When people talk about what makes Falls Church so very special, they usually mention the schools, the accessible “Little City” government, and the small, friendly business community. We are a unique community not because of any one of these characteristics, but because of all three of them. And nowhere was [...]

April is National Volunteer Month, an official time to honor and thank the many volunteers who add value to the quality of life in our communities. We could not do all that we do in Fairfax County without the contributions of volunteers in, and from, all walks of life. Volunteers [...]

Kudos to the Falls Church City Council, to the five members who did the right thing by adopting a Fiscal Year 2014 budget with full funding of the School Board’s request. There remain many difficult spillover issues that the Council will be facing in the coming months, but this Monday [...]

County history activists, with little fanfare, have been busy breathing new life into Fort Ethan Allen, the Civil War-era protector of Chain Bridge from invading rebels. The results, which the public will see this November, combine fresh archaeology with modern museum exhibition techniques in a well-tended natural setting. And like [...]

When I first wrote this column, it was filled with simple, easy-going facts about how the schools had been under-funded for years and how we were starting – just starting – to get back on track. Unfortunately after Tuesday night’s Council work session, I feel I need to be a [...]

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors completed its three nights of public hearings about the proposed FY 2014 county budget last Thursday. It was a marked contrast to my first budget process in 1996, when more than 800 people signed up to speak, and the Board added a full Saturday [...]

Winter Hill Condo Newsletter Biased Vs. Harris-Teeter Editor, While I appreciate the news about our community that I receive via Winter Hill’s Broadside, especially since I rent my unit, I must respond to the item that appeared regarding the “Harris Teeter Dilemma” in the March/April issue. The author was obviously [...]

It was the darkest hour in our 22 years covering local government in the City of Falls Church. Tuesday’s F.C. City Council work session discussion of the budget was kicked off with one member, former banker Ira Kaylin, reading a lengthy screed that made groundless accusations of deliberate malfeasance against [...]

It was a bumpy week for the visionaries of a revitalized Columbia Pike. Arlington got mocked by national media for spending $1 million on the first in a series of fancified bus stops that don’t provide decent shelter (the project was then put on hold). News broke that the Federal [...]

Now that we are truly into Spring, with attendant blossoms and warmer weather, local celebrations and outdoor activities are on many calendars. The past weekend was full of such events, and the coming weekend continues the trend. The Annandale Clean-up on Saturday drew Boy Scout Troop 150 and members of [...]