us no more? Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution. No refuge could save the hireling and slave, From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave. This is thought by some to be an excoriation of the Colonial Marines, a mostly black unit composed primarily of runaway slaves who fought for the British during the War of 1812, on the promise of attaining their freedom. The unit humiliated Key’s own unit in battle. As Jason Johnson, a professor of political science at Morgan State University and political editor at The Root wrote on the site last year: “With a few exceptions,” Key “was about as pro-slavery, anti-black and anti-abolitionist as you could get at the time.” Kaepernick’s objection is valid on its own, but the anthem itself is problematic. It all points to the complexity we encounter when we pull back the gauzy veil of hagiographic history we have woven. The exploitation of black bodies and the spilling of black blood are an indelible part of the American story, and how we deal with that says everything about where we are as a nation and who we are.This is about far more than football and flags, about more than basketball and battle cries. This is about American memory, the ongoing quest for equality, the racial inequities fused to the DNA of power in this country. This is also about the response to minority advances and the coming minorityto-majority demographic conversion. This is about the honest appraisal of what America was, is, and should be.Trump is not a proper leader for any moment or any conversation, let alone this moment and this conversation.Trump has no desire to advance truth and reconciliation when it comes to race in this country. His venality and vulgarity seeks only to exploit white racial anxiety and hostility, in the most vulgar of terms, to maximum political gain. With every passing day, Trump diminishes the office of the presidency and elevates a virulent strain of racial animus. Trumpism is becoming ever more synonymous with racism.
NATI O NA L
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Charles M. Blow
The Lecture That Donald Trump Needs
I’m thrilled that Jeff Sessions is such an evangelist for free speech. Now if only he could convert his boss. On Tuesday afternoon, with much fanfare, Sessions strode onto a stage at Georgetown University and decried the rise of a creature with an insatiable appetite for affirmation, a distressing inability to respect the other side and an ugly impulse to silence anyone who dwells there. He meant today’s college student. He could have been describing today’s president. While decency and decorum are dying in this administration, irony and hypocrisy thrive: Sessions’ defense of the First Amendment came just days after Donald Trump needlessly went to war against professional athletes who were exercising the very rights it protects. NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE When pressed on this dissonance in a questionand-answer period after his remarks, Sessions simply refused to recognize it. He fell unswervingly in line with Trump, contradictions be damned. To serve in this administration is a transcendently speech-freeing thing. There’s no dispute that many campuses are illiberal enclaves of bluntly enforced groupthink, and there’s no doubt that many students deserve the stern words that Sessions aimed at them. But they’re still green and still growing. What’s Trump’s excuse? Given his office and capacity for destruction, he needs the lecture that Sessions delivered most of all. So let’s redirect it from its intended audience to its ideal one, from the ivory tower to Trump Tower, and look at Sessions’ remarks through the prism of his ruler. “There are those who will say that certain speech isn’t deserving of protection. They will say that some speech is hurtful — even hateful … But the right of free speech does not exist only to protect the ideas upon which most of us agree.” Bull’s-eye, bingo and hallelujah. The right of free speech protects whatever Colin Kaepernick has to say and whatever he intended to communicate by kneeling during the national anthem. Trump may not be fond of that particular gesture. I myself never was. And as Sessions correctly noted, the president is free to make those thoughts known. But he went so much further, exhorting team owners in the National Football League to fire players who didn’t listen to the anthem and salute the flag in the manner that Trump would like. The First Amendment says that the government mustn’t prohibit free expression, and his campaign against pro athletes, threatening them with the
Frank Bruni
loss of their livelihoods, edges up to that territory. “As Justice Robert Jackson once explained, ‘If there is a fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion or other matters of opinion.’” Our highest official is also our pettiest, and his attack on athletes smacks of such an attempted prescription. So did the statement of his press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, that the ESPN host Jemele Hill’s characterization of the president as a “white supremacist” constituted a “fire-able offense.” That’s between ESPN and Hill. The government — meaning the White House — shouldn’t be getting involved. And Trump’s onetime suggestion that flag burning be made a crime: How does that square with the Constitution’s fixed star? “A shelter for fragile egos.” That’s how Sessions portrayed the college campus. Make “egos” singular and the phrase defines the Oval Office now. This president has such an overweening investment in his own glory, or rather in the illusion of it, that he distorts truth (the size of his inauguration crowd) and invents facts (the voter fraud that supposedly gave Hillary Clinton the popular vote) to sustain it. As news organizations call him out on these and all of his other lies, he doesn’t merely push back at the stories one by one. He tweets and bleats that the media is an “enemy of the American people,” trafficking in “fake news.” He tries to intimidate given reporters and news organizations. He has called for changes in the law to make it easier to sue news organizations for libel. At rallies, he has encouraged crowds to rant at reporters. On Twitter, he has shared violent imagery in regard to CNN. No president in my lifetime has so thoroughly rejected the media’s role as a vital pillar of democracy and so assertively sought to discredit it as an institution. Freedom of the press is mentioned snug alongside freedom of speech in Sessions’ beloved First Amendment, but you’d never know it from Trump’s behavior. “The university is supposed to be the place where we train virtuous citizens.” The White House is supposed to be the place to which we elevate the most virtuous ones of all, at least in happy theory. But can you show me the honor in a president who warps reality itself to his advantage and savages all who get in the way? And where in that ruthlessness is respect for the lofty principles that Sessions so disingenuously espoused? Administration, heal thyself.
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
NATI O NA L
Russian Facebook Ads Sow Division
The first reports of the contents provided by Facebook to Congressional investigato rs of the Russian advertising blitz in support of Donald Trump on Facebook in advance of last November’s presidential election reveal something very instructive concerning the operative “MO” involved. How did the Russ ians try to wield influence thro u gh this means to turn votes to Trump, their preferred U.S. presi d ential candidate, their “Manchurian candidate,” if you will? Did this effort have anything to do with matters of honorable values and policy initiatives the Russia ns were hoping to advance? Did they have anything to do with a dem onstration of respect, on any level, for the U.S. democratic political FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS process at all? Of course not. But sadly that does not seem to come as any surprise. This was not like the pricey pamphlets that the Russians, Chinese, Indians and others have placed in major U.S. newspapers, for example, to tout their aspirations and achievements. On the contrary, the ads were of the most divisive sort, all aimed in one way or another at sowing discord, anger and confusion in the U.S. electorate. More will be coming out on the content of these ads, but they did not stop short of advocating for marginal candidates who could deflect votes away from their clear nemesis in that election, Hillary Clinton. Most significantly, the ads were all hateful and contrarian. So much for the mindset of our Russian adversaries. It is doubly sad that such propaganda did not stick out like a sore thumb on the U.S. political landscape last fall, if only because it conformed to such a troubling degree with what has become the lowest common denominator of our own nation’s political discourse. In other words, they were able to hide in the wide open because of this. When are we going to get it through our own thick skulls that this astonishing decline in the quality of our political conversation is laying our nation wide open to our demise, to the demise of democracy? This has every thing to do with my effort to focus on what Clinton wrote in her now-universal best-seller, What Happened, about “Love and Kindness,” that chapter which was so pivotal to her book even if it did come late into it, starting at Page 429. It contains the same sentiment that animated her earlier book, It Takes a Village. Now, yes, I do think that Hillary Rodham Clinton is a brilliant mind and leader. There’s a reason why it is so important to affirm now, to not let her get kicked under the bus and dismissed as just one more uppity woman who tried to do too much and failed. It’s because, among other things, no one in the high stakes game of national politics has taken the time to address the issues that speak more to the serious ills of our cultural discourse than she, even if it was relatively low key in this first post-election literary effort. She had the nerve to cite the influence of the theologian Paul Tillich in her life as he was introduced to her in the mid-1960s by her youth minister Don Jones in Park Ridge, Illinois, where she grew up. In particular, she quoted from the Tillich sermon, “You Are Accepted,” that influenced her so much. That sermon was cited by Peter J. Gomes in his introduction to the second (2000) edition of Tillich’s best selling compilation of Yale lectures, The Courage to Be, as being where Tillich “made his famous definition of sin as estrangement or separation” and then “redefines grace as acceptance,” as “the grace coming to us as a wave of light into our darkness, as if a voice were saying, ‘You are accepted. You are accepted by that which is greater than you.” This is “a self-affirmation which presupposes participation in something which transcends the self.” This powerful juxtaposition of separation and grace became the “ground of being,” defined by Tillich, for strengthening the ties and solidarities by which humans share common lots and pursue common aims. This is the polar opposite of the divisive and hate-mongering contents of those Russian Facebook ads.
