$13-Billion Budget Treats Georgetown: Hyde-Addison, Canal Fix, New Barge, Bridge Lighting — and Gondola Study
• June 1, 2015

The 2016 D.C. budget, totaling $12.96 billion, has “something for everyone,” as Mayor Muriel Bowser and Councilman Jack Evans said during the annual meeting of the Citizens Association of Georgetown.

Just hours after the District Council approved the biggest budget ever for D.C., Bowser, Evans and CAG officials and awardee gathered May 27 at Sea Catch Restaurant, which is next to the C&O Canal on 31st Street. In fact, the canal did well by the budget: $3 million is slated from D.C. for a general reconstruction and a new cannel barge with matching funds from private sources.

Included in the budget was $35,000 to the District Department of Transportation for a study looking at running an aerial gondola over the Potomac River from Georgetown to Roslyn, Va. This popular favorite of an alternative mode of transportation grabbed headlines immediately with local news outlets. Additional money for the gondola option is required from Arlington County.

More importantly for Georgetown, however, the Hyde-Addison Elementary School construction is now scheduled for June 2016 — $9 million, to start, for a cafeteria and gymnasium. More money will be available in the next budget, as the school project will take two years. This change from a later start time of 2017, which was lamented by Hyde parents, was largely due to persuasion from Councilmembers Evans and David Grosso.

Also, in the budget is funding for lighting projects which will illuminate the undersides of Key Bridge and the Whitehurst Freeway, both of part of beatification programs advocated by the Georgetown Business Improvement District as is the concept of an aerial gondola.

Meanwhile, the council did turn down Bowser’s budget proposal to raise sales taxes and parking garage taxes, but tickets for an expired parking meter will increase from $25 to $30.

Police Name, Search for Suspect in Woodley Park Murders
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D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department named Daron Dylon Wint, 34, a suspect in the May 14 murders of Savvas Savopoulus, his wife, Amy Savopoulos, their son Philip, and a housekeeper, Veralicia Figueroa, at the Savopoulus home in Woodley Park.

Because of DNA left on a crust of pizza and a criminal record, Wint matched the forensic evidence.

“He is wanted pursuant to a D.C. Superior Court arrest warrant charging him with Murder One while Armed,” MPD reported. “He is described as a black male, approximately 5’7” in height, weighing approximately 155 pounds.”

Wint is suspected of being in or around New York City, especially Brooklyn.

“Right now, you have just about every law enforcement officer across the country that is aware of his open warrant and are looking for him,” said MPD Chief Cathy Lanier at a midday press conference May 21. “Even his family has made pleas for him to turn himself in.”

“For residents of the District who are rightfully scared and want answers as to why and how this family may have been involved, we want to give you as many answers as we can,” Lanier said. “What we can tell you right now is that we do believe there is a connection between the suspect in this case through the business. So right now it does not appear that this was a random crime.”

Wint is reported to have worked as a welder for American Iron Works in Hyattsville, Md., where Savvas Savopoulus was the CEO. Wint had gone through Marine Corps boot camp but left after five weeks.

On May 21, CNN reported: “On Thursday, U.S. Marshals and NYPD detectives questioned a woman believed to be Wint’s girlfriend, according to two law enforcement sources involved in the investigation. The sources said the girlfriend, who lives in Brooklyn, told authorities that she spoke to Wint and that he was planning to turn himself in.”

The May 14 murder of Savvas Savopoulus, 46, and his wife, Amy Savopoulos, 47, as well as their 10-year-old son, Philip, who attended St. Alban’s School, and a housekeeper, Veralicia Figueroa, 57, has shocked friends of the family, which lived blocks away from Washington National Cathedral and the home of Vice President Joe Biden. After the attacks, the Savopoulus house — valued at $4.5 million — in the 3200 block of Woodland Drive NW was set on fire. The suspect or suspects fled the scene with $40,000 in cash, obtained from Savopoulus.

Savvas Savopoulos and his wife Amy were known around town and were involved with school and other social benefits. The couple’s two teenage daughters were at boarding school at the time of the murder and are safe.

