why.i.hate.dc

News Bullets, bobblehead Friday;

2009-11-13T09:51:00.000-05:00

So it's Friday the 13th again, a 'holiday' that costs millions of dollars in lost productivity every year. Yup, there are people who are so afraid to leave their houses they call in sick. Seems like every Friday the 13th people ask "why is it unlucky?" No one really had a definitive answer.

Is Mayor Fenty too obsessed with his bicycle and fitness? City Paper's Mike DeBonis wonders if all of hizzoner's exercising is messing with his head. There's no definitive conclusion, but it's rather obvious at this point his exercise regimen is certainly harming him politically, if not physically and mentally. Take a break, Fenty, or it might just cost you more than an election!

Metro faces criminal charges for polluting sewer system. In an unprecedented move, federal authorities have filed criminal charges against Metro for violating the Clean Water Act. In 2003, the transit agency used hydrofluoric acid to clean railcars. They were supposed to pre-treat the runoff before dumping it, but the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission detected high acidity and charged Metro with a violation. Metro continued to dump the acid for six days near Greenbelt. It appears Metro will accept a plea deal. Wow. It is surprising to see these criminal charges, but way to go federal government.

Van broken into near Mall, urn with veteran's ashes stolen. Army Col. Norbert Otto Schmidt was to be buried with full military honors today, except on Thursday someone stole his ashes. A 12-passenger van was parked near the National Museum of the American Indian when it was broken into around 3 pm. A computer, some jewelry, Schmidt's death certificate and military papers were also stolen. I have to say, if the person responsible for this is ever caught, lock them up and throw away the key. Take the electronics and jewelry, whatever. There's absolutely no reason to take the urn or the military papers. I'm sure the jackass who did this just tossed the urn and the papers in the trash.

Catholic Church proves they are a bunch of jerks. Did we already know this? I think so. The Church threatens to suspend social services in DC if the city passes legalization of same-sex marriage. Here's an idea, how about you read the Bible every now and again. There's this part, called the New Testament (which your church was founded on, believe it or not). The wacky dude with crazy ideas would help everyone, gay, straight, and even those who were put out in Denver because they wouldn't render services.

Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) campaign purchases $2000 worth of bobblehead dolls. Yup.

News Bullets, November Rain Thursday;

2009-11-12T09:26:00.003-05:00

Well, the remnants of Ida are giving everyone an excuse to break out those damned golf umbrellas again.

Violent Wednesday in Northeast. Yesterday afternoon a man was shot and killed as he boarded the X2 Metrobus in the 1400 block of H Street, NE. The victim was identified as George Rawlings, the brother of Deonte Rawlings, who was shot and killed in 2007. It appears George Rawlings, 21, may have been targeted as a witness to a shooting on Halloween. There was another shooting late Wednesday in Deanwood that killed one and wounded another.

NTSB to hold hearings regarding the Metro crash. I'm not holding my breath that this will mean much, since the NTSB has no official oversight role. The more important part is what Congress does about this... there is legislation floating around that would work to establish better oversight. Whether it passes or not, remains to be seen. In any event, these hearings will prove interesting to anyone following the story.

Sidwell Friends School attracts crazy protesters, students respond. A group of fringe protesters showed up outside Sidwell Friends the other day. How did the school respond? The students made their own signs and offered a counter-protest.

When five anti-Obama, anti-gay protesters appeared in front of the school's Wisconsin Avenue NW entrance Monday morning, they were met by 150 Sidwell students waving signs ranging from "There is that of God in Everyone" to "I Kissed a Girl and I Liked It."

"I guess they think they can influence what we think because we're young and vulnerable," said Daniel Edminster, a Sidwell junior. "They can't."

Nice! I like that. I'd also like to see protesters with signs that say, "why not send your kids to public school, Obama." Harder to counter-protest against that.

Kennedy Center flouts DC their own smoking ban? The Reliable Source has it that Cate Blanchett and her co-stars are smoking authentic cigarettes for the Kennedy Center's production of A Streetcar Named Desire. The article notes the Kennedy Center has a non-smoking policy, but an exemption is being allowed for authenticity. I get that, but I'm wondering how they are getting around the District's smoking ban. (There is an exception for 'theatrical productions.' Does this mean you can smoke at open mic nights?)

Garden District filed bankruptcy. 1 4th & You notes the 14th Street garden shop has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. This perhaps proves the point that opening a second location mere blocks away is not always the best idea. The recession, as well, did not help. The future of the remaining location near 14th and S is unclear... though I'd say it's even money it will be replaced by a wine or cheese shop.

News Bullets, Armistice Day Wednesday;

2009-11-11T07:34:00.002-05:00

Today is Veterans' Day, and we couldn't have more somber weather for the occasion. The Federal government isn't at work today, which means blog readership will be slashed in half. As such, I'm going to 'quarter-ass' this post, since normally it's half-assed.

Metro to allow inspectors on subway tracks. Metro chair Jim "The Teflon Elton John" Graham says he gave General Manager John Catoe a talking to and now the Tri-State Oversight Committee can have inspectors observe Metro safety protocols. This comes only after a front page Washington Post article and threats from Congress to cut off federal funding. Previously Metro safety chief Alexa Dupigny-Samuels had denied requests for safety observations, and instead offered to allow a small group to observe a controlled setting on a weekend, off-peak. If you wondered why it is important that people continue researching Metro's safety, I think this is a great example. It should also be noted, although Graham told the Post inspectors can go in, and WMATA issued a press release, no one has contacted the oversight group with any details. The U.S. Senate may hold hearings about Metro's safety. The House held some hearings this past summer after the 6/22 crash.

The D.C. Sniper 'mastermind' was executed last night in Virginia. I'm curious, how many of you were in the area for the sniper attacks? I remember the whole zig-zagging nonsense as well as the lookout for the white van. I'm rather ambivalent towards the execution. Part of me would have preferred to see someone like that rot in prison. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court, declined to stay the execution. John Allen Muhammad was pronounced dead at 9:11pm last night, a little more than 7 years after the sniper attacks.

Washington-area jackasses can't figure out how to be unemployed. Nice piece in the Wall Street Journal about out-of-work executives being stupid with their money. One family, from Chevy Chase, MD is having a rough go of it. The husband was laid off from his corporate executive job, and he discusses how he uses his severance package to make sure no one knows he is out of work. He also has turned down a half-dozen or so job offers, because he didn't like them or thought he could do better. For a bit of reference, he was a banking executive.

After losing his job, Mr. Joegriner expected to land on his feet within six months, he says. In that time, he turned down three job offers to be a chief financial officer, either because he didn't like the salary or the description of duties, and thought he could do better. One was nearby; the others would have required the family to move out of state. All paid somewhat less than he had previously earned.

At the end of the piece, he turns down yet another job. It didn't include a severance package. But it's cool, because we're going to make a quick recovery.

Fenty to replace Ximena Hartsock by December 1. The mayor met with a 5 member envoy from the Council to discuss a ceasefire. It appears that Fenty has agreed to get ousted DPR chief Hartsock out the door by the end of the month. We'll see who replaces her... perhaps one of Fenty's college buddies?

Man killed after being struck by two Secret Service vehicles. Not in the District, but damn. The Secret Service vehicles hit a pedestrian near the intersection of the Suitland Parkway and Naylor Road in Temple Hills, Maryland last night at around 2:30 am.

News Bullets, yellow jersey Tuesday;

2009-11-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

Looks like it's shaping up to be one of those weeks. The news is full of headlines and things to cover, and the blogosphere is hoppin' with all sorts of things. I thought I'd take a second to clear a few things up here. It's been about a year since I started writing at WIHDC, which means a year post-Liz. Things have changed, and it appears as though some people still struggle with the concept of this site. I'll admit that a lot of this is my fault. I decided to inject some Serious Business(TM) into the site. As such, I've built an audience that is a bit more serious about things. I've also got a group of people who clamor to "give 'em hell." So, I'm caught in the middle.

The whole "let's point and laugh at things" and "kick the bastards when they are down" model is very popular. People love to read those types of pieces. Sometimes they are fun to write. There are also a lot of big problems in DC that need to be addressed. Real problems. A lot of people get all of their local news information from blogs. A lot of people don't bother reading the Post. In case you missed the memo, things aren't exactly peachy in the city. The stories aren't often simple, and aren't always easy to distill. But I try. I'll keep poking and prodding. I also call 'em like I see 'em.

Anyway, enough froofy musing about meta things. Let's get on with the news.

