Nicholas F. Benton

Yes, it looks like Falls Church residents will be provided a very small bit of tax relief with the budget that should be approved next Monday night. A half penny on the real estate tax rate will offer about $50 of relief in a year when assessments are still booming, meaning the average residential taxpayer is still going to be hit with tax bills hundreds higher next fiscal year (the first bill due in December). Overall, though, it must be noted the City’s tax rate has been dropped from $1.355 per $100 of assessed valuation to $1.18 in recent years, even while a new state of the art high school was built and major improvements made to City Hall, the Mary Riley Styles Public Library and other City schools.

As expected, the Falls Church City Council moved through the final seven of its votes smoothly Monday night to adopt the Fiscal Year 2027 operating budget and six-year Capital Improvement Project budgets with a net half-cent drop in the residential real estate tax rate. All the votes were 7-0 unanimous with the exception of the

Putting the current Trump era into historical perspective, which also helps to clarify what the real issues are behind all the daily noise, needs to gain traction in our culture. It continues to amaze me how misunderstood our last hundred and fifty years or so has been. Somewhere shortly after the turn from the 19th

In an uncommonly candid and personal response to a query by this newspaper on the collateral consequence of what the redistricting referendum was designed to cause, namely, the moving of the boundaries of his 8th Congressional district out of the City of Falls Church, in an exclusive remark to this newspaper U.S. Rep. Don Beyer

Appearing this Tuesday at the Center for American Progress’ Ideas conference in Washington D.C., Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger defended her veto of collective bargaining legislation passed by the Virginia legislature. Her move drew fierce ire from among her pro-labor Democratic supporters. Spanberger said Tuesday, “I continue to support public sector collective bargaining. And I continue

In a meeting that went into the wee hours at City Hall Monday, the Falls Church City Council’s work session included generous input from invited members of the City’s Planning Commission, Housing Commission and Economic Development Authority as it explored next steps in the effort to provide additional affordable housing at the 4-acre Virginia Village

“The nation is in the midst of a profound moral crisis. Americans are hungry for a legitimate spiritual connection.” So declared the talented young preacher who is the minister of the historic First Congregational Church located within blocks of the White House in downtown D.C. The Rev. Amanda Hender-Voss, pastor there since 2020, has seen

Hal Lippman, former Falls Church vice mayor and School Board member who now heads up the Little City’s venerable citizens association, the Citizens for a Better City (CBC), came before the F.C. City Council at its meeting this Monday to deliver a powerful message about how the City’s legacy commitment to truly affordable housing has

Falls Church Memorial Day Weekend Celebrates Community, Service & Graduation Falls Church Memorial Day Weekend Celebrates Community, Service and Graduation Falls Church, VA — An extended Memorial Day weekend in the Little City brought together community celebration, remembrance, graduation and tribute, showcasing the many sides of Falls Church civic life. Harvey’s Summer Stomp Launches the

Three Essential Causes for Human Survival: Water, Housing and Energy Fresh water, affordable housing and abundant energy remain the defining challenges for humanity’s future. Through the course of my adult life, there have been three “big picture” causes that I still feel are essential to the continued life of human beings on this planet. They