February 16 - 22, 2023
Fa lls Chur c h, V i r g i ni a • ww w. fc np. c om • Fr ee
Fou n d e d 1991 • Vol. XXXIII N o. 1
The City of Falls Church’s Independent, Locally-Owned Newspaper of Record, Serving N. Virginia
Big Turnout For Meeting On Changes To T-Zones
CROSSING GUARD APPRECIATION
Planning Commission Vote After Deadline Wednesday by Brian Reach
Falls Church News-Press
After the News-Press deadline last night, the Falls Church Planning Commission was scheduled to take up the controversial issue of modifications to the City’s transition zones ordinance. Last Thursday, Falls Church residents gathered at Mary Riley Styles Public Library for a community forum on the City’s proposed changes to the City Council transition zones, or “T-Zones.” Proposed changes are considered problematic to existing homeowners here, as they are perceived to encroach on existing residential areas, and resulted in a strong showing of residents, with more than 50 in attendance at the event, hosted by The League of Women Voters. Similar turnout was expected for the Planning Commission meeting last night, where recommendations to the City Council were finalized. City Council will decide later this month whether to approve the changes. T-Zones consist of about 24 acres
Continued on Page 3
FALLS CHURCH CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT and FCCPS surprised Public Safety Aides for Crossing Guard Appreciation Day, including Public Safety Aide Mohamed Barry (pictured above). ( Photo: Marybeth Connelly)
Eileen Hecht Levy, Cherished F.C. Artist, Dies at 93 by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
Eileen Hecht Levy, 93, a native of London’s East End who as a child was shipped from home along with thousands of other children to reside in countryside foster homes to avoid the relentless of Nazi bombing of London, and subsequently brought
a buoyant, irrepressible spirit and optimistic, upbeat cheer to wherever she found herself, including most recently over two decades as an art teacher and devoted friend of the Falls Church News-Press, died early Saturday morning after a lengthy illness. Levy was a frequent contributor to the News-Press, most recent-
ly providing children’s weekly Scalawag cartoons, and riding in many a News-Press entry in Falls Church Memorial Day parades and D.C. Pride parades, where she was an automatic magnetic hit with many hundreds along the parade route who rushed to her car side to greet and engage in her welcoming embraces. Her stories of the struggles of a
Jewish girl to survive and endure during the years of England’s war against the Nazis were an enduring source of inspiration to all who knew her. She came to America in the late 1940s to marry an American GI, Arnold Schollnick, and raise three children in Rochester, New York —
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Inside This Week F.C. Helps With Earthquake Relief In the wake of the devastating earthquake that affected Turkey and Syria, F.C. residents and businesses are finding ways to lend a helping hand by creating fundraisers, encouraging donations and more. See Page 13
Mardis Gras in Falls Church
As some locals prepare to celebrate “Fat Tuesday” next week, Patricia Leslie shares upcoming events and activities that F.C. residents, religious or not, can take part of before Ash Wednesday.
See Page 15
Index
News Briefs...............................................2 Editorial......................................................6 School News...........................................11 Comment............................................12,16 Business News.......................................14 Crime Report...........................................16 News & Notes.........................................17 Calendar.............................................18,19 Classifieds...................................20, 21, 23