Mayor Fenty really wants to be Lance Armstrong. Yes, we know Fenty is quite the "fit" mayor. He competes in triathlons and loves to ride his bicycle.

WTOP's Mark Segraves takes a look at Fenty's use of a police escort when riding with his little group, DC Velo. This is, of course, "totes" ridiculous. I don't think it's ridiculous for the mayor to have a police escort, however, it's poor form to use one when riding a bicycle during the business day. If he wants to go for a little bike ride on the weekends, I don't care, and he can even take a cop if he wants. Here's a better idea for the work week: How about you commute to work using your bicycle, which you love so much? You can even have a police motorcade for your bike if you do that. How about you check out the bike lanes DDOT has been installing? How about you set an example for people who might want to try bicycle commuting? Do something useful with your hobby. Because it is a hobby. You are not a full time, professional cyclist. A few years ago a group of people decided to hire you for a job. kthx.

Noah Wepman says farewell to DCPS. I was laid up with some sort of illness during the DCPS hearing. I watched on television this poor fellow try to explain himself to the D.C. Council. Wepman, the schools' CFO, looked like that deer that stumbled into the lion's den at the zoo. He was unprepared for his skewering, and has now left DCPS. WTOP is reporting that he was fired. Wepman withheld budget information from the Council. The DCPS CFO is supposed to report to the District CFO, but it looked like Wepman was taking orders from Michelle Rhee. Any organization looking for a nervous fall-guy, Wepman is your man. WaPo has some deets as well.

Georgetown sees another bias-related crime. Fun fact for those who don't know, I'm a Georgetown alum. It's sad to see this happen, but there was yet another anti-gay crime reported yesterday. This follows a rash of hate crimes on the campus. MPD Chief Lanier says the recent uptick in bias-related assaults could be due to the pending D.C. gay marriage legislation. This is incredibly sad and pathetic.

DC is pretty safe for pedestrians, says Transportation for America. The transit advocacy group took a look at pedestrian safety across the country, and DC ranks pretty high. Unsurprisingly, the study concludes that cities that developed after World War II are more dangerous for walking. Those cities, of course, were designed with cars in mind. The District was planned well before the advent of car travel, and we've managed to maintain a lot of that walkability. Just watch out for those Metrobuses, of course.

Marion Barry to get reality television show. A lot of people are blowing this off as something stupid. I don't know, folks. If anything, Barry is the gift that keeps on giving. Congress Heights on the Rise has the scoop about this, which was re-reported everywhere. There's absolutely no information at all about this. Nothing has been confirmed. Keep that in mind when speculating about anything. Yes, Barry is a complete embarrassment. He was once a notable figure, but since we can no longer say "at least he doesn't steal money from the city," he has become at best a joke and at worst a reason why we'll never get a vote in Congress. Onward and upwards. Forwards not backwards, and always twirling, twirling towards disgrace.

Leo Alexander is still running for D.C. Mayor

2009-11-09T11:00:00.002-05:00

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've noticed that Mayor Adrian Fenty has been in some hot water. Back in September, ABC7 had a "shock poll" that showed Fenty with a surprisingly high (51%) disapproval rate. In October, the D.C. Council rejected the mayor's appointee to lead the Department of Parks and Recreation. The Council held hearings about Michelle Rhee's firing of teachers, and investigated Fenty's shady contract dealings with the D.C. Housing Authority for parks and recreation projects.

It may still be 2009, but we're heading into what could turn into a hotly contested election year. Fenty is up for re-election, and we know people disapprove of his job. He's on weak ground, and the right candidate could make a race of it.

Last week, I talked with Fenty's only official challenger (yet), Leo Alexander, to discuss the current scandals as well as the outlook for the 2010 election. I've got an entire candidate profile up over at District Daily, and instead wanted to write a bit more opinion on the matter here.

Leo Alexander is noteworthy because he says things we don't want to hear. He borrows a page from Bill Cosby and talks about social responsibility. He doesn't pretend that we don't have major social issues in this city. He acknowledges that we have problems with race relations, problems that can't be solved with gentrification alone. He openly talks about the crack epidemic from the 80's, and how we have a generation of people growing up in situations filled with hopelessness without positive role models.

Alexander talks about deploying an army of social workers to help piece things back together. He also talks about jobs programs, but programs that teach a real skill or trade. Simply handing out mindless summer jobs and then forgetting about it isn't enough.

These ideas resonate with me, and I suspect with a lot of other people who pay attention to the news in the District. We also hear what we'd expect from any anti-Fenty candidate. Alexander believes the Fenty administration is the most corrupt administration in the city's history. He wants investigations. He wants more transparency. He wants to build a better relationship with the D.C. Council. He wants to fire Michelle Rhee. He wants to be the people's mayor. Of course.

So this is all great, he urges creative approaches to big problems. He calls for a bold vision for D.C. schools, that includes less emphasis on private and charter schools. He wants a government with integrity and compassion. It all sounds great. However, he's got to get the message out. He needs resources. He will need to raise money. Right now he's got the support of D.C. cab drivers, except that's pretty much radioactive for now, given the bribery scandal.

There's also the tricky matter of knowing how serious he is. It's easy to sit down and write up a platform to try and fix D.C.'s problems. It's harder to make things happen, and Leo Alexander has no public office experience and no record to stand on. He makes a lot of very good points and has some very good ideas. He's also very good at selling his point of view. He could have a shot, but he'll need to get his campaign organized. He recognizes that this campaign will be fought on the Internet, using social media. He needs a better web site, he needs more social media tools. He needs to use Twitter, and he needs to use email lists. If only to just get the attention of other politicians and journalists. He needs to build buzz.

All in all I like to see someone challenging Fenty with new ideas. I want Leo Alexander's campaign to build some momentum so there can be a real discussion of these issues. I have to say that I was surprised by Alexander when I spoke with him. However, for now, he remains so far off the radar that his Wikipedia page has been deleted.

News Bullets, lion's den Monday;

2009-11-09T09:14:00.003-05:00

It's a busy morning for news, so I'll forgo the chat-chitting and get right to it.

Metro barred independent safety monitors from observing the system. Last month I looked some previous accidents on Metro involving track workers, and found some disturbing trends. Today the Post ran a front page story on safety problems involving Metro workers. This is fascinating material, but also very troubling. From the article:

Since the spring, Metro officials have barred independent monitors from walking along subway tracks to observe safety procedures while trains are in normal service, even if escorted by Metro employees, newly obtained records show.

The monitors, from the Tri-State Oversight Committee, wanted to determine whether Metro was following rules put in place in recent years after a number of workers had been fatally injured on the job.

Instead, they have spent the past six months pressing Metro in writing and in person for access -- a period in which two Metro employees were struck and fatally injured on the tracks.

The monitors became so frustrated that at one point, internal e-mails show, they discussed formally notifying federal officials and invoking their toughest sanction: declaring Metro to be officially out of compliance with safety requirements. Such a move could cause Metro to lose part of its federal funding.

I'm not surprised by any of this, nor am I surprised by Metro's failure to release documents to the Post. It's par for the course with WMATA, and yet another reason why I am continuing to work on this research.

Could the DPR contracting mess been avoided? Well, yes, Fenty could have not gone around the Council. However, Michael Neibauer at the Examiner takes a look at how the D.C. Council's actions last year may have pushed Fenty further. A year ago, Fenty wanted Allen Lew, the DCPS construction/facilities chief to manage DPR capital projects. Just as now, the Council was not pleased with this idea, and passed legislation preventing Lew from working on projects outside of DCPS. This is interesting, though still the question remains as to why Fenty didn't want to improve DPR's ability to handle these projects. Instead, Fenty wanted then-DPR Director Clark Ray to focus on programming... and would later replace him with Ximena Hartsock. Hartsock also had no experience with capital projects and would instead focus on programming.

Police searching for shooter in Georgia Avenue robbery and murder. Rufina Hernandez of Hyattsville was shot and killed in a robbery of the La Casa de Morata liquor store in the 5400 block of Georgia Avenue Saturday night. Police think the suspects may live in the neighborhood. They are described as two men in their 30's or 40's.

Deer stumbles into lion den at the National Zoo. And no, this isn't some sort of political metaphor. A deer from Rock Creek Park managed to make its way into the lion exhibit at the zoo, where it was seriously injured. It was able to make an escape, but zoo workers had to euthanize it due to serious wounds. Yes, there is video of it. No, I haven't watched it and don't plan to.

