FEBRUARY 6 - 12, 2025
Falls Church, Virginia • w w w . fc n p . c o m • Free
Founded 1991 • Vol. XXXIV N o . 52
The City of Falls Church’s Independent, Locally-Owned Newspaper of Record, Serving N. Virginia
At Last, PROTESTING THE COUP Big Whole Foods Store Now Open After 10 Years, Doors Open in Downtown F.C. by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
It’s been long awaited, but now it’s here. The saga of bringing a mega-Whole Foods supermarket to downtown Falls Church was slated to culminate with an official grand opening this morning (Thursday, Feb. 7) with the full Falls Church A-List crowd expected to be on hand. Today’s opening of the 45,000 square foot market culminates a full decade of hopes, ups and downs, headaches, anticipation and grit. Now, the historic Broad (Rt. 7) at Washington (Rt. 29) center of Falls Church has a bright and lively anchor that, in addition to everything else going on here, will act like a beacon for shoppers, investors, hungry kids and many more by the thousands to bring their collective resources to bear right here in the Little City. Yes, it’s taken a full decade! The May 11, 2015 headline in the News-Press announced plans for a “Flagship Whole Foods”
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Camp & Education Guide Pages 9 -15
U.S. REP. DON BEYER (center, speaking) led an entourage of congressmen at the entrance to the U.S. AID headquarters in D.C. Monday there to protest the unilateral and illegal action by Elon Musk, advisor to President Trump, to shut down the U.S. AID agency. It was one of the very first congressional actions in protest of the steps that have been taken in the last two weeks to illegally usurp the proper role of Congress by Trump’s executive branch. (Photo: Courtesy).
Local Leaders Mobilize to Counter Trump Effects
by Nicholas F. Benton
Falls Church News-Press
U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, who represents Falls Church in the 8th District of Northern Virginia, told the News-Press in an exclusive interview yesterday that a whopping 14,000 constituents tuned into his telephone town hall earlier in the week. He said it was a stunning result, clearly in response to
the disruptions and stress in the federal workforce that the first weeks of the Trump administration has caused. But that kind of reaction is not limited to this area, he added. There were 12,000 on a similar call with a congressman in New Mexico. Beyer led one of the first public demonstrations last week against the illegal “shock and awe” efforts to defund key U.S.
programs and pressure layoffs of federal employees, speaking in front of the U.S. AID headquarters in D.C. Beyer also pointed out that 25 lawsuits have already been filed to block the egregious Trump administration actions to disrupt the government and potentially wreak havoc on thousands of households and the local economies of Northern Virginia. It was announced yesterday
that State Del. Marcus Simon, who represents Falls Church in the current state legislative session in Richmond, was among 12 appointed to an emergency committee of Richmond lawmakers to evaluate and react to the “Trump impact” on Virginia. The emergency committee is tasked with assessing potential impacts amid a buyout for fed-
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