Nicholas F. Benton
Nicholas Benton may be emailed at nfbenton@fcnp.com.
SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017 | PAGE 17
The Abbie Hoffman of the Right: Trump It has to be admitted that Donald Trump is doing exactly what he was elected to do. He was not elected to be a legislative president. He never showed any real interest in policy during the campaign. He was elected to be a cultural president. He was elected to shred the dominant American culture and to give voice to those who felt voiceless in that culture. He’s doing that every day. What’s troubling to me is that those who are the targets of his assaults seem to have no clue about what is going on. When they feel the most righteous, like this past weekend, they are actually losing and in the most peril. Let me try to explain what I think is happening: After World War II the Protestant estabNEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE lishment dominated the high ground of American culture and politics. That establishment eventually failed. It tolerated segregation and sexism, led the nation into war in Vietnam and became stultifying. So in the late 1960s along came a group of provocateurs like Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin and the rest of the counterculture to upend the Protestant establishment. People like Hoffman were buffoons, but also masters of political theater. They never attracted majority support for their antics, but they didn’t have to. All they had to do was provoke, offend the crew-cut crowd, generate outrage and set off a cycle that ripped apart the cultural consensus. The late 1960s were a time of intense cultural conflict, which left a lot of wreckage in its wake. But eventually a new establishment came into being, which we will call the meritocratic establishment. These were the tame heirs to Hoffman and Rubin. They were well-educated. They cut their moral teeth on the civil rights and feminist movements. They embraced economic, social and moral individualism. They came to dominate the institutions of American society on both left and right. Hillary Clinton is part of this more-educated cohort. So are parts of the conservative establishment. If you’re reading this newspaper, you probably are, too, as am I. This establishment, too, has had its failures. It created an economy that benefits itself and leaves everybody else out. It led America into war in Iraq and sent the working class off to fight it. It has developed its own brand of cultural snobbery. Its media, film and music industries make members of the working class
David Brooks
feel invisible and disrespected. So in 2016, members of the outraged working class elected their own Abbie Hoffman as president. Trump is not good at much, but he is wickedly good at sticking his thumb in the eye of the educated elites. He doesn’t have to build a new culture, or even attract a majority. He just has to tear down the old one. That’s exactly what he’s doing. Donald Trump came into a segmenting culture and he is further tearing apart every fissure. He has a nose for every wound in the body politic and day after day he sticks a red-hot poker in one wound or another and rips it open. Day by day Trump is turning us into a nation of different planets. Each planet feels more righteous about itself and is more isolated from and offended by the other planets. The members of the educated class saw the weekend’s NFL fracas as a fight over racism. They felt mobilized and unified in that fight and full of righteous energy. Members of the working class saw the fracas as a fight about American identity. They saw Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin try to dissuade Alejandro Villanueva, a three-time combat veteran, from celebrating the flag he risked his life for. Members of this class also felt mobilized, unified and full of righteous energy. I don’t know which planet is bigger, or which would win an election, but that frankly doesn’t matter. All that matters is that Trump is shredding the culture and ending the dominance of the meritocratic establishment. He continually goes after racial matters in part because he’s a bigot but also in part because multiculturalism is the theology of the educated class and it’s the leverage point he can most effectively use to isolate the educated class from everyone else. He is so destructive because his enemies help him. He ramps up the aggression. His enemies ramp it up more, to preserve their own dignity. But the ensuing cultural violence only serves Trump’s long-term destructive purpose. America is seeing nearly as much cultural conflict as it did in the late 1960s. It’s quite possible that after four years of this Trump will have effectively destroyed the prevailing culture. The reign of the meritocratic establishment will be just as over as the reign of the Protestant establishment now is. Of course Donald Trump is a buffoon. Buffoonery is his most effective weapon. Because of him, a new culture will have to be built, new values promulgated and a new social fabric will have to be woven, one that brings the different planets back into relation with one another. That’s the work of the next 20 years.
PAGE 18 | SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017
SPO RTS
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Full Steam Ahead for Mason as Team Improves to 4-0 BY ALEX MOORE
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
George Mason High School football fans witnessed quite a spectacle for the school’s homecoming game on Sept. 22, when the Mason Mustangs walloped the Manassas Park High School Cougars, 62-32, in their second home game of the season. Mason, now 4-0, has doubled its win total from last year, when the team won its first two games but faltered down the stretch and lost its final eight. Manassas Park’s defeat knocked the Cougars’ record to 1-4. What’s made the difference for this year’s Mustangs? “Great team chemistry,” said Mason head coach Adam Amerine. “Adding a couple of new guys and having another year of experience playing in this system both certainly help, but mainly these guys are just out there for each other, playing hard.” Junior running back Jack Felgar exemplifies that mentality. Despite running for seven touchdowns on the night, he answered a question about his own performance by pointing to that of a teammate, senior running back
SEE JACK RUN. Junior running back Jack Felgar had a career night working out of the Mustang back�ield as he gashed the Manassas Park Cougars for over 270 yards and seven touchdowns en route to a 62-32 homecoming win for Mason. Felgar & Co. will look to replicate that output when they host Brentsville District High School tomorrow. (P�����: C���� S��) Finn Roou. “He made a lot of big tackles, had a lot of big carries for us,” he said. Modesty aside, Felgar was the star of the show. His prowess running the ball helped Mason reach the endzone on their first
three drives. Manassas Park would respond during their offensive possessions, but a goal line dive from Roou, a 21-yard scamper from Felgar and an eight yard run from senior quarterback Thomas Creed helped to keep the Cougars
at arm’s length the entirety of the game. When asked about the reasons for the team’s turnaround, Felgar mostly agreed with his coach. “There’s a lot more energy around us this year,” he said. “We have a
lot of seniors who are great leaders, and we’re just more excited as a whole.” Indeed, the team has appeared to benefit from its experience. The 38-player roster features nine seniors, many of whom play prominent roles on both offense and defense. The seniors’ experience showed in this game when the team didn’t let itself get complacent after jumping out to an early 21-0 lead. Even though the Cougars continued to score, the Mustangs held strong and never gave them a fighting chance. The fact that the Cougars kept finding ways to score means Mason will have something to work on this week as they prepare to host the Brentsville District Tigers on Friday, Sept. 29. “Tonight, our defense had a lot of holes,” Amerine assessed. “We need to tighten that up because our schedule is just going to keep getting tougher.” It appears that the team will embrace that opportunity to improve, though. “We’ve got a tough opponent coming up next week,” said Felgar after the game, a smile on his face. “We’re trying to go 5-0, so our goal is to keep getting better.”