Officer-involved shootings may be the result of PCP use. 2009 has seen an increase in officer-involved shootings in the District, and MPD Chief Cathy Lanier believes it may be due to increased PCP use. In 8 out of the 12 shootings involving MPD this year, PCP was involved. In 2008, there were eight MPD-involved shootings.

Coming up later this morning: A look at Leo Alexander's campaign for D.C. Mayor.

News Bullets, true blue Friday;

2009-11-06T09:39:00.002-05:00

Welcome to another Friday everyone. I'm hopping on the Amtrak and going out of town for the weekend, so this is going to be quick. No worries though, I'll be taking ye olde laptop and writing the first of the Decision 2010 pieces. I need a much better name than Decision 2010. That will be fine for serious topics, but how about Election "where we assume Fenty will win but will possibly pay attention to at maximum two other candidates" 2010. I'm hoping to finish up a pretty rockin' piece on Scientology (you know, about how it's totally awesome). In the meantime bask in the glow of the vehicle that will deliver us all from the evil spirits of the universe. It looks just like an Airbus A380, but without the engines.

So what's in the news?

There was the horrific shooting at Fort Hood. I'm not even going to discuss this because I still don't think anyone has any idea on what happened. First the shooter was dead, but now he's alive. First there were three shooters, now it was a lone gunman. A lone gunman, armed only with handguns, kills 13 and injures 30? That's 43 people shot. I imagine amid the confusion there could very well have been some friendly-fire incidents. I give it at least a week before we know anything for sure. We do know the alleged dead or alive shooter was from the area, born in Arlington and attended Virginia Tech.

Another person considering possibly maybe running against Jim Graham. Previously we learned that Adams Morgan ANC commish Bryan Weaver had formed an exploratory committee. Now the Examiner alerts us that DC VOICE executive director Jeff Smith will probably be "thinking" about it over the holidays. It's a Friday, so I understand it being a bit slow for news. Here's a scoop for the first person to read this, maybe I'll consider mulling over the idea of possibly running for Council as well! In all seriousness, I hope that we can have at least one serious challenger in Ward 1. I won't be voting for Graham, I can tell you that much.

David Baldacci hearts Chief Lanier. WTOP has a story about how a fictional character, DC Police Chief "Beth Perry" is based on Cathy Lanier. We also learn that Lanier owns not one, but five blind dogs. The book True Blue was released last month, but it was not until now that someone from WTOP began flipping through it at a nearby Borders.

Council subpoenas Hartsock. Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. has issued a subpoena to interim Parks and Rec Director Ximena Hartsock. Hartsock is demanded to appear before the Council to discuss the controversial parks contracts.

That's it folks. Have a good Friday.

Why I Hate DC is jealous of the Prince of Petworth

2009-11-05T11:24:00.003-05:00

This just in, I envy the Prince of Petworth! Bring your combs and brylcreem, West Side Story-esque rumble in Columbia Heights at dusk! Are you a shark or a jet?

From: Prince of Petworth
To: Dave Stroup
Subject: Hey Buddy!

Hi Dave,

Thanks for all your comments and concerns about my posts. I really appreciate the attention. I am sorry you have not been able to convert Stroup Media into a full time job. I am sorry that you are a bit jealous that I have been able to do so. I really look forward to meeting you in person one of these days. I think we'd actually get along quite nicely. I'm not one to wage public wars, so again I just wanted to say thanks for the attention you've been giving me and your concerned comments in PoP. I will not let you down my friend.

Best,
Dan Silverman

In all seriousness folks, part of doing business on the Internet is opening yourself up to criticism. The key is knowing how to respond in a constructive manner.

News Bullets, no artificial exfoliants Thursday;

2009-11-05T08:24:00.005-05:00

This is the best thing ever. The City Paper reenacted the brawl in the Washington Post newsroom, with hilarious results. Mike DeBonis is a natural in the role of Henry Allen. I firmly find myself in the camp of "Henry Allen should be made Executive Editor."

Metro urgently needs funds to repair their broken, poorly thought-out infrastructure. Yesterday's power failure has left Metro in a terrible position. According to the Post, the transit agency needs $14 million immediately to replace aging power units, including the one that failed yesterday. The unit that blew cannot be repaired, leaving the agency's headquarters with only one power unit to run everything, including rail operations. Metro officials were unable to explain why there is no backup system in place. It's extremely unclear why the entire rail system has one point of failure at their headquarters. Seems like extremely poor system design to me. Also, the fact that a power failure at the downtown office takes their website offline is just ridiculous. It's a must in the information age to have a backup off-site.

Barricade situation ends in arrest in Northeast. Daniel Higgs, 28, was arrested following a 2-hour stand-off in the 4600 block of Hunt Place, NE. The incident occurred around 10 AM when police attempted to serve an arrest warrant. WJLA-TV reports that the MPD SWAT team rescued a woman and a baby who were in the home at the time.

Mary Cheh wants to ban a whole bunch of chemicals. Can Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) run for mayor? I think that would provide a lot of much needed entertainment. I don't doubt that Cheh is an educated and capable person. Not for a second. I think she does an excellent job representing Ward 3, whose constituents can be concerned if artificial exfoliant beads are harming marine life. Cheh's bill would ban a number of chemicals proven to be harmful to humans or the environment. The Councilmember insists there are plenty of healthy alternatives available, and “they can be just as clean and have just as significant an exfoliant experience.” Sometimes it's difficult to believe that she serves on the same Council as Marion Barry. The disparate priorities in different parts of our (rather small) city can be jarring.

Sloth bear at the National Zoo dies. Merlin, a 27-year-old sloth bear died after a brief illness. This comes on the heels of the deaths of two rare ornx. Anyone else remember that spate of deaths at the zoo several years ago? Back when a half-dozen or so animals died in a few months. Ah, looks like that was in 2003.

U.S. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) wants an elected District Attorney for the District. Norton believes that D.C. residents should elect their prosecutor, as is the case in most large cities. In 2002 voters approved a referendum calling for a locally elected AG. Norton has introduced a bill in Congress to make the change.

Jim Graham surprised by 15th Street bike lane project

2009-11-04T11:18:00.005-05:00

Among people who pay attention to local news, DDOT's new contraflow bike lane project on 15th Street was no surprise. When DDOT began construction a week or so ago, it was covered on many local blogs, including Greater Greater Washington and Borderstan. DDOT is installing a new bicycle lane, protected by parked cars, from Massachusetts Avenue to U Street. Letters were sent out to residents prior to the beginning of construction, and there had previously been public meetings and discussions on various listserves.

Well, today, Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) sent out an email complaining about the lack of notice.

Dear Friends,

This weekend--with little or no notice or explanation--DDOT temporarily removed parking for an entire block of 15th Street (between U Street and V Street).

Parking is very scarce in Ward 1 neighborhoods. Residents should not be asked to live with such surprises.

I am currently working with DDOT to make sure that area residents are properly notified for all non-emergency removal of parking.

DDOT has in mind a good purpose--a 15th Street Bike Lane Project--but that does not excuse the need to let people know what is happening when a whole block of parking becomes eliminated. Once proper notice is given, and Ward 1 neighborhood reaction solicited, we can better understand that DDOT proposes to establish a pilot bike lane without any loss of parking on 15th Street above U. It may make great sense for pedestrians, bicyclists and people who need to park!

I do appreciate that DDOT pulled out the poles once I brought this omission to their attention.

Please pass on to others who are interested.

Bests, CM Jim Graham

In a later follow-up, Graham stated that he does not want to stop construction, but does want to pause to consider the impact on the area. I'm not entirely sure why there is a restriction on parking north of U Street, but it is likely temporary pending completion of the rest of the project. What baffles me is that Graham was surprised by the project and also claimed that many others were unaware.

The bulk of the work is south of U Street, and outside of Ward 1. I asked Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) about the matter, and he stated his office was well aware of the project. He also noted that as far as he knew, no one had complained.

If DDOT has impacted one block of parking along 15th Street in Ward 1, I can see it being a very minor inconvenience. I live in Ward 1 and understand that parking is scarce. However, parking is often impacted for all sorts of construction projects, with little or no notice. For Graham to take a stand on this topic seems a bit foolhardy. The "people who really want to park on that one part of 15th street" constituency is likely much smaller than the people who are in favor of the contraflow bike lane. Graham apparently likes the idea of the Mayor's office getting things done without consulting the Council, so much as it doesn't impact a few parking spaces.

UPDATE: It appears that the contractors extended construction north to V street, which was unexpected. However, the fact remains it was only 1 block that was impacted.

