VPIS Announces Line Up for Summer Concerts in the Park
The Falls Church Village Preservation and Improvement Society (VPIS) this week announced the schedule for the Summer Concert series of free concerts at Falls Church’s Cherry Hill Park every Thursday evening.
The series starts tonight (June 20) with the Falls Church Concert Band. It is followed by the following:
June 27–What Strange Beast (groove rock), July 11–Andrew Acosta Band (classic American roots, folk, rock and roll), July 18 – The Hot Lanes (jazz, big band, Whammy Award winner), July 25–The Big Tow (rock and blues), August 1–Big Howdy (bluegrass, Whammy Award winner), August 8–Kiti Gartner and the Drifting Valentines (rockabilly, country, American).
225 Votes Cast in F.C. In GOP Primary Tuesday
Out of 11,589 registered voters in Falls Church this Tuesday, 225 came to the polls to cast votes in the Republican primary election for U.S. Senate which was the only item on the ballot here.
As statewide, Hung Cao was the winner in Falls Church, with 121 votes to 51 for Eddie Garcia, 27 for Scott Parkinson, 16 for Jonathan Emord and 10 for C.L. Smith. Cao will face incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine, seeking a third six year term this November.
Sen. Warner Votes for Fire Grants Program
This week, Virginia U.S. Sen. Mark Warner voted to pass the Fire Grants and Safety Act, legislation that will renew grant programs that fund essential equipment and resources for fire stations, and also help hire, train, and retain new firefighters. Originally passed by the Senate in 2023, today’s final passage also includes Warner-supported provisions that will promote nuclear energy deployment across the country.
“During my visits to fire stations across the Commonwealth, I’ve seen firsthand how these grant programs help stations hire and retain firefighters and secure important equipment upgrades. Firefighters put their lives on the line day in and day out to keep our communities safe – the least we can do is make sure they have the equipment and the personnel they need to do their jobs safely. I’m also happy to see it take important steps forward in another critical arena – improving the nuclear regulatory space.” said Sen. Warner.
Sen. Kaine Bill Offers Apology to LGBTQ+
This week, Virginia U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) led the introduction of a Senate resolution that acknowledges and apologizes for the mistreatment of and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) individuals who have served our nation in the uniformed services, as civil servants, or in the Foreign Service.
“LGBT civil servants, foreign service officers and servicemembers have made countless sacrifices and contributions to our country and national security. Despite this, our government has subjected them to decades of harassment, invasive investigations and wrongful termination because of who they are or who they love,” said Kaine.
JBG Smith Shifts to Residential in Landing
The largest landlord in the National Landing area around Amazon HQ2, JBG Smith, has shifted away from office, making the neighborhood more dynamic by converting older buildings to apartments, hotels and retail. But now, it is doubling down on one office building where it has 43 percent vacancy and sees an opportunity to capture more tenant demand.
The developer is launching a $40 million repositioning effort of the 11-story building at 2011 Crystal Drive, adding a suite of amenities that it says will attract companies not only to that property but to the ones it owns nearby.
F.C. Farmers Market Only One Feted in This Area
The Virginia Certified Farmers Market System is a certification program that recognizes farmers markets that meet and exceed industry best practices in 11 categories.
The Falls Church Farmers Market is the only one in this area among 19 in the state to win Virginia Farmers Market Association certification this year.
As the “gold standard” for farmers markets in Virginia, certification refers to markets that are managed using best practices in categories such as food safety, food origin, food access, public safety, and consumer education.
The standards of the program, which is open to all Virginia markets, were developed by an advisory committee made-up of market managers, state agency and university staff.