A June 1 funeral service is planned for Savvas, Amy and Philip Savopoulos at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral on Massachusetts Avenue. The remains of Veralicia Figueroa will be sent to her native El Salvador after a funeral here.

Mystery Cannonball Jumper to Celebrate D.C. Pools with Mayor Bowser
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D.C. public pools will open Saturday, May 23, at the start of Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of summer. The mayor usually helps to publicize and jump-start the fun the day before the opening by jumping into a pool as the press looks on and reports. This year, however, the new mayor, Muriel Bowser, will demur to another diver, yet to be announced.

The Department of Parks and Recreation will officially open all District DPR 18 outdoor pools, 24 spray parks and four children’s pools, as well as 11 indoor pools on Saturday and advises: “As part of a tradition of D.C.’s mayors launching DPR’s outdoor pool season, Mayor Muriel Bowser will visit the Banneker Pool. DPR has a mystery jumper scheduled to cannonball into the pool.”

The opening kick-off event will be at Banneker Pool, 2500 Georgia Ave. NW, 3:45 p.m., Friday, May 22. On hand will be Mayor Muriel Bowser, DPR Acting Director Keith Anderson and Department of Health Director LaQuandra Nesbitt, M.D. For complete information on DPR’s facilities, operating times and other details, visit dpr.dc.gov.

Mayor Bowser to Join Citizens in Honoring Evans, Downs, Kuno, Others
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Mayor Muriel Bowser will speak at the annual meeting of the Citizens Association Georgetown on Wednesday, May 27, at the Sea Catch Restaurant on 31st Street.

Along with its election of officers, CAG will present its annual awards for 2015.

The Belin Award will be presented to Barbara Downs “for her expert and dedicated work in preserving the historic character of Georgetown.”

Sachiko Kuno will be honored with the William A. Cochran Award for “exceptional efforts to protect and enhance the community’s parkland and architectural resources.”

The Charles Atherton Award will be presented to Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans for “exceptional service by a dedicated public-sector professional for outstanding work preserving and protecting historic Georgetown.”

“The Martin-Davidson Award to businesses that have contributed significantly to the community will be presented to Foley & Lardner LLP.,” according to the citizens’ group.

In addition, CAG noted: “There will be a special appreciation award presented to Georgetown University’s Lauralyn Lee and Cory Peterson for dedicated and distinguished service to the Georgetown community. Diane Colasanto will be honored with a special appreciation award for her years of sustained and significant work on CAG’s Public Safety and other neighborhood programs.”

At the meeting, CAG will also elect its officers and directors for 2015 and 2016: “The slate is Bob vom Eigen, president; Jennifer Altemus, vice president; Barbara Downs, secretary; Bob Laycock, treasurer and elected directors Karen Cruse, Hazel Denton, Hannah Isles, and John Rentzepis. Treasurer John Richardson will report on the financial condition of the organization.”

The May 27 reception and annual meeting will be hosted at the Sea Catch Restaurant, 1054 31st St. NW., which is housed in a former warehouse next to the C&O Canal as well as a punch card factory that collected date for the 1890 census. Herman Hollerith’s Tabulating Machine Company was headquartered in the building. That company merged with others to become IBM, thus making the 31st Street building, the “birthplace of the modern computer.” A plaque on the building installed by IBM commemorates the technological milestone.

The reception begins 7 p.m.; program starts 7:30 p.m. Afterwards, a special $35-dollar dinner for CAG members is offered. (For more information, call 202-337-8855.)

Other Suspects Possible in Quadruple Murder; Funeral Set for June 1
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As prosecutors maintain that others may have been involved in the May 14 murders of Savvas Savopoulus, his wife, Amy Savopoulos, their son Philip, and a housekeeper, Veralicia Figueroa, Metropolitan Police continue to look for evidence at the Woodland Drive mansion that was set on fire after the homicides.

“Well, there had to be some connection between when Wint worked there, like, 10 years ago. So, there has to be some connection to someone that Wint knows that’s working there now that was able to give the details to know about the money and that they could get the money delivered to the house,” former prosecutor Deborah Hines told WUSA9 News.