News Bullets, biggest losers Wednesday;

2009-11-04T09:18:00.005-05:00

So yes, Creigh Deeds "totes had his ass handed to him" in yesterday's election. It's a shame, but calling it a referendum on Obama is a bit much. Virginia generally prefers a governor of the opposite party of the White House, and also Tim Kaine has been stinking up the state for a while and people were looking for something different. Had Mark Warner been all about Creigh Deeds I bet we'd have had a totally different election. The whole one-term dynamic is interesting.

Power outage "cripples" Metro. Top story on most blogs this morning, Metro suffered a power outage at their headquarters that totally flummoxed the system. All sorts of things, such as communications to buses, Smartrip processing, the WMATA.com site, and station PA systems have been impacted. It's completely ridiculous that an overnight power outage could cause this many problems. Redundancy, Metro. Please. I don't even want to know what effect this had on safety systems. (Of course Metro will deny safety problems, but I wonder if they were still able to monitor for track circuit failures).

MPD fails to learn "zero inbox theory," or the meaning of grossly negligent privacy violations. The Metropolitan Police Department has been keeping boxes of child sex abuse records unlocked in a dirty, dirty hallway. The hallway of horrors and HIPAA violations is located in the records division at 1700 Rhode Island Ave NE. According to the Examiner, that location is a sideshow of complete negligence:

The inspectors also reported the Youth Investigations Division employees are forced to work in potentially dangerous conditions. Inside the building were materials that may contain asbestos, broken floor tiles, degraded pipe insulation, and evidence of rat infestation, including rat droppings.

Can we get some Fenty-friendly rehab contracts going for MPD records storage? Be careful or the Law and Order: SVU scriptwriters might go dumpster diving.

Dan Snyder pities Redskins fans. Aww, he feels for us. Team owner Dan Snyder finally gave some comments about the Redskins, and well, they are mostly pointless. The only thing worse than being a Redskins fan is being thrown a pity party by Dan Snyder.

WaPo exclusive: College students are jackasses. "I'm in a frat, bro." I can't believe people are paying $40K+ to attend this school. Here's a peek at how some GWU students feel about the swine flu vaccine.

"I don't need it," said Sal Marchesano, 21, a senior, as macho laughter ripples across the recreation room, which is adorned with a replica of a human skull and a mostly full bottle of hand sanitizer. "They would have to come here to give me the shot. No. They would have to come to my room. When I'm free."

Man, part of me hopes that H1N1 mutates to some sort of horrible, horrible thing that only affects people who are wearing clothing with greek letters emblazoned on them.

More trouble over at Prince of Petworth. The Crown Prince of Cluelessness is begging his commentariat to play nice after some awful instances of racism. Some of these commenters give WTOP a run for their racist money on craziness. PoP, I want to help you here. People will never play nice. You will need to vet your comments, and if you allow anonymous comments you will see horrible things and you will need to moderate them. Sadly this is just the case, always. You've been around long enough to realize this. Welcome to the Internet, PoP. You may want to check out web sites such as Google.com to start your journey.

Biggest Loser filmed in DC? At the White House? Supposedly last night a DC-themed episode of the Biggest Loser aired. I don't remember hearing anything about this, but supposedly the contestants cooked a meal at the White House kitchen? Anyone catch this?

Television still loves DC, even if people are 'turning away' from Obama. The LA Times has a round-up all of the TV shows that have been filming in DC lately. Again, nothing will ever come close to the West Wing as far as DC-based shows. The city is too trendy right now so most everything that is filmed here is nonsense throwaway material.

News Bullets, completely clueless Tuesday;

2009-11-03T08:44:00.005-05:00

In the past few months you may have noticed I've toned things down a bit. Less personal attacks against people, more news analysis. This has been interesting and everything, but I know it also provides less entertainment. I've been biting my tongue about a lot of things, hoping to just let them slide. Unfortunately my mouth is completely full of blood after reading a certain blog this morning.

Pictured: "The Beautiful Life"

If you head over to the Prince of Petworth, you'll notice a gem titled "Say What You Will About Fenty, But He Is Fixing Up a Lot of Parks." Dan Silverman, the professional blogger who operates Prince of Petworth full-time writes "I know folks have generally not been too happy with Mayor Fenty’s performance lately. But I have to give him props for fixing up tons of parks around town."

This comes amid a huge scandal involving the Mayor's questionable dealings to build and renovate parks. It's been mentioned on every news outlet in the District, it's been a big story in the Post, and if you read any blog you will have come across it. It is IMPOSSIBLE to have missed this story. The Council has held hearings and is crafting emergency legislation to prevent this from happening again.

I know a lot of people read Prince of Petworth for his happy-go-lucky style of "writing," which includes doors, porches and smells of the day. However, for someone who has made "blogging" a full time career, writing nonsense such as this is completely inexcusable. Especially when Silverman is generally recognized as a "news source" in the city. What bothers me the most isn't even that Silverman is agreeing with Fenty's "ends justify the means" argument... it's that it looks like he didn't even know there was a huge scandal unfolding.

Anyhow, on to the news bullets. This part-time blogger only has so much time to work with.

Police investigating suspicious death on 16th St, NW. MPD is looking for answers after discovering the body of a female in an apartment in the 3600 block of 16th St, NW. So far very little information has been released, except to say the circumstances are suspicious.

D.C. Council seeks crackdown on parks spending. As a result of the unfolding parks and rec scandal, Harry Thomas, Jr. (D-Ward 5) will introduce emergency legislation preventing contracts from bypassing the Council. There would also be limits to what DPR could spend without going to the Council. This is a good start, but the better solution would be to have an executive that didn't bypass the rules in the first place. Nickles and Fenty will likely find some other way to divert money.

Cheesy, but I approve. Echoed across the universe, Andrew Hertzberg and and Andy Rollman got engaged at yesterday's Council hearing on same-sex marriage. The best part of all of this, though, was a comment by Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1). Thanks to Twitter, this gem did not go unnoticed.

@summersgill CM Graham suggests that couple should consumate (sic) their marriage on the plaza in Col Hgts. Wrong word.

District government pays out to family of St. Elizabeth's patient who was stomped to death. The city has paid $1 million to the family of Alan Martin. Martin, 56, was a doctor who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He was placed in a room in St. Elizabeth's with William Dunbar, 29, who had homicidal thoughts and had threatened family members. Dunbar killed Martin by beating him and crushing his skull. A jury found the District negligent for Martin's death, but the city stalled on making the payments. The always warm and fuzzy attorney general Peter Nickles made the payment saying he wanted to "get it over with."

Coming up this week: The best of Twitter, including the new "nuggets of hate" feature. Also, bust out those E-Meters because we'll be talking Scientology.

News Bullets, casting call Monday;

2009-11-02T08:44:00.003-05:00

How about that crap weather for Halloween? I hope you all enjoyed having two days to celebrate the holiday. It's now November, and that means we've got those funky odd-year elections. Right across the river Creigh Deeds is fighting for his life in Virginia. I hate to say it, but Deeds is not going to win. Or rather, I would be incredibly surprised if he did. I'm no political expert here, but I'm guessing he will lose by 6-8 points. It's sad, because McDonnell is a jackass.

More testimony on gay marriage. Today more than 150 people will testify before the D.C. Council on the topic of gay marriage. The measure is expected to pass and Mayor Fenty is expected to sign it into law. One of the main questions is how much leeway to allow religious organizations in denying same-sex couples services. A church can refuse to recognize gay marriage, but more tricky questions arise such as can a place be forced to rent a their space to a gay couple. These are some thorny issues that make my head hurt a bit on Monday morning.

Better and cheaper is excuse for improper spending. At least that's what they Fenty administration tried to say on Friday. They claim that the normal process just wasn't getting things done, so they moved money around and got results. This whole ends justifying the means argument played out a few years ago, and the Council didn't buy it then, either.

Real World casting call in D.C. OMGZ! There will be a casting call in D.C. next Saturday for people interested in appearing on MTV's The Real World. That's right kids, maybe you can inspire a blogger in another city to start a web site dedicated to hating you. Interested? Head over to the Town Tavern in Adams Morgan from 10 AM-5 PM. How appropriate it would be at Town Tavern.

Washington Post editorial board writes another love letter to Michelle Rhee. Sometimes I think the City Paper spends a little too much time on media criticism, but not today. Erik Wemple takes a look at the Post's latest ode to Rhee. Gotta love the Post's subhead: "The D.C. Council seems to worry about everyone but students." How many times in one week can we fall back on saying breaking the law to achieve results is OK. We aren't talking about stealing bread for a starving family here. There are financial regulations for a reason and if no one respects them, things will get a whole lot worse.

Former GWU president was paid an absurd amount of money. Stephen J. Trachtenberg was compensated $3.7 million in 2007-2008. That amount dwarfs any other university president in the United States by at least two million dollars. To compare, Georgetown University president Jack DeGioia made only $643,000. Guess we know where all of the tuition money goes--GWU also happens to be the most expensive college in the country.

News Bullets, treehouse of horrors Friday;

2009-10-30T09:11:00.005-04:00

Still a bit under the weather here, but managed to slog my way to work. No worries, I don't have a fever (yet) so it's unlikely to be Swine Flu. I did wash my hands before putting on a biohazard suit, just because I love you all so much.

DCPS CFO Noah Wepman attempts to answer questions from the Council

Michelle Rhee versus the Council: a draw? While I was home sick yesterday I attempted to watch part of the D.C. Council hearing on the school layoffs. Yes, indeed it was broadcast live on television. I was able to pay attention for a bit before nodding off, enough to see DCPS CFO Noah Wepman get taken to school (har, har). My goodness, I must be getting old because Noah Wepman looks like he just turned 21. I don't understand how someone could be so unprepared for a hearing of this importance. I understand getting nervous, but... wow. Overall there is a lot of animosity between the Council and everyone else. Nat Gandhi didn't really want to answer any of the questions, and Wepman looked like someone who was begging for just a few more minutes to finish his midterm. Rhee is an excellent politician who swooped in and pretty much turned the whole thing into a draw. What's the likely outcome of all of this? Who can be sure, but at this point this is all mostly just political posturing for the election. Mike DeBonis somehow managed to stay awake and alert throughout the whole thing, he has a good summary and I'm sure a wrap up later today.

DC sucks at counting, attempts to bolster Census effort. The District is hoping to get a better count in the 2010 census, to help secure more federal funds. Fun fact, each citizen is worth around $3,500. Good lord. The District's census response rate is low, and Mayor Fenty believes there are many "hard to count" people that just aren't being included in the total population. I'm guessing this includes numerous homeless people, college students, and most people under 30 who don't want to actually consider themselves DC residents.

DC OTR shutters 8 restaurants for unpaid sales taxes. The Office of Tax and Revenue is doing a "show of force" and shutting down places with unpaid sales tax. According to an OTR press release, the eight restaurants are: INTI,1825 18th St. NW, Prince of Georgetown, 3205 Prospect St. NW, Besta Pizza, 5029 Connecticut Ave. NW, Porter's, 1207 19th St. NW, Prince Café, 1042 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Mendocino Grille, 2917 M St. NW, Café Nema, 1334 U St. NW, Argonaut, 1433 H St. NE. Word on the Twittersphere is that Argonaut has paid their tax bill and has reopened.

Parks and Recs hearing today. The Council will be at it again, today looking into the matter of the illegally diverted parks and rec construction contracts. We'll see how that plays out. The Council has a few options to consider, including filing a lawsuit against the Fenty administration. I'm all for the fireworks, honestly.

Who will kill the Post? WJLA and NC8? In case you've missed it, the people behind Politico have decided to start a new DC-oriented news site. It will be Internet-only, but will get content from WJLA-TV and News Channel 8. I'll be writing about this more in depth over at my other site, but I'm a bit skeptical of the chances that this will truly be a "Washington Post killer." In order to truly revolutionize local news coverage, you'll need a better model than "a new web site." You'll also need to do a bit better than just redistributing the content that's already distributed on WJLA and NC8. We're talking more original content, which means more reporting, which yes means a staff. Rumors have it there could be upwards of 50 people staffing this new site. How in the world is that supposed to break even? You can't model a local news site around the Politico model, it's a bit different. We'll see... the owners have a lot of money to throw around so they can deal with some losses for a while.

News Bullets, sick and tired Thursday;

2009-10-29T10:20:00.004-04:00

Abbreviated edition today, I'm sick. Thank good for Tivo, right? And laptops. Here's hoping I'm not getting the Swine Flu after talking about how the vaccine will turn you into a reptilian zombie. So, my apologies for the less-than-thorough morning news update. Hopefully I'll feel better later today and can work on some other pieces, including "Why We Hate DC" number 2. Also, for anyone interested, I'm almost complete with the third piece in the series about Metro safety and I'll have a piece ready soon about this whole Politico-NewsChannel8-WJLA local news site.

BORING COUNCIL NEWS EDITION, MOSTLY.

Peter Nickles sends Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) flowers to make amends. The District AG, who had called Cheh an "angry woman" did what any man in the dog house does--he sent flowers. Yes, in an effort to make up for his sexism, he decides to get the angry woman flowers. For her part, Cheh has played this all wrong. She is not politically savvy. She joked that she also liked chocolate and has displayed the flowers in her office. The appropriate response would have involved explaining that flowers don't negate a violation of District law, and flowers also don't make up for a stunning display of a lack of respect. On this token, though, maybe Marion Barry can send Ximena Hartock some flowers and make everything better.

Phil Mendelson to run for D.C. Council Chair? Well, maybe, if all sorts of other things happen. "Rumors" around the Wilson Building say that Mendelson might run for the chair spot, though that's likely dependent on Gray running for mayor. If Gray runs for mayor, then Jack Evans will also seek the chairman spot. Mendelson is facing former DPR chief Clary Ray as a challenger for his current at-large seat.

Michelle Rhee faces the D.C. Council today. Mike DeBonis is live blogging the hearing, which I'm sure will produce some fireworks. Who wants to bet we'll see another skirmish between the Council and the Mayor's golden child? Part of me is impressed that Rhee has stuck around in this position this long, given that she's really been facing a no-win situation. A schools system in poor shape, but little wiggle room to make any sort of Big Picture changes. We'll see what she has to say to the Council. Should be worth watching.

IN OTHER NEWS...

MPD releases operating procedures after FOIA fight. After an eight month battle, the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund has prevailed in a Freedom of Information Act battle with the D.C. Metropolitan Police. The General and Specific Directives, which dictate how MPD manages their police powers. These are now available for everyone to read, which is always a good thing.

WaPo gives us the deetz on the Real World.

And with that, I have to leave you.

Why We Hate DC, Reason #1: The "networking" blowhard

2009-10-28T10:09:00.006-04:00

Note: These are not 'ranked' in any way. This is the first one I wrote about, so it's #1.

If you consider yourself a young professional in D.C., then you know exactly what I'm talking about. Have you ever been invited to go to a "networking" happy hour, or any sort of "networking" event?

If you're like me, you hate the entire idea of these sorts of things. Does anyone really believe that some dude you meet at a happy hour and exchange your "program assistant" business cards with will really be able to get you a job somewhere? There are a few problems with this logic, the first being that anyone who has the power to truly influence hiring decisions won't be going to a networking event at the Front Page. Second, if you do have any sort of influence at your organization, you aren't going to go out on a limb for someone you barely know. Third, the economy is in the toilet and there's 500 people applying for every job opening in this town.

As such, these events are often attended by the person I'll describe as the professional networking blowhard. This is the guy (or girl) who absolutely has to tell you about how amazing his job is, and how much he has accomplished in the 23 years he has been alive. Did you know that he went backpacking in Asia and is so tired of seeing temples that he will be happy if he never sees one ever again? Also, when he studied at Oxford, his flatmate from Mehhh-He-Ko (Mexico) taught him about the perils of the Zapatistas? What does he do now? Well, he works on an important program at [prominent non-profit]. You've never even heard of where he works, but don't worry, he'll tell you all about it. If you work for another non-profit, or a government agency, he'll have a story about how just the other day he ran into the executive director (or cabinet secretary) of where you work. "Yeah, I totally ran into Secretary Chu downtown and we talked about renewable energy. He's a nice guy."

But you're just jealous of his success!

Nope. In my experience the people who you actually want to meet, and actually want to make "connections" with are too busy actually doing things to attend some sort of grown-up equivalent of a high school mixer. The people who are making a difference and who may be in a position to help you make a difference as well don't go around talking about their epic life experience. You'll find the real people to "network" with at events that have some sort of meaning, or that revolve around something you are actually interested in. Reach out to people who write things you enjoy reading. Attend a community meeting about a topic that you feel is important. Volunteer for something that's a bit obscure and isn't filled only with people trying to deal with liberal guilt.

Of course the networking blowhard isn't endemic to D.C. They likely exist in many cities. However, the nature of D.C. seems to encourage their development. We have a constant rat race, with everyone trying to gauge how they stack up. You have a whole bunch of people who were told they would change the world and they don't know how to play nice in the sandbox once they realize they aren't actually that special. You think you've got a good job that makes a difference? Well, there's always somebody doing more. No matter who you are. Need confirmation of that? Just remember that arguably the most powerful person on the entire planet lives just down the street from you.

Verdict: This personality trait is often cited as one of the reasons why people hate living in D.C. You seemingly can't go anywhere, to a bar, a restaurant, or a party without meeting this person. This is a justifiable reason to cite when expressing discontent about our city. However, this person can be avoided. Shy away from any sort of activity that is billed as a networking event. Shy away from any sort of forced socialization that is branded as a way to meet people who can help "develop your career." The person who is going to help you get the job you dream of, or help you start a new business is probably somewhere working on something they think is important. You won't find them drinking the $3 rail drink special in a suit and tie spouting off stories about that time they met Tony Blair on the lift.

You're in America now jackass, it's called an elevator.

News Bullets, no man is an island, Wednesday;

2009-10-28T08:48:00.003-04:00

Good morning. Could be another festering mess of gross outside today, we'll see.

Working on a new series, I can't promise it'll be daily, but it might be. Since I've pushed a lot of the news analysis and such over to the other site, I can use this space for other things, such as personal peeves and lest we forget, cursing. Anyhow, I'm going to start compiling a list of all of the various things that people hate about DC with a bit of a blurb about if it's warranted or not. Essentially a watered down version of the "Eye on" series I tried to start, but realized I don't have enough time to do properly.

Anyways, look for the first post later today, time permitting. Onwards and upwards to the news of the day.

Metro cannot multitask, delays awesome Smartrip changes. By awesome, I mean features that should have been implemented from the beginning. Think about how nice it would be to have bus and rail passes on your Smartrip. Think about the ability to have it refill automatically, or to add funds over the Internet. Well, those features were supposed to arrive in 2005, but were pushed back. Metro insisted they would be ready by the end of this year, but they've been pushed back to the end of 2010. Instead, Metro insists they have had to focus on changes urged by the federal government.

Progress on outsourced Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. The National Capital Planning Commission has approved a new security plan around the site of the to be constructed Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial. That's nice, but what I had forgotten about this was that the statute of King is being made in China. There was a big hubub about this a few years ago when the decision was made. Perhaps we can ship China a memorial to the Tiananmen Square tank guy.

More people eligible for H1N1 vaccines. If you have an underlying health problem (this is vague, ask your doctor for details), you can probably get the swine flu vaccine in DC. Likely expect long lines and panicked people. Not responsible for any zombification or other potential side effects as a result of vaccination. In all seriousness it's probably a good idea.

DC full of single, depressed assholes says U.S. Census. The Post has word that the number of single households in the District has accelerated greatly. Demographers are pointing to various causes for this, ranging from DC's attraction of young, selfish rich yuppies who don't care to live with others, and society's growing acceptance of young, selfish, rich yuppies who choose to live alone. Given the recession it's actually a bit surprising to see this, I'd figure there would be more "my accountant told us we should shack up" scenarios, and a whole lot more people turning to group houses. However, for most of the people who would be able to, or would consider living alone, there is still a wealth of jobs available.

DCHA gave contracts to friends of Fenty, including Keith Lomax. Remember earlier in the year when Fenty was in hot water for letting his friend Keith Lomax drive his city-owned SUV? Well, lo and behold Lomax also received part of those $82 million in under-the-table contracts. If you're a bit confused by the whole contracts matter, you aren't alone. I've got a big summary here, though there are still many unanswered questions. One question I do have an answer to, where Fenty went to undergrad. The answer: Oberlin. Yeah, I know, right?

Finally, my favorite Tweet of the day. @dcfireems: update - 5201 Conn Av NW - around midnite - 'bug bomb' explosion - no fire no injury (except displaced bugs) - damage $25K DC F&EMS clear 2a

News Bullets, you are not Tiger Woods Tuesday;

2009-10-27T08:52:00.004-04:00

OK Washington, I've got a bone to pick with you. It's barely raining and yet many people decide to break out the golf umbrellas. Come on now. I'm happy for you that you enjoy Titleist golf balls, but if you're walking down a crowded sidewalk and don't have a family of 10 under that umbrella, save that for the U.S. Open. I see you coming down the sidewalk in a suit (without a coat, because coats are for suckers) and your massive umbrella, knocking everyone else's puny peasant umbrellas out of the way. Except me, I didn't even deploy my umbrella (because it wasn't really raining). That will leave both of my hands free to do a nice quiet golf clap when your bigass umbrella gets stuck in a tree and you get pissed.

Now let's take a look at the day's news.

Triple shooting in Southeast leaves one dead. A 24-year-old man was killed, and two others injured in a shooting near 23rd Street and Savannah Terrace, SE. The other victims, aged 41 and 19 are expected to survive. Following the shooting, police were searching for a man dressed all in black. Surprisingly, it appears that search has not yet yielded an arrest.

Bishop Harry Jackson taken to school at gay marriage hearing. Harry Jackson, a "recent" DC resident and anti-gay marriage advocate was smacked down by at-large Councilmember David Catania. Jackson insists that it's important for the District to put gay marriage on the ballot, and have all residents vote on the matter. Jackson even evoked Martin Luther King to make his point. Catania then asked Jackson if he was aware of the last time the rights of a minority were put to the test on a ballot. Jackson said he did not know. Catania was more than happy to tell him, it was in 1865 and District residents voted against extending voting rights to freed African-Americans. Catania then asked Jackson how many times he had voted in the District, the answer of course being none. Thanks to the CityPaper for some excellent coverage.

Battle lines drawn in Council versus Fenty skirmish, and NBC Washington is there with an offensive headline. The saga over Parks and Recreation continues to unfold, with Fenty's extention of Ximena Hartsock's employment by another 180 days. In response, Councilmember Cheh (D-Ward 3) remarked the appearance of a "lawless administration." AG Peter Nickles took exception to this, calling her statements stupid and characterizing her as an "angry woman." Our favorite DC news source NBC4, writes it up under the headline "D.C. Catfight." A sexist article asking if the AG is sexist. Awesome. Also, if you're having a hard time wrapping your head around the whole Council versus Fenty battle and how Hartsock plays into it, I have a summary of the whole mess.

It has been six years since Walter E. Washington died. He's got a convention center named after him, but we still don't have good government in D.C. Sad that in the six years since his death, and the four mayors that have followed, no one has come close to honoring his legacy.

Loose Lips Daily celebrates one year of insane political coverage. Congrats, Mike.

Fedex Field surrendered to Philadelphia. The Redskins continue to make their case as the worst team in the NFL this season. It doesn't matter who calls the plays if the people on the field can't execute them. Or even catch a ball. Or even execute a snap correctly.

News Bullets, crêpe wars Monday;

2009-10-26T08:52:00.007-04:00

As much as you griped about it being dark and cold this morning, I hope everyone has a chance to appreciate the fall weather. Looks like this might be the last week of sixty degree weather, so enjoy it while you can. As you probably know, here in DC we don't so much have seasons as we have winter and summer, both of which are roughly six months long.

In honor of it being Monday, here's a clip for all the nerds out there. That's actually most of you, except for all the people from WMATA who come here. For their sake, though, I hope they have a sense of humor as well. Fun fact, that sort of bothers me, High Fidelity came out eight years ago.

Annnnnnd now, today's news. Let's get the depressing stuff out of the way first.

Violent crime strikes Petworth again, shootings in Columbia Heights and Bloomingdale as well. It was a violent weekend in the District, with a shooting death Friday night in Petworth, as well as a Saturday morning officer-involved fatal shooting on Upshur Street. I've got more on that over at my Serious Business web site. Petworth has been rocked by a number of shootings in the past week, which is actually out of the ordinary. As much as I like to say "welcome to the beautiful life" extremely sarcastically, it is true that gun violence has been down this year in Petworth. We'll see if this past week is an anomaly, or if it continues.

More complicated government shenanigans. This time it involves Mayor Fenty, the DC Housing Authority and construction contracts. The City Paper has a good FAQ on the latest controversy, but here's the very brief summary. Mayor Fenty sent a dozen parks and recreation construction contracts to the DC Housing Authority. The DCHA then gave these contracts to "friends" of the Mayor without any DC Council oversight. The total price tag of these contracts is over $82 million. On Friday, District Attorney General Peter "transparency is for suckers" Nickles determined that yes, the DCHA must send contracts of over $1 million to the Council. Another slap in the face to the Council. Things aren't looking pretty. Makes the whole Parks and Recreation saga a bit more interesting. Also of note, Ximena Hartstock gets a reprieve, being renamed as the Acting Director of DPR. She gets another 180 days in her job, but after that she is out.

