Unemployment Lurches in Falls Church & N. Va. Region
September jobs data delayed by the federal government shutdown show a whopping 54 percent year-over-year increase in Falls Church residents reported as unemployed, with the rate increasing 34 percent in neighboring Arlington, 33 percent in Alexandria and 24 percent in Fairfax County..
The Falls Church workforce is listed by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement as 8.316 persons, with 322 currently unemployed for an unemployment rate of 3.9 percent.
City of Falls Church Touts 2025 ‘Action & Achievements’
The City of Falls Church this week released its “2025 Year in Review” report that it says “highlights a year of substantial action and community-focused achievements across governance, inclusivity, safety and sustainability.” The report is available in full on the City’s official web page.
“These accomplishments represent a year of great progress, reflecting our commitment to smart growth and dedicated public service,” said City Manager Wyatt Shields. “The City of Falls Church’s future is being built today, one strategic accomplishment at a time.”
This is the fourth year in a row the City of Falls Church, VA has released a Year in Review that covers highlighted accomplishments from the calendar year.
F.C. Announces Schedule For Coming 2 Weekends
The City of Falls Church government programs and services will be closed for the upcoming holidays:
Wednesday, Dec. 24–Closing at Noon: All City Government offices and services will close at noon, including City Hall, Community Center, and the Mary Riley Styles Public Library.Thursday, Dec. 25–Closed: All City Government offices and services will be closed, including City Hall, Community Center, and the Mary Riley Styles Public Library. Friday, Dec. 26–Closed: All City Government offices and services will be closed, including City Hall, Community Center, and the Mary Riley Styles Public Library.
Wednesday, Dec. 31–Closing at 5 p.m.: Mary Riley Styles Public Library and the Community Center, Thursday, January 1–Closed: All City Government offices and services will be closed, including City Hall, Community Center, and the Mary Riley Styles Public Library.
For refuse collection, the schedule will be as follows:
Wednesday, Dec. 24–Trash, recycling, yard waste, and compost will be collected, as scheduled. Missed Collection: Report by 10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 26, No leaf collection; Thursday, Dec. 25–No leaf collection (City government closed); Friday, Dec. 26–Missed trash, recycling, and yard waste will be collected, No leaf collection (City government closed); Saturday, Dec. 27–Missed curbside composting will be collected; Monday, Dec. 29–Leaf collection will resume on Monday, Dec. 29.
Willingham Sworn in a New F.C. Electoral Board Member
Peg Willingham was sworn in Tuesday as the newest member of Falls Church City’s Electoral Board, replacing the long-serving outgoing Renee Bergmann Andrews.
Spanberger Appoints N. Va. Legislator Sickles as Finance Secretary
Virginia’s Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger this week announced the appointment of Northern Virginia Del. Mark D. Sickles to serve as Virginia’s next Secretary of Finance.
“The Secretary of Finance plays an essential role in guaranteeing Virginia’s long-term economic strength, safeguarding taxpayer dollars, and addressing the challenges facing Virginia communities,” said Spanberger. “As the Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, Delegate Sickles has years of experience working with both Democrats and Republicans to pass common sense budgets that have offered tax relief for families and helped Virginia’s economy grow. He not only has the deep knowledge required to successfully manage our Commonwealth’s finances, but shares my commitment to fiscal responsibility and ensuring Virginians’ tax dollars are put to the best possible use.”
As the state legislator’s second openly gay lawmaker, Sickles is the patron of the pending constitutional amendment to protect marriage equality for LGBTQ Virginians.
Powerball Ticket for $50,000 Sold in F.C.’s BJ’s Wholesale
A lottery ticket from Falls Church’s BJ’s Wholesale Club on Wilson Blvd. was worth $50,000 in a Powerball drawing over the weekend.
The ticket, was one of five $50,000 winners statewide. The winner beat roughly 1 in 900,000 odds to successfully match four numbers plus the Powerball.
Though a ticket sold in Richmond netted a $150,000 prize from Saturday’s drawing, nobody won the jackpot. The odds of doing so are 1 in 292 million.
Lt. Gov. Elect Reacts to Youngkin’s New Budget
Ghazala Hashmi, lieutenant governor-elect of Virginia, issued the following statement in response to the release last week of Gov. Glen Youngkin’s proposed budget for the coming legislative session in Richmond that will commence in early January. She stated,
“Last week in front of the Joint Appropriations Committees of the General Assembly, Governor Youngkin unveiled his final biennium budget proposal. The Governor and his finance team delivered the message that Virginia is on stable financial footing. As reassuring as this message sounds, it contradicts the forecasts of economists who point to rising costs for the average consumer, the loss of federal jobs, the rising rate of unemployment overall, and other global uncertainties.
“His message also sounds significantly hollow for the hundreds of thousands of Virginians who are facing hardships as the federal government, under Republican leadership, failed to renew critical healthcare support that would enable families to maintain health insurance and as Speaker Mike Johnson moves to slash essential Medicaid funding.
“With these concerns in mind, we see a significant credibility gap between the Governor’s rhetoric and the budget’s real impacts.
“First of all, the articulated tax changes contain a mixture of permanent and temporary measures, and many taxpayers will not see their full effect without further legislative action; these measures impose considerable demands on the budget and will affect schools, infrastructure, and critical services such as health care.
“Moreover, by making tax cuts a priority over serious, sober, and robust revenue planning, the budget risks underfunding these services at a time when needs are rising because of federal actions. Economists are warning of possible economic downturn pressures about which we must be cautious.
“More concerning are the practical gaps in funding for essential services. The proposed budget falls short of fully covering projected costs when compared with estimates by our own legislative analysts, who see a larger price tag for maintaining current levels of government services. Youngkin’s answer, that administrative efficiencies will close the gap, strains credulity given the structural complexities of Medicaid, nutrition assistance programs, and the likelihood of continued rising costs of health care, especially at the state level.”