Also, the so-called assistant who dropped off $40,000 to the Savopoulus home May 14 was somewhat inconsistent in his testimony, those close to the case told news reporters.

On May 21, U.S. marshals and officers from the Metropolitan Police Department arrested Daron Dylon Wint, 34, the prime suspect in the May 14 murders at the Savopoulus home in Woodley Park.

Wint is due in court June 23.

A massive manhunt ended on the 1000 block of Rhode Island Avenue NE. “A police helicopter joined the pursuit from above, and officers eventually got between the two vehicles in northeast Washington. Wint surrendered without a fight and showed little emotion as he, three other men and two women were taken into custody,” according to the Associated Press. One of those arrested was Wint’s brother. The scene on Rhode Island Avenue involved about 25 vehicles.

“Just got him,” announced MPD Chief Cathy Lanier around 11:30 p.m., May 21, of the person accused of multiple slayings, which Mayor Muriel Bowser, called “an act of evil.”

After tracking Wint to New York and back to D.C., the fugitive task force detected him near a Howard Johnson hotel in College Park, Md., and followed a sedan and box truck into the District. Police also found at least $10,000 in one of the vehicles and did not rule out other possible suspects in the crime.

According to the New York Post, Wint took a taxicab from Brooklyn to D.C. to escape police: “He’d been staying in his gal pal’s Canarsie apartment since Sunday — but wasn’t concerned about getting caught until he was named as a suspect Wednesday night, a law enforcement source said. Wint was ‘shocked’ by the warrant for his arrest, the source added. He called his parents in Maryland, then hopped in a livery cab, forking over hundreds of dollars to get back to D.C., the source said.”

Wint was arraigned May 22 on a charge of first-degree murder while armed.

After the dramatic arrest of the suspect, accused of a heinous crime which attracted local, national and international attention, the Savopoulos family offered a statement: “While it does not abate our pain, we hope that it begins to restore a sense of calm and security to our neighborhood and to our city. We are blessed to live in a community comprised of close circles of friends who have supported us and grieve with us. Our family, and Vera’s family, have suffered unimaginable loss, and we ask for the time and space to grieve privately.”

Because of DNA left on a crust of pizza at the crime scene and a criminal record, Wint matched the forensic evidence, and the pursuit began.

“He is wanted pursuant to a D.C. Superior Court arrest warrant charging him with Murder One while Armed,” MPD announced May 20. “He is described as a black male, approximately 5’7” in height, weighing approximately 155 pounds.”

Wint is reported to have worked as a welder for American Iron Works in Hyattsville, Md., where Savvas Savopoulus was the CEO. Wint went through Marine Corps boot camp in 2000 but left after five weeks. He is also an ex-convict.

The May 14 murder of Savvas Savopoulus, 46, and his wife, Amy Savopoulos, 47, as well as their 10-year-old son, Philip, who attended St. Alban’s School, and a housekeeper, Veralicia Figueroa, 57, has shocked friends of the family, which lived blocks away from Washington National Cathedral and the home of Vice President Joe Biden. After the attacks, the Savopoulus house — valued at $4.5 million — in the 3200 block of Woodland Drive NW was set on fire. The suspect or suspects fled the scene with $40,000 in cash, obtained from Savopoulus.

Savvas Savopoulos and his wife Amy were known around town and were involved with school and other social benefits. The couple’s two teenage daughters were at boarding school at the time of the murder and are safe.

A June 1 funeral service is planned for Savvas, Amy and Philip Savopoulos at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral on Massachusetts Avenue. The remains of Veralicia Figueroa will be sent to her native El Salvador after a funeral here.

‘Picturing Mary’: Colorful Ascension of Women’s Arts Gala
• May 21, 2015

The National Museum of Women in the Arts celebrated its landmark show, “Picturing Mary: Woman, Mother, Idea,” which ended April 12, with a spring gala April 10 that opened up the floors of the New York Avenue building to lively art lovers. Concerning one of the most powerful women in history and art, gala co-chair Janice Obuchowski said that “The Virgin Mary in her self-giving is the antithesis” of what goes on in D.C. “Mary has left the building but not our hearts,” said Bertha Soto Braddock, gala co-chair. [gallery ids="117983,117957,117988,117994,117967,117976" nav="thumbs"]

Murder Case of Albrecht Muth to Become Film, Starring Christoph Waltz
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The tragic tale of Georgetowners Viola Drath and wife killer Albrecht Muth will be made into a movie by Christoph Waltz, who will direct and also play the part of Muth.