Man accused of pimping out his foster child on K Street. A Temple Hills man is in custody facing charges of sex trafficking. Shelby Lewis is accused of raping his 12-year-old foster child, and selling her for sex. Lewis was arrested after police found two of his teenage prostitutes walking K Street.

Would 14th Street like some crêpes with that wine and cheese? Another day, another fancy new place slated to open on 14th Street. Sometimes, though, the trendiness gets a bit out of hand. Prince of Petworth reports that not one, but two "crepes spots" (the word is crêperie) will be opening on 14th Street. In fact, they are opening almost exactly across the street from each other. I'm not joking, you'll be able to look out the window and see the competition. Who will win the crêpe wars? I'm going to go out on a limb here and say neither. Having two choices will result in neither attracting enough business to stay afloat.

Same-sex marriage fiasco underway. Anti gay-marriage activists staged protests this weekend in anticipation of today's public hearings. Many are calling to put the issue on the ballot, rather than let the DC Council "create laws." Previous efforts to have a public referendum on gay marriage have failed. The Board of Elections and Ethics have repeatedly said that you cannot have a public vote on a measure that is discriminatory. Makes sense. At the Wilson Building, a marathon session of public testimony is expected this afternoon. 269 people have signed up to testify.

News Bullets, craft Slurpee Friday;

2009-10-23T09:05:00.004-04:00

It's been one of those weeks. I know it's been a bit light on content here, I've been busy with other projects as well as the whole having a job thing. Too bad I can't afford to hire a personal assistant. I've been kicking around the idea of spending a bit more time expanding each news bullet with more commentary (and in appropriate instances humor! what a concept!) and then posting those throughout the day. We'll see what happens. But for now, it's Friday, and here's your update.

File under incredibly awkward. Matthew "Question Mark Guy" Lesko appeared with embattled DC Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) at the Lincoln Theatre last night to open the Betzen Ball Comedy Festival. They warmed up the crowd for headliner Patton Oswalt. I always just assumed Graham and Lesko were the same person, given their striking resemblance to one another. Though it is hilarious to see the man whose office is being investigated for taking bribes appearing with the man who tells you how to get free money from the government.

Metro to begin testing prototype of a 'real time' sensor monitoring system. Yesterday Metro announced they are ready to run some tests of the new safety monitoring system developed by an Annapolis contractor. This system was ordered in response to urgent NTSB recommendations following the 6/22 crash. It's unclear at this point when this new safety system will be ready to go, or how much it will cost. This is a good development, to be sure, but it also speaks to the fact that the Automatic Train Control system does not fail in a safe way. If we have to spend millions of dollars to develop a system to check to the ATC system in real time, perhaps it would have been money better spent earlier to develop a better train control and signaling system. I'll have more on this as more information becomes available.

Flower pot closes 12th Street downtown during rush hour. Yup. The Post tells us about how a flowerpot near the Federal Triangle Metro station sparked a suspicious package investigation. MPD, DC Fire and EMS and Metro Transit Police shut down part of 12th Street near Pennsylvania Avenue for about 40 minutes last night. It's always good to err on the side of caution, I suppose... but who calls in a flowerpot as a suspicious package?

DDOT imagines up to eight streetcar lines in the District. Go big, or go home... right? Or do both, it's Friday. The District Department of Transportation unveiled new plans for streetcar lines throughout the city. Greater Greater Washington has a whole lot more on this, as well as a map. A system like this would be amazing, given the number of District neighborhoods not serviced directly by Metrorail. I'm glad Gabe Klein and company have put together these pretty maps and plans, but the "what's next" part is difficult. Securing funding for a project of this scale won't be easy, and many people won't understand how "streetcars" are relevant in the 21st century. Shouldn't we all have jetpacks by now, anyways?

Stop the fucking presses, slushies are now a food trend. Yeah, you read that correctly. "Craft" slushies will soon be coming to the former second location of Garden District on 14th Street. Metrocurean writes, "Proof bar man Adam Bernbach has a playful roster of libations planned. Slushies — yup, just like the ones at 7-Eleven — will be served." The slushies will be served at Estadio, a new Spanish restaurant planned by the owner of Proof. OK, this is really a trend that can stay in New York. Here's a concept restaurant. A gourmet 7/11. It will look just like a real 7/11, except the Slurpee machines will be filled with slushy cocktails, and it'll serve deconstructed taquitos and donut foam.

By the way I went to ChurchKey. Yeah, I stopped over at the new destination beer bar in Logan Circle. It was the opening night, along with the downstairs restaurant Birch and Barley, and it was packed. It probably wasn't a good sign that when I arrived the front door was locked. They were not at capacity... I think the staff may have been unsure how the door works. The place has a lot of promise, and they do have an impressive beer list. My biggest gripe is the deceiving menu. Beers are listed with price and and serving size. Many are listed as 16 oz servings. I ordered the Bell's Two-Hearted Ale, advertised as a 16 oz serving. It was brought in a glass that could not have held more than 8 oz. In fact, I didn't see a single glass in the place that was a true pint. Time to reprint those menus. Anyways, it's a very promising development for a spot south of P Street in Logan.

News Bullets, it's so easy Thursday;

2009-10-22T08:41:00.004-04:00

If my Twitter is to believed, people are starting to notice that it's getting dark in the mornings. Also, swine flu has hit Capitol Hill and my office. Oh noes! Good thing I purchased that military surplus biohazard suit on eBay back in April. It pays to be prepared, folks.

Who are the taxicab bribery defendants? The City Paper's Jason Cherkis takes a look at those dozens of would-be cab drivers arrested in the bribery scandal. This is a very emotional piece, and tells a compelling story. To summarize, if we are to believe the defendant's stories, they were unwitting pawns in the larger bribery scandal. Those at the top used these people dreaming of being cab drivers to ferry bribes to Taxi Commissioner Leon Swain's office. It seems pointless that these people were arrested in the first place, as Swain and others are on tape saying that the details of the plot should never reach these lower level people. But, they have all been charged with conspiracy to commit bribery. We'll see if those charges stand. Way to go City Paper for telling this story.

The happy-go-lucky blogosphere strikes again. Reading DC Blogs this morning, I see the top featured post tells everyone to stop worrying about Metro. This gem comes to us via the "DC Universe" blog. I'm wagging my finger a bit at the editors of DC Blogs, for selecting a piece that tells us 9 people dying in the Red Line is no big deal, right after a compelling video of the Red Line crash response was released by DC Fire and EMS. Anyhow, DC Universe sez:

But the bottom line is, something like that [buses driving by], and God only knows how many other fuck-ups Metro commits on any given day--and I think it's fair to mention that only a tiny percentage of those fuck-ups result in people getting killed--don't change the fact that Metro is still one of the best public transportation systems in the world.

With the moral being "stop stressing about Metro" and "deal with it." DC Universe takes aim with people who are thoughtfully trying to help Metro improve service, and suggests we all just give up. This attitude is the reason why the mythical "change" we all want is so hard to come by. Hey, did you know that a majority of Americans have health insurance? Also, I have health insurance. So what's the big deal if others don't? They can just go to the ER anyways! I hear DC Universe is planning on testifying at the Metro Board meeting. Here is the presentation, entitled "Happy Go Lucky:"

Fancy beer bar and "rustic Americana" restaurant opens on 14th street. That's right, the location pretentious white people have been waiting for is finally open! I'll admit, I can be considered among those who are a little excited to try out Birch and Barley and ChurchKey. This is also exciting as it's a development south of P Street in Logan Circle. The restaurant and beer bar have taken over the former location of Dakota Cowgirl and Ramrod. As everyone else has already noted, be sure to make some Ramrod jokes if you attend. 14th and You has some photos, as well as Metrocurian. Since this is a beer bar and not a wine bar, it won't get added to the "wine and furniture" walking tour of 14th Street.

Wither the alt-weekly? As noted above, the City Paper produces some excellent content. But would you pay for it? The idea keeps getting teased over at CityDesk and I have to wonder what this means for the future of the free weekly paper. Editor Erik Wemple takes a shot at Leonard Downie Jr's vision of the future of journalism, and I chime in with a few thoughts of my own. Would you pay to read the City Paper? I might, but it'd have to be some excellent content presented in a very awesome way. I heart the City Paper but no one these days wants to pay for content and I have a feeling a ton of people would just say "I'll read Prince of Petworth instead."

Economic recovery causes DC to post negative decrease in unemployment. Yeah, you see what I did there? The District unemployment rate is now at 11.4% That's up from 11.1% in August. To compare, badly hit Michigan comes in at 15.3%. That's right, we're only 3.9% behind the rust belt! Of course, Virginia and Maryland are sitting much prettier, both under 10%. When people say DC is recession-proof, they are referring to the federal government. Sadly, there's a whole bunch of people who live in DC who do not have cushy federal jobs.

News Bullets, too many real bullets Wednesday;

2009-10-21T09:10:00.005-04:00

I know I've been involved in a lot of serious business projects lately, writing about social services, crime, and of course Metro. These things are very important, of course, but they aren't always the fun, let's spit our coffee on our computer screen sorts of things. It's difficult to bridge the gap, and I suppose that's why the Daily Show and the Colbert Reports are the outliers. I'm kicking around a few good posts that aren't news related at all, and I hope to have a few of those up soon. I'm posting most of my serious business items over at a new site, so those will stay separate for the most part.

Shooting at the not-so-Safeway leaves teen in critical condition. Debate over the Petworth Safeway's nickname aside, this is depressing to say the least. A male in his teens was shot in the head outside of the Safeway on Georgia Avenue, just a few blocks from the Georgia Avenue-Petworth Metro station. No suspects are in custody, but the shooter was reportedly approached by two people before the shooting. It's easy to immediately say, "look, see, Petworth isn't safe." However, to be fair, there are more shootings near Columbia Heights than in Petworth. So the thing to say is "look, see, these neighborhoods are still troubled, even though young, white, upwardly mobile bloggers have moved there recently." Maybe we should drop a Target or Best Buy in Petworth to really get things moving.

Police-involved shooting in Northeast. No real details on this yet, but an officer shot and killed a man in the 900 block of 21st St. NE. This is about a block from the location of Saturday's fatal stabbing.

Shooting reported near the Convention Center. DC Alert sent out a message about a shooting at 7th and N, NW last night. There hasn't been any news stories about this one, and I'm waiting for any further information from MPD. This comes amid a summer of shootings in Shaw, which Jim Graham has declared to be a gang war. I have a bit more on the violence in Shaw over at District Daily.

Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) proposes new bill of rights for animals. The Post looks at a Council bill aimed to help improve the treatment of wild animals. The measure, among other provisions, would clamp down on the types of traps that can be used for larger, non-"pest" animals. The Humane Society helped Cheh craft the bill, which is available for download from the Councilmember's web site. Hey, I'm all in favor of this, no doubt. I think this says something about what people in Ward 3 spend their time worrying about.

Is Chief Lanier losing the trust and respect of her officers? Harry Jaffe asks the question in the Examiner. This piece outlines the tension between officers and their chief, especially in the light of recent union-management disputes. An interesting read, to be sure, and gives some insight into the problems... though I have a feeling these sorts of disputes occur no matter who the Chief of Police is. Generally in a department as large as MPD, the chief will always be more of a politician than an officer.

News Bullets, do the right thing Tuesday;

2009-10-20T09:17:00.005-04:00

Jim Graham steps down from taxicab oversight. Huh? Graham (D-Ward 1) has requested that taxicab matters be moved from his Committee on Public Works and Transportation to the Council's Committee of the Whole. Previously, Graham had refused to do so and insisted his innocence. He is still claiming innocence, but now saying he wants to ensure no distractions. Well, Jim, I'm glad to see you are just now a bit concerned that a huge scandal involving bribery and potential murder plots could be a distraction. Who wants to bet that this move by Graham is connected to the fact that Ted Loza may be negotiating a plea deal? Will Graham be taken down by this? We'll see...

Shootout in Southeast leaves one man dead, another wounded. MPD responded to a shooting in the 4800 block of G Street, SE last night. An adult male was pronounced dead at the scene, and another male was found critically wounded. WJLA reports the surviving victim is a teenager. I believe this edges the homicide count up to 110.

Free swine flu vaccinations tonight. The District government will begin H1N1 vaccinations tonight for children, young adults, and pregnant women. From WJLA:

Two of clinics will be held Tuesday night at Cardoza (sic) Senior High School and Ballou Senior High School from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. The clinics will provide H1N1 injection or nasal spray vaccinations to children, young adults and pregnant women. Children from 6 months up to 24 year-old young adults are eligible for the vaccination.
There will be one vaccine clinic in each city's ward every week over the next month. The clinics will rotate between schools in the District on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

I'm too old to get one at the clinic, but honestly I don't want one. I have no scientific evidence to back this up, but I am concerned that it may turn people into reptilians.

Cafritz fire started by oily rags. Remember when Smokey the Bear or a creepy dude in a dalmatian suit told you to be careful with paint cans and oily rags? That they could start fires? Well, yeah, the giant fire at the Peggy Cooper Cafritz mansion was likely caused by rags soaked in linseed oil. The rags were used to treat patio furniture, and were improperly stored. Problems with water flow hampered firefighting efforts. The Washington Times has a piece about the trading of blame regarding the water problems.

Don Peebles says he might run for DC mayor. Good for you, Mr. Peebles, but move back to DC first and tell someone other than the Washington Business Journal.

News Bullets, unsafe at any bus stop Monday;

2009-10-19T09:05:00.004-04:00

Anyone else actually watch the entire Redskins game yesterday? Loved that safety at the end, way to go, really, kudos indeed. Jim Zorn is now off play calling duty, and a new offensive coordinator will be named later today. It's unclear exactly what the point of JZ is now, other than to look pretty and pointlessly throw challenge flags.

Metrobus and Metrorail unsafe, claims WTOP. I agree, but not exactly for the same reasons. WTOP's Adam Tuss and Mark Segraves obtain some employee discipline records from WMATA and the numbers aren't pretty. The article, Ride At Your Own Risk ledes with "[s]ince 2004, Metro bus drivers and train operators have been cited more than 4,000 times for endangering the lives of their passengers." Over that same period of time, 18 employees have been fired. WTOP made the spreadsheet of information available, and the category with the most infractions was "bus collisions." There were 1,650 documented. The numbers seem a bit odd, though, with 484 collisions in 2005 and only 110 in 2008. That's quite a decline. Metro GM John Catoe declined comment for the article, though a Metro spokesperson did say the agency is looking at their discipline policies. Without some context, or comparison to other transit agencies, it's difficult to make sense of these figures.

Recession over for some, frugality gets boring. The Washington Post looks at people who never really had to worry about money and gave up their credit cards because it was fashionable. Well, now, fashion is fashionable again and it's time to make up for lost handbag purchases. Retail therapy is back! While the recession may be over for some, many are still dying of AIDS and the homeless still don't have proper services. Sadly, though, donating to non-profits is not a form of retail therapy.

Damning investigation in the Post about the city's AIDS programs. If you missed the feature piece in yesterday's paper, I share some thoughts over at a new web site, District Daily.

Man stabbed and killed in Northeast. George E. Wakefield, 30, of the 1100 block of 21st Pl. NE was found stabbed near his home early Saturday. No information has been released about any motive or suspects. The location, a bit east of Trinidad is just a few blocks south of the National Arboretum.

Some residents nervous about Fort Totten redevelopment. The plans to build the "Art Place and Shops at Fort Totten" are still a bit up in the air, but residents are already being moved to temporary housing. From an article in the Post:

The foundation has not decided how the project will be financed and is awaiting city approval to move forward. The D.C. Zoning Commission recently held a hearing to discuss the request for the planned unit development. In the meantime, the foundation, which received the land as a gift about 50 years ago from the late Morris Cafritz, a real estate mogul and an influential commercial and residential builder in Washington, is moving residents into temporary apartments about a block from their current homes.

This is an interesting project, because it's being spearheaded by a 501(c)3 foundation. The goal of the project to revitalize the community and also build an 'arts outpost' of sorts. The Cafritz foundation provide current residents with new apartments when they are completed, and will also pay the difference in rent. If this turns out to be the case, this could be a great development in that area. With access to both the Red and Green Line, it could be a prime location. Seems like a good deal for everyone involved if it gets off the ground.

That's a paddlin'

2009-10-16T14:19:00.004-04:00

Have a good weekend.
I'm going to pay zero attention to the blogosphere this weekend.
Thanks.