By Tom Bridge
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Metro Emergency Button by Mr. T in DC
By now, I am certain that you have seen the video, or heard about the incident that took place at L’Enfant Metro this past weekend, where a man was beaten by a group of teenagers while they took video of the incident. Metro has now issued a statement after the fact condemning the incident. It’s after the break. Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
Meet Sekou Biddle, who will take the oath of office as DC’s newest At-Large councilmember. Don’t remember voting for or against Mr. Biddle? No surprise there, he was selected by the DC Democratic State Committee, literally in a backroom (a kitchenette, actually) at about 9pm last night. Why did this happen? In short, because the electoral system of the District of Columbia makes about as much sense as a paper bag full of ninjas wielding salamis.
When DC selected Kwame Brown to be the new chair of the city council this November, the DCDSC were placed in charge of replacing Mr. Brown until such time as his successor could be elected (currently scheduled for April 26th) and, because they chose not to listen to our little reality show idea, they let 74 people whose selection to the committee is of unclear provenance vote in quasi-secret ballots to select Mr. Biddle.
Thursday night was a sausage-making affair the likes of wish you’d hope not to see in the Nation’s Capital, but it makes the council whole again, and Mr. Biddle carried the endorsement of a number of sitting councilmembers. Biddle currently serves as a Ward 4 Board of Education member.
Congratulations on your new job, Mr. Councilman.
By Tom Bridge
‘Vacation in a Cup!’
courtesy of ‘Phaesia2011’
The word spread over Twitter in yesterday’s lunch hour that MPD was spotted talking with two food trucks at L’Enfant Plaza, and that perhaps one of them had received a ticket. This morning, we’re hearing that one of the Sauca vehicles was forced to move yesterday. We talked with one of those trucks yesterday afternoon late, and spoke with the operator, Dingo from Fojol Bros. They have noticed a significant uptick in MPD attention to food trucks since the new year.
‘Brookland Hardware’
courtesy of ‘mediaslave’
First in a series where we bring you the best from neighborhood mailing lists, ANC and civic association meetings, and other neighborhood news sources.*
In Brookland, the Patel family reopened the Newton Food Market on 12th Street on New Year’s Eve. The father, Raj Patel, was killed during an attempted robbery on December 20. If you’re in Brookland and you want a snack or a soda, I suggest you buy it there, instead of at the CVS across the street.
On the Ward 5 list, the discussion this week was about the planned public art installation on the new New York Avenue bridge. The sculpture, which will frame the vista from the crest of the bridge with abstract metal trees, was designed by Kent Bloomer, a Yale School of Architecture professor and a specialist in architectural sculpture. Bloomer has done a wide variety of architectural ornamentation around the country, including one at National Airport. The Ward 5 list discussion predictably centered around how much the project cost and why a DC artist couldn’t have been found. (Probably because architectural sculpture is a pretty specific discipline, and DC isn’t exactly crawling with practitioners.) Bloomer gave an informative interview to Next American City magazine a few years ago about building ornamentation in urban environments that’s worth a read, what with DC being so chockablock with it. Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
Yesterday morning, despite the drizzle and grey of January, Vincent Gray raised his right hand at 11:58am to swear an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America and to be the Mayor of the District of Columbia. He became the sixth person to do so since Home Rule was re-established in 1975.
In the speech that followed, Gray was largely positive about the people that make up the District, but generally vague about the future of his administration. Beyond some firebrand’s words about representation, the speech was largely devoid of content except to play to the continued theme that Gray has revolved around since his September primary victory: that DC, despite all of its numerous divisions, could become One City under the leadership of the Mayor. Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
‘Wayne Kramer Visits DC Central Kitchen’
courtesy of ‘DC Central Kitchen’
I try not to beat the drum too hard for charity, because constant demands for donations and stuff tend to be tedious, but this one is too good not to talk about. So What’s the Deal and We Love DC (and also ARLNow.com, K Street Kate and EatMore DrinkMore) have teamed up with area charities to hold an awesome Raffle & Silent Auction.
A $5 donation to DCCK through their charity page at So What’s the Deal gets you a raffle ticket, and $10 gets you three. The prizes? Pretty awesome: $20 gift cert to Ping Pong Dim Sum, $10 at Lounge 201, $25 to Playbill Cafe, a subscription to Washingtonian Magazine, tickets on the Boomerang Bus, a dozen cupcakes from Curbside Cupakes, a $50 gift cert to Vapiano, and still more.
Better yet? The blog that raises the most charity gets their donation matched by So What’s the Deal. Go grab a raffle ticket. $10 means lunch to you, but it could be a job for someone through DC Central Kitchen.
By Tom Bridge
‘District #45’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’
This morning was the first day that interested parties could pickup petitions to be on the ballot for the special election to replace Kwame Brown’s At-Large council seat. Four people picked up petitions as of 11am:
Petitions are due back on February 16th and can begin circulating tomorrow.
By Tom Bridge
After a month’s suspension related to test-taking inside the Police Department, MPD Assistant Chief Diane Groomes has been reinstated after an investigation into the allegation. Groomes was vindicated when the investigators found the test to have been open book and that no one had compromised the answer key to the test, according to the Post’s Theola Labbé-DeBose.
By Tom Bridge
‘DC Fire Department’
courtesy of ‘Gersemalina’
This morning, DC Fire/EMS responded to a fire at the Takoma Education Campus on Piney Branch Road, which is currently believed to have started near some roofing work that was going on during the break. As it is winter break, no students were currently in session, and what staff were present were successfully evacuated, but the facility has suffered extensive damage which will be repaired with shingle roofing. Visit bondocroofing.com/service-areas/san-antonio/ for more information.
In a statement distributed to press, Safiya Simmons wrote that “DCPS has determined that students won’t be able to return in January and plans to relocate the kids to another school are underway. A meeting with Takoma parents will be scheduled and final plans will be announced next week.”
No firefighters were injured in putting out the three-alarm blaze.
By Tom Bridge
‘DC Flag on Bus Stop Crop’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’
This afternoon in a press conference at the Reeves Center, Vince Gray announced five appointees to administration positions. The first two were education-oriented positions, with Gray appointing De’Shawn A. Wright to Deputy Mayor for Education, and Hosanna Mahaley to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education’s head. In addition, Gray appointed Rochelle Webb to run DOES, and Gustavo Velasquez and Clarence Brown to continue on at DOHR and the Office on Aging, respectively.
By Dave Stroup
‘St Elisabeth’s Hospital – Surgical reports’
courtesy of ‘spiggycat’
This afternoon the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner released the cause of death of Ali Mohammed. Mohammed died outside of the DC9 nightclub on October 15 after an altercation. The report classifies the death as a homicide, and lists the cause of death as “Excited Delirium Associated With Arrhythmogenic Cardiac Anomalies, Alcohol Intoxication and Physical Exertion With Restraint.”
A quick bit of research indicates that “excited delirium” is a medical condition often associated with drug use that causes aggressive behavior and violence, as well as unexpected physical strength and hyperthermia. Excited delirium often leads to death by hyperthermia, with body temperatures reaching 105 degrees. While excited delirium is associated with drug use, there has been no information released regarding any toxicology reports, other than the “alcohol intoxication” listed in the cause of death.
The Mohammed family released a statement earlier this afternoon, noting that the death was ruled a homicide and stated “[t]his report also reminds us that Ali suffered a cruel and senseless death.”
The homicide ruling does not immediately imply that murder charges will be filed in the case. From the Medical Examiner report, it’s difficult to determine who, if anyone, could face charges. The murder charges initially filed against DC9 employees were since dropped.
It appears as though Mohammed’s death might not have occurred had the altercation at DC9 been avoided, but there has been no indication that the death was the result of a beating, as initially stated by Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier.
By Rebecca
‘Just a Hint of Red’
courtesy of ‘Samer Farha’
If you were pleasantly asleep last night from 1:30 to 4:30am then you missed the lunar eclipse. No worries because WeLoveDC’s Flickr photo pool, NASA and Huffington Post have you covered with a robust recaps, videos and photos of the celestial event.
The total lunar eclipse coincided with the 2010 winter solstice, an combination of events that had not happened for 400 years and will not happen again until 2094.
By Tom Bridge
‘lights joined’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’
On Saturday night, two men in masks with guns walked into the Newton Food Mart to rob it. They held the owner’s wife and son at gunpoint when the owner, Raj Patel, came out from the back room. The robbers shot him in the chest and he died from his wounds. Tonight at 5:45, a candlelight vigil will gather at St. Anthony’s on 12th Street in Northeast and walk to the Newton Food Mart at 12th and Newton at 6pm to show support for the Patels and for their loss.
Police have not released any information about the suspects other than they were wearing masks, and using silver handguns. Commander Lamar Greene of the Fifth District said via email yesterday that, “we have other information the detectives are following up on as we speak,” and refused further comment. MPD is offering a $25,000 reward to those with information that leads to an arrest.
By Tom Bridge
‘Card Puncher, an Integral Part of the Tabulation System Used by the United States Census Bureau to Compile the Thousands of Facts Gathered by the Bureau’
courtesy of ‘The U.S. National Archives’
Last week, we gave you the New York Times’ block-by-block coverage of the country, which separated census tract data into awesome data maps that you could play with at will. Today, we’re going to give you another one, courtesy of the US Census Bureau. At 11am today, they’re releasing the state count numbers for apportionment of the Congress.
How’s that work? Glad you asked. The Census Bureau has a neat little video on how they do the apportionment process and what it means. There’s one spot just crying out for an asterisk and an “offer void in the District of Columbia,” though, so if you’re sensitive on the voting rights issue, you may want to know that going in.
The map will go live with 2010 data at 11, but you can explore the 2000 data now. Let’s see how DC did!
By Dan Rowinski
‘Arenas lets it fly’
courtesy of ‘afagen’
The Wizards have made a trade with the Magic that will send Gilbert Arenas to Orlando in exchange for small forward Rashard Lewis.
“We traded Gilbert Arenas to Orlando for Rashard Lewis,” general manager Ernie Grunfeld said. “We think that Rashard will help our front court with his experience, his versatility, his ability to stretch the defense. He is a 39 percent career three-point shooter and when you have a point guard like John (Wall) who likes to penetrate and distribute, you need people who are going to stretch the defense and be on the outside.”
It is reportedly a straight-up swap with Arenas and Lewis both having hefty contracts that their franchises would like to be done with. Arenas is owed $60 million in the end of his deal while Lewis has a few years remaining on the gargantuan $118 million deal he signed with the magic heading into the 2007-08 season.
By Tom Bridge
‘Two Dollar #11’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’
When the House passed the economic package late last night, it included an extension of the Bush-era tax cuts, but it also included a $5,000 tax credit for those buying a house in D, and a $3,000 per employee wage credit for each DC resident hired by DC businesses. These are retroactive through all of 2010 and extend through all of 2011. In addition, there are some capital gains-free transactions for some DC businesses, so you’ll probably want to talk with your accountant about that.
By Rebecca
If your morning commute takes you along the Georgetown section of M Street, then on Tuesday morning you likely saw a long line of cold, sports enthusiasts waiting to get the first peak (and swag gift bags and prizes) at the City Sports flagship store located at 3338 M Street, NW.
The two story, 1000+ sq. ft. space is the 18th location for the City Sports group and offers shoppers not only fashionable and functional merchandise, but the opportunity to explore, learn and experience the various DC-based athletic activities and groups.
Given the current weather—SNOWOMG! Definitely hit up this City Sports and get a pair iof men’s running shoes, as it has all the outdoor, thermal underwear, winter boots, snow pants, puffy jackets, fuzzy sweaters, wool hats, Everest climbing gloves, you’ll ever need. Oh so, practical and oh so stylish!
By Tom Bridge
‘White House Christmas tree’
courtesy of ‘afagen’
Today is the National Christmas Tree lighting that takes place on the Ellipse. It starts about 5pm, and there will be altered traffic patterns around the area, and the whole thing turns downtown DC traffic to so much crap. So, if you’re reading this at the office, start to wrap things up and get the hell out of there, lest you be stuck in it. Or, if you can’t do that, it may be time to shelter-in-place at your favorite watering hole with a tasty winter drink. Avoid the fustercluck downtown.
By Tom Bridge
From Mike DeBonis at the Post this afternoon comes this beautiful gem. This is the first part of the pilot of Marion Barry’s reality show. You heard that right, Marion Barry has his own reality show. DeBonis has all three parts of the first episode up at his blog, and it’s absolutely worth watching.
By Tom Bridge
‘SigEpFeds.org – Ed Potter Reads Dr. Seuss To Children on Read Across America Day’
courtesy of ‘SigEp NV Alpha ’03’
When we asked Interim Chancellor Kaya Henderson last month, shortly after she’d been tapped for that position, about Van Ness Elementary in Near Southeast, she laughed and said, “24 hours into this?” and promised that it had a place on her agenda. Last night there was a community meeting, as promised, and local blogger extraordinaire JDLand has a great summary in place about the meeting, complete with scanned handouts from DCPS. There’s a chance the closed school could reopen for the 2012-2013 school year, but it’s not yet clear if the numbers are there.
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