The film, based on a New York Times Magazine article, “The Worst Marriage in Georgetown,” will begin production in October, Variety reported.

“Voltage Pictures has come aboard to fully finance and produce the picture, which will be sold at Cannes,” according to Variety. “The film will be produced by Waltz, Erica Steinberg (‘Inglorious Basterds’) and Nicolas Chartier. Zev Foreman and Jonathan Deckter will be exec producing for Voltage, alongside M. Janet Hill, who originally optioned the material. The script was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author and playwright David Auburn (‘Proof’).”

Waltz — who appears to be perfectly cast for the film — won Academy Awards for “Inglourious Basterds” and “Django Unchained.” He will make his directorial debut in “The Worst Marriage in Georgetown.” He plays the villain in the James Bond movie, “Spectre,” set for a November release.

Drath and Muth were known around Georgetown for their dinner parties and moved about in Washington society. In fact, Muth once visited the offices of the Georgetowner Newspaper to purchase tickets for a benefit. A staffer recalled that he was “totally creepy.”

The following is the sad, you-cannot-make-this-stuff-up story, as previously reported in the Georgetowner.

Albrecht Gero Muth was convicted of killing his 91-year-old wife Viola Herms Drath in 2011 in their Q Street home in Georgetown and given a 50-year prison sentence.

At the April 30, 2014, sentencing, Judge Russell F. Canan of D.C. Superior Court said he found the evidence against Muth “overwhelming” and scoffed at his hunger strikes in the hospital, where Muth remained during the trial and the sentencing and participated via videoconference. Muth’s lawyer Dana Page spoke on his behalf, reading a statement that claimed Muth was innocent and that his wife was killed by Iranian agents.

Drath was found dead in the third-floor bathroom of her home on Q Street on Aug. 12, 2011, after being strangled and beaten.

At the time, medical examiners determined Drath’s death to be a homicide – and not a result of falling, as Muth first contended. There had been not forced entry into the house. He was arrested a few days later on P Street, after being locked out of the house and wandering around the neighborhood and sleeping in nearby Montrose Park.

A veteran journalist and married previously to an Army colonel, Drath married Muth in 1990. The couple was known around town for their dinner parties with a mix of political, diplomatic, military and media VIPs. Drath was 44 years older than Muth.

Prosecutors argued that Muth showed a pattern of abuse against his wife and was motivated by money, saying he had no steady job and was not included in Drath’s will. “He was a good little con man,” prosecutor Glenn Kirschner told the jury.

During trial testimony, Drath’s daughters, Connie and Francesca (from her first marriage), talked about Muth’s money arrangements with his wife and of his emails to them about items he wanted upon her death.

Seen around Georgetown in faux military garb, the cigar-smoking Muth was perceived by neighbors and shopkeepers as an oddball. He said that he was a member of the Iraqi Army — which the Iraqi government denied. Muth went so far as to have arranged a 2010 ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery for Iraqi Liberation Day. He was also known around government and foundation lobbying circles as Count Albi of the EPG (Eminent Persons Group).

It’s the Garden Tour but a People Show, Too
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Neighbors and visitors alike got a chance May 9 to see some of Georgetown’s “Edens Unveiled,” as the May 6th Georgetowner described this year’s eight select spots around town that show how great or small a garden might be.

It was time again for the Georgetown Garden Tour – the 87th annual – presented by the Georgetown Garden Club, an affiliate of the Garden Club of America. Beginning at Christ Church, the gardens-curious marched along the sidewalks, east and west, stopping at 30th and N Streets to see a classic backyard that contains the northeast boundary stone of “olde George Town” or basking in the expanse of the Cafritzes’ back lawn with pool and “the Architect’s Garden.” It was perhaps the biggest star on the tour.