Mustangs Learn Loads at Weekend Tourney, Sweep Central to Stay Hot BY MATT DELANEY
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
A weekend of action saw the George Mason High School volleyball team square up against four local teams and manage a 1-3 record as a part of day-long tournament at T.C. Williams High School. Mason followed up the tournament with a 3-0 win over Bull Run District rival Central High School on Tuesday. Record-wise, it wasn’t the ideal showing for Mason at the tournament, but the results have no bearing on the team’s overall record so the losses shouldn’t be taken to heart. In reality, Saturday’s competition provided head coach Hillary Trebels and the Mustangs an opportunity to fine tune aspects of their game against teams they wouldn’t typically play against. “We showed we could play with anyone, no matter how big the school is,” Trebels said. “The girls came together and were scrappy on defense and determined.” An opening match versus St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School had Mason off to a good start by winning both games. The Mustangs paced the Saints by mixing in
different players to vary fatigue levels as well as attack SSSAS with diverse looks. It worked to their advantage as junior outside hitter McKenzie Brady, typically an attacker, helped with her passing while freshman utility player Roza Gal covered the net while junior setter Shea Ruyak split libero duties with senior Hannah Trauberman. Things slowed down for the Mustangs against Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology and WashingtonLee High School in their second and third matches. Mason had a chip on its shoulder from a 3-0 loss to Jefferson three weeks back and wanted to atone for their previous performance. Initially, they came out serves-blazing and had a sevenpoint lead over the Colonials. But Jefferson clawed their way back in by forced long rallies that wore the Mustangs down, leading to missed hits and communication errors that lost them the match. Wobbly legs got the best of Mason when facing WashingtonLee as well. A multi-point burst to start the match succumbed to low energy levels and another tough
loss in the third match of the tournament. Regrouping for the fourth and final match, the Mustangs held strong against tournament host T.C. Brady and junior outside hitter Riley Ruyak kept the offense on track while junior right side hitter Savannah Williams and senior middle hitters Kait Daniels and Laura Whitaker kept the Titans’ offense in check. Senior setter Bella Ashton and freshman setter Olivia Pilson also helped facilitate the offense, but T.C.’s firepower was too much to handle and Mason eventually lost this match as well. Mason didn’t waste any time feeling sorry for themselves, though. On the road against rival Central, the Mustangs took care of the Falcons in a hurry, seizing a 3-0 win, winning each game 25-11, 25-15 and 25-21. Ruyak was again solid playing the libero and put the setters in prime position for scoring opportunities to outside and middle hitters, especially Whitaker and Daniels. According the Trebels, the Falcons were preserving rallies well while getting a boost from their fans, but the Mustangs stayed
CELEBRATING after a point at the net are a collection of Mustang players against Mount Vernon on Sept. 12. The win marked a turning point in the Mustangs season as it was the start of their current four-game win streak. (P����: C���� S��) focused. The win marked Mason’s fourth straight, all of which have been three-set sweeps. Strasburg High School will come to Falls Church on Thursday
before Mason heads to Arlington for an official game against Washington-Lee Monday, Oct. 2, and a home game against Madison County High School on Oct. 3.
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017 | PAGE 19
The “It’s Only Another Beer” Black and Tan
THE LANGLEY SCHOOL, a private school located in McLean, celebrated it’s 75th year in existence on Sept. 22. The school-wide celebration varied across all age groups, as children in the Primary School division created 75th birthday crowns and looked up areas that 75 miles away while Middle Schoolers wrote limmericks in tribute of the school’ anniversary and interviewed relatives about what life was like in 1942. (P����: C������� S����� V��������)
F� � � � C � � � � �
S����� N��� � N���� 3 Local Schools Win Virginia Naturally Award Five Fairfax County Public Schools have won the 2017 Virginia Naturally Award, with two of the five schools being local. Belvedere Elementary School by Lake Barcroft and Churchill Road Elementary School in McLean were recipients of the award. Virginia Naturally Schools is the official environmental education school recognition program of the Commonwealth and is administered by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries with support from the Virginia Department of Education, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and other state resource agencies. This program recognizes the efforts of many Virginia schools to increase the environmental awareness and stewardship of school age children.
Local Fairfax Co. Students Win STEM Awards Elementary and middle school students from Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) won awards at the 2017 Northern Virginia Junior Solar Sprint (JSS), a competition to design, build,
and race model solar electric cars. The goal of the JSS is to stimulate interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for students in grades 5-8. It is a satellite event of the USA Science and Engineering Festival. Winners from local schools included: Deven Hagen and Prashim Rijal from Haycock Elementary won third place in the Elementary Division (grades 5-6), Speed Category; Andres Contreras and Samantha Mendoza along with Anson Zhong and Maryam Malik, from Jackson Middle, won first and second place, respectively, in the Middle School Division (grades 7-8), Speed Category. The “Most Resourceful” award in the Middle School Division went to Anika Gupta, Anjana Rajesh and Anna Cheng from Jackson Middle while the “Team Spirit” award in the Middle School Division went to Ram Reddy and Nitish Tenepalli from Longfellow Middle and to Deven Hagen and Prashim Rijal from Haycock Elementary in the Elementary Division.
College Admission Officials Visit Mason High Visits by 10 college admissions officials to George Mason High
School will take place all this week. There will also be visits and presentations from 10 colleges to Mason the following week. Check Naviance under the colleges tab for the complete schedule as more will continue to visit ahead of application deadlines. Students need to register at least one day in advance and make sure their teachers are aware of their registration by sharing confirmation if class time will be missed.
PSAT Performances Earn Mason Students High Honors The PSAT test serves as the National Merit Qualifying Test. Some 50,000 students were identified as the highest scorers, including 34,000 high performers named Commended Scholars, nine of whom are George Mason High School students: Kat Hansen, Leah Kleinberg, Sahithi Palle, Bella Ashton, Dean Kim, Gordon Copeland, Clara Matton, Lydia Grund and Griffin Warner. Earlier the NMSC announced the 16,000 seniors identified as semifinalists in the merit scholarship competition, including Mason’s David Miller. This year’s PSAT will be given at George Mason High School on Wednesday, Oct. 11.
8 oz. pilsner lager 8 oz. stout lager 1 frosty mug 1 icy road 1 pick-up truck 1 10-hour day 1 tired worker A few rounds with the guys Mix ingredients. Add 1 totalled vehicle.
Never underestimate ‘just a few.’ Buzzed driving is drunk driving.
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PAGE 20 | SEPTEMBER 28 - OCTOBER 4, 2017
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Werblood Announces Sponsorship of New Creative Cauldron Work Local attorney Mark F. Werblood of Tesler & Werblood is sponsoring Creative Cauldron’s new musical “The Mistress Cycle” premiering Thursday, Oct. 5. “The Mistress Cycle” tells the story of five women: Tess, a struggling 30-something Manhattan photographer; Anais Nin, the famed sexual adventuress of the early 20th century; Diane de Poitiers, the mistress of Henri II of France in the 16th century; Lulu White, a turn-of-the-last-century New Orleans Madame; and Ching, a 14-year-old concubine in 12th century China. Though they come from different times and cultures, they share a sisterhood. The show will be performed Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 and 7 p.m. Creative Cauldron is located at 410 S. Maple Avenue in Falls Church. For more information, visit www.creativecauldron.org. A sneak peek will be provided at a Falls Church Chamber of Commerce Mixer on Thursday, Sept. 28 from 5:30 – 7 p.m.
Advon Hosts Workshop About Creating Ideal Gallery Wall Advon Real Estate is hosting “Creating the Perfect Gallery Wall” on Saturday, Sept. 30 from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Attendees will learn how to create the perfect gallery wall for home or office. This free community event will include treats from Village Sweet. Advon Real Estate is located at 929 W. Broad Street, Suite 202, Falls Church. For more information, visit AdvonRE.com.
Locker Room Looks to Join in Relief Effort for Puerto Rico The Locker Room is hosting an event with Circulo de Puerto Rico to help Puerto Rican relief efforts. From Saturday, Sept. 30 at 3 p.m. through Sunday, Oct. 1 at 12:30 a.m., The Locker Room will donate 15 percent of sales and collect items of need such as baby wipes, adult and baby diapers, sunblock, baby/child/adult pain relievers, mosquito repellent, first aid kits, powdered baby formula, and hand sanitizers. They are directing monetary donations to unitedforpuertorico.com. This community initiative is in conjunction with the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration and the campaign United for Puerto Rico. The Locker Room is located at 502 W. Broad Street in Falls Church.
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The Original Pancake House will donate 15 percent of all sales to The Arc of Northern Virginia on Thursday, Sept. 28. The Arc of Northern Virginia is a 55-year old local nonprofit that represents and serves individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities such as autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and rare chromosomal disorders, and their families throughout Northern Virginia. The Arc of Northern Virginia provides programs, services, and advocacy education provide critical support through the entire lifespan of an individual, from diagnosis and early intervention services to aging with a disability. The Original Pancake House is located at 7395 Lee Highway in Falls Church. For more information, please visit thearcofnova.org/dine-out/.
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Sunstone Counseling Adds New Clinicians to Team Sunstone Counseling on Broad Street has added new clinicians to its staff, including Sarah Moore, Resident in Counseling, Liz Edwards, Graduate Counseling Intern, Erika Davis, Resident in Counseling and Hannah Dressler, Graduate Counseling Intern. Celebrating its 6th year, Sunstone has 23 experienced clinicians in Falls Church and Old Town Alexandria and serves children, teenagers, adults and couples. Appointments are available early mornings, days and evenings, 7 days a week. For more information call (703) 534-5100 and visit sunstonecounselors.com. 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.
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
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cards that won’t have our Social Security number as the identifier. The card will come in the mail; you don’t have to do a thing. If you get calls saying you have to pay for your new card or give personal information, hang up. *** If you’d planned to pick up a couple of senior passes to the national parks as part of your autumn leaf-peeping travels, you’ll need to increase your budget. The lifetime access pass has gone from $10 to a whopping $80. The senior pass (full name: America the Beautiful – The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass) is a bargain, providing admission to recreation areas run by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife, U.S. Forest Service and more. If you don’t want to pay the $80 all at once, consider a oneyear pass for $20. Do that for four years, and you can convert it to a lifetime pass. There still are ways to visit our parks without breaking the bank. Some parks only charge a few dollars for admission. Others, like the national monuments, are free. Those that do
New Scam Targets Your Social Security Check BY MATLIDA CHARLES
KING FEATURES SYNDICATE
Here we go again: yet another scam aimed at seniors. This one involves Social Security. It’s almost believable, so we need to be extra careful. What the scammers want is to steal your money. This is how it works: Someone will call and pretend to be from the Social Security Administration. You’ll be told that you’re about to get an increase in your benefits. All they need to do, say the scammers, is to verify all your personal information. After all, they say, you do want to get your extra benefits, right? You’ll be asked for your date of birth, Social Security number, banking information and more. Armed with all this personal data, it’s easy for the thieves to
have your money directed to them at a new address or bank account for direct deposit. Until your benefits don’t show up, you’ll never know that something has happened to your money. Something to remember if you get a call that’s supposedly from Social Security: It already has all your information. It’s not likely that Social Security will ever call you anyway, but if they do, there’s no need to tell them anything. If you ever have questions about whether a call is legitimate, be safe: hang up immediately. Then call Social Security at 1-800772-1213 and ask if someone there just called for any reason. If the answer is no, make a report with the Inspector General fraud office at 1-800-269-0271. Remember that next year we’ll start getting new Medicare
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SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017 | PAGE 21
charge have some free days designated each year. If you’re taking a trip soon, here’s a warning: The parks service is inundated with requests for passes, and you might not get yours before you leave. However, print out the confirmation you receive and take that with you, as well as a picture ID. If you’re planning to buy your pass at the recreation site, phone ahead; many have run out of passes. To buy online, go to yourpassnow.com. You’ll pay an extra $10 processing fee. If you are permanently disabled, you can get a free pass
with documentation. If you already have the $10 lifetime pass, you won’t have to pay for a new one; you’re grandfathered in ... unless you lose the one you now have. For more information, go online to www.nps.gov, where you’ll learn about parks by state, and locations to buy a pass. Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into her column whenever possible. Send email to columnreply2@gmail.com.
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PAGE 22 | SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017
T h e G r e at E n e r gy T r a n s i t i o n
The Years Just Ahead by Tom Whipple
Falls Church News-Press
As the global climate continues to deteriorate, consideration of where our civilization is heading becomes more critical with every passing day. The frequency and intensity of hurricanes and cyclones around the world is forcing many to reconsider just how disruptive global warming could become. While many in the U.S. still refuse to accept that the excessive combustion of fossil fuels is the primary cause of global warming, most of the world’s leaders are now in agreement that fossil fuels eventually must be phased out. Another looming problem is how long plentiful supplies of affordable fossil fuels can last. Global oil consumption is now running close to 98 million barrels per day, and the U.S. Department of Energy predicts that global oil consumption will continue to grow for the next 25 years although not quite as fast as the 1.5 million barrels per day annual increase we have seen lately. A little multiplication shows that the world now is burning through 36 billion barrels of oil each year and soon will be around 40 billion if consumption keeps growing. This, of course, adds up to 400 billion barrels of oil each decade or circa 1 trillion barrels of oil consumption in the next 25 years. Although nobody likes to talk about it, consuming this much oil by the early 2040s is not likely to happen. Either the climate is going to get too bad to continue, or the costs of extracting each additional barrel of oil will get too high in comparison to other alternatives.
The combination of global warming and the depletion of affordable fossil fuels suggests that somewhere ahead, possibly as soon as five to 10 years from now, global civilization is going to be in big trouble unless we can find a viable alternative to fossil fuels as our primary source of energy. The use of solar, wind and maybe even biofuels will grow rapidly and new techniques for storing electrical energy from intermittent sources are likely to come into widespread use in the decade ahead. However, current projections say that renewable fuels will only amount to some 15 percent of our needs 25 years from now. If, as seems likely, consumption of fossil fuels is constrained for one reason or another, the global economy is going to change, perhaps rapidly. Another and more interesting alternative, however, is whether there are completely new technologies in the offing that could be used as a substitute for fossil fuels — possibly even in time to mitigate the effects of climate change and eventual fossil fuel depletion. Although it may sound far-fetched to many, from time to time new technologies are discovered and developed which change civilization — think steam, electricity, internal combustion, or electronics. Currently there are two alternative technologies which seem viable and could be on the market in the next few years. These are Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR) and Brilliant Light Power’s (BrLP) SunCell. Both of these technologies have been under development for years, but are based on scientific principles not as yet well understood and
controversial. Despite the lack of a well understood scientific basis, both seem to work as has been verified by experiments going back many years. The controversy surrounding these technologies accounts for the lack of publicity in the mainstream media. Although numerous scientists and organizations around the world are working on LENR, only two currently are saying they are close to launching commercial products. Unfortunately, neither of these entities are very forthcoming about the details of their devices. The Italian, Andrea Rossi, who seems to be as far ahead in developing the LENR technology as anyone, says he is finishing up testing, will be ready for a public demonstration later this year, and start selling heat generated by his devices next year. BrLP Power and its CEO Randell Mills, however, have always been quite open about the progress they are making and even the difficulties they are encountering. From BrLP’s recent presentation we learned that they will not meet their goal of having working prototypes ready for external testing this year. As could be expected from a radically new technology operating at extreme temperatures they have encountered numerous difficulties in turning a laboratory prototype into an automated and reliable device that can be put into commercial service. At the presentation in Denver, last week Mills released a new schedule which now envisions field testing of his SunCell in the second half of 2018 and a commercial launch in the second half of 2019. This announcement sets the project’s commercial launch back by about a year.
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Mills, however, outlined several new developments which could turn out to be good news for the SunCell project and the speed with which it can be turned into a commercial product. He reports that in the past year, BrLP has overcome a series of “key engineering challenges” in automating the device and that the engineering is far enough along to turn the project over to their partner, Columbia Tech of Boston, MA, to finish the engineering and build the first automated prototypes. Reaching this goal would be a significant achievement, for an automated SunCell should be able to run for extended periods and develop information about its performance and reliability. The current schedule allows another nine to 15 months to build and test the first prototypes in-house. Hopefully, during this period, there will be a public demonstration of a fully automated SunCell that can produce energy continuously. Such an achievement may be enough to convince the scientific community, the mainstream media, and governments around the world that an alternative to fossil fuels may be available soon. During the past year, BrLP has rethought its plans and has decided to delay development of the complex concentrated photovoltaic subsystem that was to produce electrical energy directly from the luminescent sphere energized by the hydrino reaction. The company now is planning to develop a “thermal” version of the SunCell which would be capable of delivering 500kW of thermal energy for boiler, hot air or hot water systems. BrLP has contracted with a leading heat exchanger firm, TMI Climate Solutions, to develop the concepts leading to a commercial heat-producing SunCell. In comparison with concentrated photovoltaics, the design and construction of a thermal energy
SPOT A STROKE StrokeAssociation.org
producing SunCell as opposed to an electricity producing one should be relatively easy. Heat exchangers are an old and well-understood technology even if extracting heat from a plasma glowing at 3,600K is unusual. BrLP likely hopes it can bring a product to market in less time than it takes to develop a concentrated photovoltaic version of the device. To speed up the electricityproducing version of the SunCell, BrLP has decided to use readily available off-the-shelf photovoltaic cells that should get the device working much more quickly and with fewer development problems. This decision will result in a less efficient electricity-producing version of the SunCell which will only produce 120kW in its first iteration. For a second generation, BrLP now is considering attaching its device to a magnetohydrodynamic device. Such a device would pass the 3,500K plasma produced by the hydrino reaction between two magnets which will produce electricity. Such a device could in theory be very efficient and allow later versions of the SunCell to generate electrical power several times higher than the first generation will be able to do. While many are frustrated at the seemingly endless delays in bring these new sources of energy to the place where they can produce useful energy, it should be remembered that we are dealing with technologies that are based on science somewhat beyond our knowledge and understanding of nature. Given the potential of Brilliant Light’s SunCell technology or various LENR project that are underway, they are well worth waiting for given the current outlook for the world’s climate and energy supply. Tom Whipple is a retired government analyst and has been following the great energy transition for several years.
FO O D &D I NI NG
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Tips for Throwing a Dinner Party BY LAURA REILEY TAMPA BAY TIMES
I was cocky. I had nearly finished cooking school, I could make a genoise and a decent hollandaise. But, in much the way an amateur juggler who has mastered the basic three-ball cascade assumes she’s ready for four, I was overconfident. In juggling, difficulty increases exponentially as you add objects. I’m pretty sure the same holds true in cooking. My first dinner party, and many to follow, were studies in reckless overambition. Too many dishes, too many things that had to be done last minute, too many showy and expensive ingredients. I would open the door to my dinner guests feeling shaky and disheveled, the evening spent in a swirl so I was never quite in attendance at my own party. I’m wiser now. Here are the things I’ve learned. • Make food ahead. Certain cuisines lend themselves to this. A French boeuf bourguignon is impressive and really tastes better if it sits a day or two. Indian food — lentil dal, chana masala,
chicken curry — it can all be made ahead and frozen, then the day of your party make rice, put out chutneys and condiments, pop some poppadum in the microwave. Or how about a chili party? A traditional beef, one with chicken and tomatillos, and a third veggie version (all freezeable), then all you need is corn bread, chips, sour cream, shredded cheddar and a deep arsenal of hot sauces. • More in the mood for hors d’oeuvres? Phyllo dough and puff pastry lend themselves to freezables. Make a couple each week in the month before a party and the freezer will be full of bakeand-serves. Supplement these with doctored store-bought items: cucumber rounds piped with salmon cream cheese; a “meze” platter of purchased hummus, feta, olives, roasted red peppers and pita wedges. If you are doing passed hors d’oeuvres, stagger hot and cold dishes so that the voracious don’t camp out near your oven door. • People can, and will, congregate in the kitchen in the most inconvenient location, in plain sight of a perfectly lovely living
room couch. Arrange food in different parts of your house — wine and cocktails on the patio, a buffet table in the family room, desserts in a hallway. This gets people out of your kitchen and circulating. If carpeting is an issue, consider throwing down a cheapie area rug. • At the beginning of a party, there’s a bottleneck at the bar. Premixing batches of “signature” mixed drinks (maybe something retro — Harvey Wallbangers? Monkey Glands?) or punch can get a drink in everyone’s hand in no time. Once your pitchers are empty, people seem content to mix their own drinks (you can even have a couple of recipes out for inspiration) or switch to wine. And feel adventuresome: People get hung up on vodka being the “universal solvent.” Most party guests are willing to try a featured cocktail, especially if it has a fun name. (By the way: Martini glasses get very sloshy as guests get likewise. Regular highball-shaped glasses are safer and all-purpose.) • Know how much booze to buy. A standard bottle of wine or liquor (often called a fifth) holds
SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017 | PAGE 23
750 milliliters, or a little more than 25 ounces. Let’s say you’re prebatching a pitcher of margaritas that uses 8½ ounces of tequila. You’ll get almost three pitchers of margaritas from one bottle of tequila. That same size bottle of gin or bourbon will make 16 individual drinks. Plan accordingly. • People will lose their drink and pour another one. People will use an unconscionable number of napkins. Count on five paper plates, napkins and glasses per person, and try to limit standup cocktail party foods to those that can be eaten with fingers or only a fork. And although inelegant, it’s
important to have garbage cans placed near any buffet station and the drinks station (with recycling bins for bottles and cans). • Here’s the most important one: Accept help. Invited a wallflower or two? Ask them to do something specific in the kitchen. They’ll be more comfortable and you can use the extra hands. This means that before the party starts you need to identify tasks you are willing to delegate. And even if you prepare party food and drink yourself, consider hiring a server to pass food, scoop up empties and clean the kitchen as the party progresses.
Just a few hours of your time can make a big difference. Together, with our nationwide community of volunteers, you can help the Feeding America network of food banks end hunger. Pledge to volunteer at your local food bank. FeedingAmerica.org/Pledge
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PAGE 24 | SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
A RTS&E NTE RTA I NME NT
SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017 | PAGE 25
with
SHovels & Rope
September
28 ay
sd Thur
Rob Hornfeck Dogwood Tavern 6:30 p.m. 132 W Broad St., Falls Church
703-237-8333 • dogwoodtavern.com
29 y
Frida
Hayley Fahey Clare & Don’s Beach Shack 6:30 p.m. 130 N Washington St., Falls Church
703-532-9283 • clareanddons.com
PigPen Theatre Co. with David Luning
Jammin’ Java 8 p.m. 227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna
703-255-1566 • jamminjava.com
30 day
Satur
BY MATT DELANEY
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
The array of jovial and sober tunes American folk music possesses tap into a part of our nation’s culture that either enliven or prompt reflection among its listeners in a way few other genres can engender. Charleston-based husband and wife duo Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst make up Shovels & Rope, which will be providing some melodic Americana to a local audience when they visit Leesburg’s Tally Ho Theater next month. Trent and Hearst were living out parallel existences before they finally synced up into the folk powerhouse they are now. The two were originally in separate groups who’d tour together on and off and even released solo albums. Once they married in 2009, Trent and Hearst seemed intent on continuing their own individual projects, but it wasn’t long before they realized combining their talent might be the better option. “Right as we were set to take these separate directions, we paused and thought ‘If we were so successful and these things take off, we’re going to be physically separated,” Trent said, noting that they had already experimented with a joint act when making 2008’s album titled Shovels & Rope prior to being married. “And we kinda just dove in and said ‘Let’s see if this works.’” The harmony of their matrimony was successfully transferred to the stage. Shovels & Rope was a logistical dream for venues who’d be open to hosting them. Trent and Hearst can concoct most of their tunes in a pared down set that includes a three-piece drum kit and an acoustic guitar. On top of that, they were agreeable, business-like, timely and most importantly, damn good performers who knew how to play to a crowd after years of touring. Hearst’s voice resembles a folksy Dolly Parton while Trent’s command of the harmonica goes well with their shared capacities to play the guitar, drums or take lead/back-up vocals. It allows their shows
SHOVELS & ROPE. (P����: J��B���) to blend simple, unique combinations into homestyle masterpiece’s. Even with a great end product, though, there was a learning curve when it came to synchronizing their individual approaches. “[Trent] and I had a whole process of removing our egos from our own projects and learning to work together and think and operate as one thing. That took a little bit more time,” Hearst said, before Trent added, “Yeah, it was just so many years invested in our previous projects that it was hard to fathom scrapping it and starting something new...but if we had [continued as solo artists] things would have gone a lot differently and I’m glad we didn’t.” After finding their groove, the two now bring a great charisma to the establishments they visit. It fits in with their general view of the music industry, where Trent claims that having a sense of humor about the business is a must since
inexplicable, and often, ridiculous things will happen behind the scenes. But even as the Trent and Hearst have grown together both in and out of the spotlight, it’s really about staying true to who they are and the family they’ve created as the ultimate prize. “To be the best parents we can be is the most important thing in our lives and to be the best artists we can be is the second most important thing in our lives,” Hearst said. “It’s important to stay grateful for the fact that we can do this as a job for now, and like [Hearst] said there’s a lot of real life stuff going on all around us, but just keeping that perspective is A-1,” Trent added. Shovels & Rope plays Oct. 18 at the Tally Ho Theater (19 W Market St., Leesburg). To purchase tickets for their show, visit tallyhotheater. com/shovelsandrope101817 and for more information on Shovels & Rope, visit shovelsandrope. com.
The Legwarmers D.C.’s Biggest ‘80s Dance Party
State Theatre
These singles wet the appetites of the FCNP editorial team this week:
8 p.m. 220 N Washington St.., Falls Church 703-237-0300 • thestatetheatre.com
Nicholas Benton – Hurricane by Bob Dylan
Jody Fellows – The Waiting by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Matt Delaney – Perplexing Pegasus by Rae Sremmurd
PAGE 26 | SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017
CA L E NDA R
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
FALLS CHURCHCALENDAR COMMUNITYEVENTS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 Fundraiser for Arlington Free Clinic. The seventh annual fundraiser for the Arlington Free Clinic will be held at Clare & Don’s during the evening hours. Raffle items and a perforance by Claire Cho will headline the night’s festivies. Clare & Don’s Beach Shack (130 N Washington St., Falls Church) 5 – 9 p.m. 703-532-9283.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 Sunset Cinema:Remember the Titans. The City’s Recreation and Parks Department on will show movies on select Fridays. Moviegoers are encouraged to bring blankets and picnics. Drinks, popcorn and snacks will be available for purchase. In the case of inclement weather, screenings will be moved into the Community Center as available. This Friday’s movie is “Remember the Titans.”
The story of a newly appointed African-American coach and his high school football team on their first season as a racially integrated unit. Cherry Hill Park (312 Park Ave., Falls Church). 7:45 – 9:45 p.m.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 Concert Fundraiser. Lyric soprano Deborah Miller and pianist Jennifer Heemstra will be performing at a concert fundraiser to benefit Virginia’s Chapter G of International P.EO. a philanthropic organization that aims to support post-secondary education for women. Pre-concert reception is set to begin a half an hour before the show starts. Falls Church Episcopal Church (115 E. Fairfax St., Falls Church). 7:30 p.m. Visit peointernational.org for more details. The City of Falls Church Habitat Restoration.Team in restoring the local ecosystem in Isaac Crossman Park. Attendees will be planting
native plants on this Saturday. Enter the park from Van Buren St. where the playground is located. You can also walk-in from North Washington St. using the Gresham Place St. Isaac Crossman Park (1900 N Westmoreland St., Falls Church). 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. More information on the park locations can be found at fallschurchva.gov/511/Parks.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 2 Preschool Storytime. Stories and fun for ages 0-5. Drop-in. All storytimes are followed by playtime with the Early Literacy Center toys. Mary Riley Styles Library (120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church). 10:30 - 11 a.m. 703-248-5034 Playtime with the Early Literacy Center. Explore educational and manipulative items (aka toys) to teach early literacy through play. Ages birth to 5 years. No registration required. Mary Riley Styles Library (120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church). 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. 703-
248-5034. Garden Club Hosts New Program. The Falls Church Garden Club will host a program, “The Layered Garden: Combining Plants for More Beauty, Resilience, and Less Maintenance” by Thomas Ranier, a renowned landscape architect who has created designs for the U.S. Capitol grounds, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, the New York Botanical Garden and gardens throughout the eastern US and co-authored “Planting in a Post-Wild World.” American Legion Post #130 (400 N Oak St. Falls Church) 7:30 p.m. More information can be found at fallschurchgardenclub.org. ESL Conversation Group. A general conversation group (for adults) learning English as their second language. Meets every Monday at regularly scheduled time. No registration required. Mary Riley Styles Library (120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church). 7 – 8 p.m. 703-248-5034.
THEATER&ARTS
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 “A Little Night Music” In 1900 Sweden, on a magical night that smiles three times, an aging actress, a married virgin, a sexstarved divinity student and a buffoonish count find themselves hilariously tangled in a web of love affairs. Delightful, charming and at times heartbreaking, with gorgeous, lush music, including “A Weekend in the Country,” “Liaisons” and the seminal “Send in the Clowns,” “A Little Night Music” is a coupling (and uncoupling) tour-de-force. Signature Theatre (4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington). $40. 8 p.m. sigtheatre. org.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 230 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER “Death of a Salesman.” Willy Loman’s career is over. During a pivotal 24 hours, he reflects on his life as a father, husband and traveling salesman. Truth and lies intermingle as Willy tries to reconcile the optimism of his youth with his unfulfilled dreams. As the full force of reality crashes down on him, he places his last hope of success in his two sons. Arthur
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Miller’s classic play challenges us to reconsider what it means to succeed and the cost of chasing the American Dream. Stephen Rayne (“Our Town,” “The Widow Lincoln,” “Sabrina Fair”) directs Craig Wallace as Willy Loman and Kimberly Schraf as Linda Loman. Ford’s Theatre (514 10th St. NW, Washington, D.C.). $40. 2 p.m. fords.org. “Skeleton Crew.” “Skeleton Crew” centers on Detroit during the 2008 recession. Faye has spent her career at one of the last auto-stamping plants in Detroit, Shanita is pregnant, Dez has a whole future to plan and their manager Reggie owes a nearly un-payable debt to his work family. As rumors of a plant shutdown begin to spread, these tight-knit workers face what they’re willing to sacrifice to survive. Find out for yourself why The New York Times hailed the show as “a deeply moral and deeply American play,” when it comes to the stage. Studio Theatre (1501 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C.) $70. 8 p.m. studiotheatre.org
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1 “Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train.” Pulitzer Prize-winner Stephen Adly Guirgis’ darkly comic meditation on redemption and faith, Angel Cruz is a 30-year-old bicycle messenger awaiting trial for the death of the leader of a religious cult. Inside Rikers Island, a terrified Angel is befriended by a charismatic serial killer named Lucius Jenkins. Lucius has found God and been born again, and now Angel’s life and the course of his trial will be changed forever. 1st Stage Theater (1742 Spring Rd., Tysons). $33. 2 p.m. 1ststagetysons.org.
LIVEMUSIC THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 228 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER Claire Cho Show. Clare and Don’s Beach Shack. (130 North Washington St., Falls Church). 6:30 p.m. 703-532-9283. Rob Hornfeck. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 6:30 p.m. 703-237-8333. An Evening with Last Train Home (two separate sets will be per-
CA L E NDA R
formed). Iota Club & Cafe (2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington). $15. 7:30 p.m. 703-522-8340.
SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017 | PAGE 27
The Push Stars Reunion Show + Brent Shuttleworth. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $20 – $30. 8 p.m. 703-255-1566. Dave Chappell Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-2419504. AAA Girls. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). $39 – $299. 9 p.m. 703-237-0300.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 Hayley Fahey. Clare and Don’s Beach Shack. (130 North Washington St., Falls Church). 6:30 p.m. 703-532-9283. Last Train Home with Karl Straub and the Graverobbers. Iota Club & Cafe (2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington). $12. 7:30 p.m. 703522-8340. PigPen Theatre Co. + David Luning. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $25. 8 p.m. 703-255-1566. $5 Comedy Night. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). $5. 8 p.m. 703-2370300. Wicked Jezabel. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 9 p.m. 703-241-9504. Maggie Shot Burns. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 10 p.m. 703-237-8333.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 Jose Miguel Contreras (of By Divine Right) with Laura Tsaggaris & Justin Jones, Two Ton Twig, No Second Troy, Metrosongs and more. Iota Club & Cafe (2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington). $10. 12 p.m. 703-522-8340.
BAD INFLUENCE BAND will be at the JV’s Restaurant in Falls Church this Saturday. (Photo: Epiphone)
Kareem Walkes Show. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 9 p.m. 703-2419504.
Amy Tolliver Show. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-2419504.
The Legwarmers – D.C.’s Biggest 80s Retro Dance Party. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). $18. 9:30 p.m. 703237-0300.
Karaoke. Galaxy Hut (2711 Wilson Blvd., Arlington). $5. 9 p.m.
Tejas Singh. Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St., Falls Church). 10 p.m. 703-237-8333.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1 D.C.Houserockers. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 1 p.m. 703-241-9504.
Bad Influence Band. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4 p.m. 703-2419504.
Karen Collins & The Backroads. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 4 p.m. 703241-9504.
In Da Meantime. Clare and Don’s Beach Shack. (130 North Washington St., Falls Church). 6:30 p.m. 703-532-9283.
Young Oceans + Wylder. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15 – $25. 7:30 p.m. 703-2551566.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 2 Josh Krajcik with Special Guest Angel Snow. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E, Vienna). $15. 7:30 p.m. 703-255-1566. Wolf Blues Jam Weekly Show. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8:30 p.m. 703-241-9504. Jaguardini, Ships in the Night, Joel Blumenthal. Galaxy Hut (2711 Wilson Blvd., Arlington). $5. 9 p.m.
Vienna). $25 – $35. 7 p.m. 703255-1566. Open Mic with Andy Nocero and Crazy After Midnight. JV’s Restaurant (6666 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church). 8 p.m. 703-2419504.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4 Digitour – Good Times. The State Theatre (220 N Washington St., Falls Church). $25. 6:30 p.m. 703237-0300. Psychedelic Furs. The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave. Alexandria). $40. 7:30 p.m. 703549-7500.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3
Open Mic with Bob Hume, Martha Capone and the Band. JV’s Restaurant (666 Arlington Blvd., Arlington) 8 p.m. 703-5228340.
Hope & Healing for Humanity: A Benefit Concert for BRAWS. Jammin’ Java (227 Maple Ave. E,
Opening Mic Night. Iota Club & Cafe (2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington). 8 p.m. 703-522-8340.
Calendar Submissions Email: calendar@fcnp.com | Mail: Falls Church News-Press, Attn: Calendar, 200 Little Falls St., #508, Falls Church, VA 22046 Be sure to include time, location, cost of admission, contact person and any other pertinent information. Event listings will be edited for content and space limitations. Please include any photos or artwork with submissions. Deadline is Monday at noon for the current week’s edition.
PAGE 28 | SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017
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C L AS S I F I E DS For Sale
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Services LOCAL FALLS CHURCH retired brick and stone mason Jeff L. Cadle installation, small repair jobs, patios, walkways, chimneys, etc. Restoration if needed. FREE ESTIMATES 571-342-2064 jefferycadle@gmail. com
We are pledged to the letter andspirit 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.
SOME PARENTS WANT THEIR KIDS TO TRY HARDER. SOME KIDS ARE TRYING AS HARD AS THEY CAN. Learning and attention issues can look different to parents and kids. That’s why there’s Understood, a free online resource with answers, advice and tools to help your child thrive. Go from misunderstanding to understood.org.
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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Crossword
ACROSS
By David Levinson Wilk 1
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© 2017 David Levinson Wilk
Across 1. Opposing vote
1. Opposing vote 4. Picture book 9. "____ luck!" 14. Suffix with press or script 15. Atlanta train system 16. Stand on three legs? 17. They often accompany logos: Abbr. 18. Many a benefit tourney 19. Forever ____ 20. "Here I am, just pounding these potatoes ..." (or a binge-watching session of a 1972-83 TV series) 23. It's an OK city 24. Boxer who said "I'm so mean I make medicine sick" 25. Pekoe, for one 28. "Get a hold of yourselves, young ladies ..." (or a binge-watching session of a 2012-17 TV series) 34. Was a passenger 35. ____ sci 36. "I thought I ordered this fish filleted ..." (or a binge-watching session of a 2005-17 TV series) 43. Wilson of "Midnight in Paris" 44. Make some changes to 45. "A gardener's chores are never done ..." (or a binge-watching session of a 2005-12 TV series) 53. Acid 54. Identify (as) 55. "Results may ____" 56. "Um, uh, what I wanted to say was, uh ..." (or a binge-watching session of a 1994-2009 TV series) 61. ____ cotta 64. Atlanta university
STRANGE BREW
4. Picture book
SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017 | PAGE 29
65. ____-night doubleheader 66. "Little Miss Sunshine" Oscar winner Alan 67. Knee-ankle connector 68. ____ snail's pace 69. Phone charger feature 70. 17th-century Dutch painter Jan 71. Suffix with penta-
36. Many a New Year's Day game 37. Has debts 38. Must have 39. ____ of the line 40. Roush of the Baseball Hall of Fame 41. Sibling nickname 42. Texter's "Oh, yeah ..." 46. Jumped 47. Tiny 48. Long-legged wading birds 49. Night before a big day 50. Livestock attachment 51. Attracted 52. Neighbor of an Iraqi 56. "____ go bragh!" 57. Let out 58. Spa wear 59. City on a lake of the same name 60. Gosling of "La La Land" 61. "Singin' in the Rain" dance style 62. Muff 63. "King Kong" studio
DOWN
1. Eggnog spice 2. Giorgio of fashion 3. Answer with a salute 4. Clock radio toggle switch 5. ____ Spencer, co-anchor of ABC's "Good Morning America" 6. Frat boy types 7. Setting for the beginning of "The Book of Mormon" 8. Warm-blooded animal 9. Harvard Law professor Lawrence who briefly ran as a 2016 candidate for U.S. president 10. Promise 11. Airport screening org. 12. Religious sch. 13. Mountain on which you might yodel 21. "Good" cholesterol, briefly 22. Sharpton and Roker 25. Sci-fi film with a 2010 sequel 26. Vogue competitor 27. Defects and all 29. Grads-to-be: Abbr. 30. Whole lot 31. Veiled promise? 32. Zellweger of "Chicago" 33. Facebook had one in 2012, for short
JOHN DEERING
9. "____ luck!"
Last Thursday’s Solution
1
2
3
E U R O
C L I O
H I T E C H
I N H E R E
C O R R A L
A D F S O I A C T
Sudoku Level:
S H E L
T D O A N N K A T S I T R E L W I L L I E S T I G P O L U R E E T I S S A S
U H O H
G S P E O A L Y V L E E I S A B S R I M H L A X I M A O L I D F T D O A S A W W N A T O R U V B O N T E L Y N O D O T I U F W S P T O E
W E D S S A W A Y S P I D E R
B R O G A N
C O M E R S
A D A M
B E L T
S A K S
By The Mepham Group 4
14. Suffix with press or script 15. Atlanta train system 16. Stand on three legs? 17. They often accompany logos: Abbr. 18. Many a benefit tourney 19. Forever ____ 20. "Here I am, just pounding these potatoes ..." (or a binge-watching session of a 1972-83 TV series)
1
23. It's an OK city 24. Boxer who said "I'm so mean I make medicine sick" 25. Pekoe, for one
LOOSE PARTS
28. "Get a hold of yourselves, young ladies ..." (or a binge-watching session of a 2012-17 TV series) NICK KNACK
1
© 2017 N.F. Benton
DAVE BLAZEK
Solution to last Sunday’s puzzle
10/1/17
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 www.sudoku.org.uk.
© 2017 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.
LO CA L
PAGE 30 | SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
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Falls Church News-Press Vol. VII, No. 29 • October 2, 1997
It is now the time fo r all good to go cows to aid of the p a s their ture . * * * Throw * * Pour it up. it up
10 Year s Ago
Falls Church News-Press Vol. XVII, No. 30 • September 27, 2007
It is now the time fo r all good to go cows to aid of the the ir pas ture . * * * Throw * * Pour it up. it up
President Will Show for Beyer Saturday Night
6 Sudden Retail Closings in F.C. Renew Call for Better Incentives
President Bill Clinton will show his support for Falls Church businessman Don Beyer’s bid to become Governor of Virginia by appearing at a Beyer fundraiser this Saturday night in Northern Virginia. Clinton will attend a $1,000-a-plate fundraiser that will help Beyer finance the final month of of his campaign against GOP contender Jim Gilmore. Polls show Beyer and Gilmore continuing, as they have all year, in a virtual dead heat heading into the final four weeks.
The City of Falls Church’s business community was struck this week by a report from the local Chamber of Commerce executive director Sally Cole that five small retail businesses and franchises have either closed, are moving out of the City, or are preparing to close next month. In addition to five named by Cole, Offenbacher’s Patio, Fireplace and Recreation, a long-standing Falls Church retailer, is advertising in this week’s News-Press its plans to close.
EYES LOCKED ON THE DOOR is the Morrison family’s dog, Bentley. This guy’s been eagerly awaiting for his other human, Taylor, to return home from her first semester at the University of Kentucky so he can greet her accordingly. Word on the street is Taylor’s just as eager, but has to get through midterms first. Just because you’re not famous doesn’t mean your pet can’t be! Send in your Critter Corner submissions to crittercorner@fcnp.com.
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
KNOW FOR SURE
IF YOUR CHILD IS IN THE RIGHT CAR SEAT.
NO ONE GETS A DIPLOMA ALONE.
(A) Go ask your mother. (B) Because I said so. (C) We’ll see. There are no perfect answers in parenting. AdoptUSKids.org
If you’re thinking of finishing your high school diploma, you have more support than you realize. Find free adult education classes near you by visiting FinishYourDiploma.org.
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017 | PAGE 31
, VA y t n u o C n u #1 Loudo VA , h c r u h C #2 Falls y, VA t n u o C x a #3 Fairf MD , y t n u o C d #4 Howar CO , y t n u o C as #5 Dougl NM , y t n u o C mos a l A s o L #6 TN , y t n u o C son m a i l l i W #7 , VA y t n u o C n to #8 Arling NJ , y t n u o C don r e t n u H #9 , CA y t n u o C a Clar a t n a S 0 #1
$125,900 $122,092 $112,844 $110,224
$102,797 $102,191
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$109,926 $107,126 $104,367 $104,354
PAGE 32 | SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 4, 2017
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Open Sunday 2-4pm
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Under Contract
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1021 N. Garfield St, #918 | Arlington
Spectacular 2 BD/2 BA condo in vibrant downtown Clarendon, steps to Metro, rooftop pool and gym. Offered at $675,000
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Under Contract
1822 Taylor St | Arlington 22207
405 Hillwood Ave | Falls Church City
Pristine 4 BD/2.5 BA town home in Whittier Park. Many updates and shows beautifully. 2 car garage and walk to all that Falls Church City has to offer. Offered at $839,000
Representing Buyers Stunning 5 BD/4.5 BA Craftsman in sought after Cherrydale neighborhood. Gourmet kitchen, hardwood flooring, built-ins. Detached garage and private yard. Offered at $1,550,000
Under Contract
SOLD
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259 Gundry Drive Falls Church VA 22046
Completely updated 3 level townhouse in Winter Hill. 3BR/2 Full Bath/2 Half Baths, Open Kitchen, Updated Baths New SS appliances, HVAC & Hot Water Heater, Fresh Paint Sales Price $642,000. SOLD PRICE $648,000
UNDER CONTRACT
4633 B 28th Rd S Arlington VA 22205 Beautiful 2 level condo 2BR/1BA in The Arlington. Updated floors. Wood burning fireplace. Sales Price $299,000.
SOLD (MULTIPLE OFFERS)
200 N Maple Ave #401 Falls Church VA 22046 Beautiful and spacious 1BR condo in FCC! Fresh paint. Large, open space on 4th floor in fantastic location! Enjoy the pool before the end of summer! Sold Price $246,000