MLK Day Monday: March, Forum, Day of Service
This coming Monday, Jan. 19, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, has been named a “Day of Service” by the Falls Church City Council.
The F.C. Tinner Hill Foundation is sponsoring its annual march up S. Washington St. from the Foundation’s NAACP Rural Chapter Arch at Tinner Hill Road at S. Washington to the historic Falls Church Episcopal at 11:15 a.m., followed by a social justice workshop, music and lunch at the church.
Participants are invited to show up at the monument at 10 a.m. to rally in advance of the short march.
In proclaiming the holiday as a Day of Service, the Falls Church City Council stated this week, “Dr. King reminded us that ‘Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’ and each ear, on the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, Americans across the country answer that question by coming together to serve their neighbors and communities.”
Falls Church Police Chief: No Personnel Loss to Neighbors
Falls Church Police Chief Shahram Fard, beginning his third year in his current post, told the Falls Church City Council Monday his department has not suffered from neighboring jurisdictions hiring personnel away from his department, as erroneously in some media reports.
He said that that 16 personnel separations in the department have been all due to retirements or relocations, and none lost to other regional departments. He added that the separations have been matched by 16 new hires over the recent period.
He added that five new positions have been added to the department, and there are now a net of six vacancies. Of five new hires, four are entering the police academy for six-month training this week.
The department has also added a school resource officer to Meridian High School.
15-Year Vet Wins Library Award for Service
Lucilda Hernandez de Posada, a 15 year primary custodian at the Mary Riley Styles, has been named the recipient of the library foundation’s 2025 Chet DeLong Award for Outstanding Services to the library, an award that includes a $1,000 cash prize.
“Thanks to Lucilda, the library has received numerous compliments from patrons and staff alike regarding the cleanliness and welcoming atmosphere in the building, a staff report says.
Warner Hails New Immigration Audit Policy
This week, Virginia U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner issued a statement below after the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General announced a new audit to evaluate the processes that DHS law enforcement personnel follow to prevent the arrest of U.S. citizens during immigration enforcement operations.
“As immigration enforcement officers continue to flood American neighborhoods, I’m cautiously optimistic to see DHS’s Inspector General take a hard look at how U.S. citizens are treated during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations. Too often, bystander videos show U.S. citizens and non-citizens swept up in the increasingly aggressive and dangerous enforcement actions of immigration officers who, in some cases, have denied individuals the opportunity to prove their citizenship or legal immigration status. These instances infringe on the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens and non-citizens alike, and increasingly result in damage to property, injuries, trauma, and death.”
Decry FBI Raid of Post Reporter’s Home
On Wednesday morning, the FBI executed a search warrant on a Washington Post reporter’s home as part of a probe into a government worker accused of illegally retaining classified information.
The reporter, Hannah Natanson, has been key to the Post’s coverage of the Trump administration’s federal workforce overhaul. She was present when federal agents searched her home, seizing her personal laptops, phone, and Garmin watch. The Post also received a subpoena Wednesday morning “seeking information related to the same government contractor,” the Post’s Perry Stein and Jeremy Roebuck reported.
Press freedom groups decried the search of Natanson’s home. Bruce Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, called it “a tremendous escalation in the administration’s intrusions into the independence of the press.”
The NewsGuild also condemned the raid. “The extraordinary decision to execute a search warrant at a journalist’s home should shock and dismay everyone who cares about a free and independent press,” stated The Washington Post Guild, of which Natanson is a member.
– Nieman Lab, Boston
Sweet Leaf Cafe Opening By Summer
A cafe selling sandwiches, salads and smoothies will open in Falls Church for its newest location and its first drive-thru. The Sweet Leaf Cafe will come by this summer to 603 W. Broad Street, the former location of a Smoothie King.
F.C. Forward Hosting Events In Coming Weeks
Falls Church Forward is hosting a January Happy Hour Thursday, Jan. 15 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Ireland’s Four Provinces. Happy hours will be monthly every third Thursday, rotating at local restaurants. They are billed as having no agenda. “Just a come-as-you-are, great way to meet fellow members and friends,” organizers report.
An all-member meeting will be held Sunday, Jan. 25 from 2 to 4 p.m. at 105 W. Broad St, 5th Floor to learn about how parking shapes our world, reforms happening across the US, and why it matters for Falls Church.
Organizers putting their names to the event notices include Mayor Letty Hardi, Council member Justine Underhill and EDA chair Ross Litkenhous.
Beyer Announces His Annual Women’s Conference Today
Virginia’s U.S. Rep. Don Beyer announced this week he is hosting his Annual Women’s Conference: The Ripple Effects of Resilience, this Thursday, Jan. 15 at George Mason University’s new Fuse building at Mason Square in Arlington. The event is free to the public.
This year’s event will bring together women leaders to share stories of perseverance, strength, and resilience in the face of the challenges confronting our country and community in these unprecedented times.
The discussion will feature Brooke Sydnor Curran, founder of Move2Learn; Lisa Jacobs, Executive Director of the Alexandria Tutoring Consortium; Elizabeth Jones Valderrama, Executive Director of Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR); and Zuraya Tapia-Hadley, Executive Director of the Dream Project and Arlington County School Board Member.
The discussion will be moderated by Neneh Diallo, a former Senior Biden Administration Official at USAID and Public Affairs Executive.
Beyer will also present this year’s Clara Mortenson Beyer Women and Children First Award to Nancy Eslick, a former career USAID civil servant and fitting example of the profound difference American leadership can make in the world.