On the west side, Mrs. Knight was welcoming many to her intimate side garden, at once enchanting and practical with its perfectly pruned trees and plants. The next door neighbor’s garden was equally impressive with its new refinements. Three blocks away, easily entered from the alley, were the Italianate garden of Patrick McGettigan and the perfectly remade Georgetown garden of designer Gwendolyn van Paasschen, along with a three-car garage and jacuzzi, to boot.

While the gardens’ plants, layout and the home thereof were the top draw for most, the Georgetown Garden Tour also sets up the added fun and ease of neighbors and friends meeting each other along the walkways. Plants are named, conversations go on and people linger in the sun-kissed, spring day.

The book, “Gardens of Georgetown: Exploring Urban Treasures,” sold briskly before and during the day of the tour and is on sale at GeorgetownGardenClubDC.org. It is not for sale at Amazon.com, as reported in last week’s newspaper.
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Obama at Georgetown: ‘It’s Hard Being Poor’
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A unique panel met May 12 at Georgetown University’s Gaston Hall to discuss the difficult topic of poverty in America. One of the panelists happened to be the President of the United States.

President Barack Obama sat next to discussion moderator E.J. Dionne, a Washington Post columnist and Georgetown faculty member, along with Harvard professor Robert Putnam and Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute.

The four men looked for solutions and advanced perspectives that went beyond the everyday left-right rigidity in addressing the plight of poor Americans, a widening economic gap and how to advance opportunity for all.

If the dialogue was not quite a clarion call for concerted national action, it almost did become that, as the president showed a more personal side to issues about national policy.

The president first answered the question of why this panel and this discussion: “I think that we are at a moment — in part because of what’s happened in Baltimore and Ferguson and other places, but in part because a growing awareness of inequality in our society — where it may be possible not only to refocus attention on the issue of poverty, but also maybe to bridge some of the gaps that have existed and the ideological divides that have prevented us from making progress.”

“And there are a lot of folks here who I have worked with — they disagree with me on some issues, but they have great sincerity when it comes to wanting to deal with helping the least of these.  And so this is a wonderful occasion for us to join together,” Obama continued.

“Part of the reason I thought this venue would be useful and I wanted to have a dialogue with Bob and Arthur is that we have been stuck, I think for a long time, in a debate that creates a couple of straw men.  The stereotype is that you’ve got folks on the left who just want to pour more money into social programs, and don’t care anything about culture or parenting or family structures, and that’s one stereotype.  And then you’ve got cold-hearted, free market, capitalist types who are reading Ayn Rand and think everybody are moochers.  And I think the truth is more complicated.”

Putnam, author of the recently published “Our Kids: the American Dream in Crisis,” spoke of the slowing of social and economic mobility — a given for Americans for decades.

“I think in this domain there’s good news and bad news, and it’s important to begin with the bad news because we have to understand where we are,” Putnam said. “The president is absolutely right that the War on Poverty did make a real difference, but it made a difference more for poverty among people of my age than it did for poverty among kids.” 

“And with respect to kids, I completely agree with the president that we know about some things that would work and things that would make a real difference in the lives of poor kids, but what the book that you’ve referred to, “Our Kids,” what it presents is a lot of evidence of growing gaps between rich kids and poor kids; that over the last 30 or 40 years, things have gotten better and better for kids coming from well-off homes, and worse and worse for kids coming from less well-off homes.” 

“And I don’t mean Bill Gates and some homeless person,” Putnam continued. “I mean people coming from college-educated homes — their kids are doing better and better, and people coming from high school-educated homes, they’re kids aren’t.  And it’s not just that there’s this class gap, but a class gap on our watch — I don’t mean just the president’s watch, but I mean on my generation’s watch — that gap has grown.”

“You can see it in measures of family stability. You can see it in measures of the investments that parents are able to make in their kids, the investments of money and the investments of time.  You can see it in the quality of schools kids go to.  You can see it in the character of the social and community support that kids — rich kids and poor kids are getting from their communities.  Church attendance is a good example of that, actually.  Churches are an important source of social support for kids outside their own family, but church attendance is down much more rapidly among kids coming from impoverished backgrounds than among kids coming from wealthy backgrounds.”

