The Falls Church City Council tonight at 7:30 p.m. is taking to first reading proposed language for a gun ban ordinance in the little city of Falls Church, Virginia. The city wide ordinance would prohibit the possession, carrying or transportation of any firearms, in public buildings, parks, recreation and community centers and street events where events or rallies, requiring permits, are taking place and to include the streets, public alleys and sidewalks adjacent to those events.  This would also include ammunition, or components or combination thereof in said spaces.  It will not make an exception for law abiding citizens who possess concealed handgun permits issuedRead More →

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UPDATE Falls Church City Council Fast Tracks its Firearm Ordinance. The Falls Church City Council has posted its agenda for the July 27th City Council meeting. They are calling for first reading for the gun ordinance.  They are fast tracking this legislative effort with no discussion on the Committee level and moving to first reading under the cloak of COVID 19.   The meeting is scheduled for July 27th 2020 – 07:30 PM  and if you want your letter read in its entirety (or for your three minutes) you must specifically ask that it be done that way instead of summarized.  Direct emails to  cityclerk@fallschurchva.gov NewRead More →

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The Superintendent of Public Instruction for the state of Virginia, James Lane invited superintendents all across the state of Virginia to a literacy summit in Charlottesville, Virginia. Citing “Virginia’s steady decline in reading test scores over the last five years” Lane convened the conference on Monday, February 24th, 2020, according to an article by Katherine Knott from The Daily Progress. According to Knott’s article, Lane spoke of Virginia’s standard of learning decline in reading pass rates and how that steady decline doesn’t generate the “same urgency as a precipitous drop.”   Any parent of a child with dyslexia can tell you all about the difficultyRead More →

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This is a copy of a letter sent to City Council and the City Manager regarding concerns with the new mixed use development plan by Insight for Broad & Washington Streets. ========================================================================================= Mayor David Tarter City Manager Wyatt Shields City Hall, 300 Park Avenue Falls Church, VA 22046 February 4, 2020   Dear Mayor Tarter and City Manager Shields,  Please find below the comments of several concerned citizens regarding the new mixed-use project proposed for Broad and Washington Streets. Summary:  The latest mixed-use proposal at Broad and Washington does not meet the commercial standard of the 2018 project and should not be approved in itsRead More →

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Can We Talk About An Equitable Education System? Falls Church City Public Schools, (FCCPS), no doubt, like other school districts across the country, are working to respond to the ever present demand for more rigorous standards and the call to meet the needs of “twenty-first century” learning.  In addition to the force and promise from technology, is the focus on STEM in our classrooms. Alexa will tell you that children “with a strong foundation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics will go on to play an integral role in our nation’s global competitiveness and economic stability.”  Talk education here in Falls Church and the focusRead More →

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With election day a little over a week away, the candidates for Falls Church City School Board are vying for your vote.  We are fortunate here in Falls Church, to have citizens in our community willing to put in the time to serve on our school board. There are four candidates running this year for three seats.  On your ballot you may vote for up to three candidates but you do not have to vote for three candidates. You can vote for one, two or three candidates. That is something that some voters may not know because the directions can be misinterpreted and some peopleRead More →

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