Downtowner DC 1-11-17

**Rolling Out the Inaugural Welcome Mat**
Preparation for the presidential inauguration is underway. Dozens of security agencies are getting ready for not only a million Trump supporters but also for possible large-scale protests, MassLive.com reported. According to Voice of America, the D.C. police have requested thousands of National Guard members, who will have authority to make arrests. (Incidentally, in case of inclement weather, the military has three different uniforms to choose from. Each branch’s commander will make the uniform decision at 4:30 a.m. on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20.)

**Free WiFi Coming to Underground Metro Stations**
In a move that will hopefully bring some positive vibes to the plagued transit system, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority GM Paul Wiedefeld has okayed a plan to install free WiFi at all underground Metrorail stations, The Hill reported. The rollout will start this summer. Sixty percent of underground stations are expected to be online by year-end and the rest in 2018.

**Coming to a Pier Near You: D.C.’s First Over-Water Offices**
Hoffman-Madison Waterfront, developers of the $2-billion, mile-long Wharf neighborhood on the Southwest waterfront, unveiled plans for D.C.’s first office building built on a pier. Pier 4 will offer tenants panoramic views of the Washington Channel. The building is set to stretch the entire length of a Wharf street, with amenities such as outdoor terraces and a bike storage room.

**Stolen Mercedes Strikes Two Types of Police Cars**
Attempting to get away from police Jan. 3, the driver of a stolen Mercedes SUV ended up slamming into multiple police cars, the Washington Post reported. Though officers hadn’t turned on lights or sirens to make a traffic stop, the vehicle sped up and, in the 1700 block of H St. NE, reversed, backing into a D.C. police cruiser then colliding with several parked cars, including Prince George’s County police vehicles. After running into a traffic-light pole, Michael Anthony Burwell, 25, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident, assault on police officers, unauthorized use of a vehicle and resisting arrest.

**Auction Will Serve Up Florida Avenue Grill**
A foreclosure auction for the Florida Avenue Grill property, including all equipment, machinery and fixtures, will be held at the closed restaurant, 1100 Florida Ave. NW, on Jan. 18, DCist reported. The historic down-home diner, which celebrated 70 years of operation in 2014, defaulted on its mortgage. A pot from the restaurant is on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

**Co-editors Move On from Defunct Borderstan**
Unable to secure enough advertising to stay afloat, local news site Borderstan went under late last month. Thankfully, the shutdown did not come with layoffs, Washingtonian.com reported. Co-editors Tim Regan and Andrew Ramonas have gone to work at ARLnow.com and Bloomberg BNA, respectively.

**Two Dry Cleaners Taken to the Cleaners**
Thieves robbed two D.C. dry cleaners on the same day last month, Borderstan reported. The robberies, which may not have been connected, occurred at Happy Cleaners on 17th Street NW in Shaw and at Red Valet Cleaners on P Street NW in Dupont Circle. A half-dozen young boys entered Happy Cleaners around 10:45 a.m. and took $160 from a cash register. Less than three hours later, two teenage boys got $172 from the Red Valet till after a brief struggle.

**Power Tool Used in New Year’s Day Break-In**
About $25,000, the owner’s entire New Year’s Eve earnings, was stolen from a Brightwood Park liquor store early on New Year’s Day, Fox 5 reported. The culprit apparently cut through the wall of the adjacent restaurant — judging from the large hole and Sawzall power tool found at the scene. Owner Kassa Aragaw chose to keep the money in the register overnight rather than walk out with it after dark in the Northeast D.C. neighborhood, just north of Fort Totten.