Brooks of the American Enterprise Institute answered the question on expanding the socio-economic safety net in a non-partisan way: “One concept that rides along with that is to point out — and this is what I do to many of my friends on Capitol Hill — I remind them that just because people are on public assistance doesn’t mean they want to be on public assistance.  And that’s the difference between people who factually are making a living and who are accepting public assistance.  It’s an important matter to remember about the motivations of people and humanizing them.  And then the question is, how can we come together?  How can we come together?”

“I have, indeed, written that it’s time to declare peace on the safety net.  And I say that as a political conservative.  Why?  Because Ronald Reagan said that; because Friedrich Hayek said that.  This is not a radical position.  In fact, the social safety net is one of the greatest achievements of free enterprise — that we could have the wealth and largesse as a society, that we can help take care of people who are poor that we’ve never even met.  It’s historic; it’s never happened before.  We should be proud of that.”

In response, Obama said: “We don’t dispute that the free market is the greatest producer of wealth in history. It has lifted billions of people out of poverty.  We believe in property rights, rule of law, so forth.  But there has always been trends in the market in which concentrations of wealth can lead to some being left behind.  And what’s happened in our economy is that those who are doing better and better — more skilled, more educated, luckier, having greater advantages — are withdrawing from sort of the commons — kids start going to private schools; kids start working out at private clubs instead of the public parks.  An anti-government ideology then disinvests from those common goods and those things that draw us together.  And that, in part, contributes to the fact that there’s less opportunity for our kids, all of our kids.

“Now, that’s not inevitable.  A free market is perfectly compatible with also us making investment in good public schools, public universities; investments in public parks; investments in a whole bunch — public infrastructure that grows our economy and spreads it around.  But that’s, in part, what’s been under attack for the last 30 years.  And so, in some ways, rather than soften the edges of the market, we’ve turbocharged it.  And we have not been willing, I think, to make some of those common investments so that everybody can play a part in getting opportunity.”

“Now, one other thing I’ve got to say about this is that even back in Bob’s day that was also happening.  It’s just it was happening to black people.  And so, in some ways, part of what’s changed is that those biases or those restrictions on who had access to resources that allowed them to climb out of poverty — who had access to the firefighters job, who had access to the assembly line job, the blue-collar job that paid well enough to be in the middle class and then got you to the suburbs, and then the next generation was suddenly office workers — all those things were foreclosed to a big chunk of the minority population in this country for decades.”

“And that accumulated and built up,” Obama continued. “And over time, people with less and less resources, more and more strains — because it’s hard being poor.  People don’t like being poor.  It’s time-consuming. It’s stressful.  It’s hard.  And so over time, families frayed.  Men who could not get jobs left.  Mothers who are single are not able to read as much to their kids.  So, all that was happening 40 years ago to African Americans. And now what we’re seeing is that those same trends have accelerated, and they’re spreading to the broader community. ”

The meeting was part of a three-day Catholic-Evangelical Leadership Summit on Overcoming Poverty at Georgetown. At the summit, put together by the university’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life and the National Association of Evangelicals, attendees included leaders from various religious communities, policy makers, researchers and community organizers.
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Georgetown Rabbi Sentenced to 6 1/2 Years for Voyeurism
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Barry Freundel, former rabbi of Kesher Israel Congregation at 28th and N Streets NW, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison for voyeurism by Senior Judge Geoffrey Alprin of D.C. Superior Court May 15, according to media reports.

Over a period of years, Freundel secretly videotaped dozens women during a ritual bath at the Georgetown synagogue.

The 63-year-old Freundel received 45 days in jail for each of the 52 counts of voyeurism. Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of 17 years in prison. The former religious leader also received $2,000 in fines and taken into custody upon his sentencing.

Freundel once led Kesher Israel, a modern Orthodox synagogue, at 2801 N St. NW, five blocks from his former home, owned by the congregation. He was arrested at the O Street house on Oct. 14, 2014, by the Metropolitan Police Department.

Since 1987, before being fired last year, Freundel had been with the synagogue, which counts among its members former Sen. Joe Lieberman and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew.