Could Walt Whitman be describing a scene inside our beloved historic Falls Church during the Civil War?

Imagine you and your children are forced to leave your home because of domestic abuse by an intimate partner or other family member. What would you take with you? Where would you go? How would you find a safe place? Who would you turn to for advice and assistance?

The latest clash in the historic preservation wars produced a victory for property owners, the county board and the status quo.

“In the commission’s first six months, we have already seen a big improvement over the way redistricting was done in the past.”

We pause to recognize the passing at an assisted living facility in Falls Church on June 29 of the highly accomplished journalist, newspaper founder and former vice presidential press secretary Albert Eisele, at age 85.

With pandemic restrictions eased in many areas, in-person attendance has increased rapidly at many venues. The free summer concerts at Mason District Park, which resumed last week, are drawing larger-than-average crowds, and sit-down restaurants are seating more customers, for inside and outside dining.

It’s one thing to rename a public entity, another to change people’s habits. Ask the locals who continue to use defunct names like National Airport and Arlington Hospital.

As the Virginia General Assembly prepares to return for a Special Session on Aug. 2 to appropriate American Rescue Plan funds made available to the Commonwealth, we learned that Virginia will also enter the new fiscal year with a substantial surplus in state revenue.

“Safety, service and success are important to a community’s well-being. Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, Fairfax County Region, has many success stories to share.”

In a marked departure from the norm for us, the News-Press is providing space in its editorial this week to reprint in full an impassioned letter to us from the long-serving F.C. City Councilmember David Snyder.