Latest News

Georgetowner • August 19, 2015

Mayor Muriel Bowser announced last week the District’s purchase of the total output of the 46-megawatt Iberdrola Renewables wind farm located in southwestern Pennsylvania, along with a name change: the Department of Environment is now the Department of Energy and Environment.

“This is about more than just a name change; our energy needs and our environmental concerns go hand in hand. That’s why I’ve tasked Tommy Wells [director of DOEE] and his team with rethinking how we bring more green, affordable energy to all eight wards,” the mayor said.

The wind farm initiative is expected to save the District $45 million over the next 20 years, as it provides 35 percent of the energy needed to power the city’s government buildings. Speaking at the announcement, Wells underscored the significance of the name change from a policy perspective, including plans to expand solar power and improve D.C.’s energy efficiency.

Georgetowner •

Starting Aug. 24, D.C. Public School students can ride to and from school and school-related activities on Metrorail for free through a new program initiated by Mayor Muriel Bowser. Students may register now for the program, called Kids Ride Free on Rail, with the DC One Card, which is required.

Public Charter School students are also eligible, but not private, parochial or homeschooled students, who remain eligible for the Kids Ride Free on Bus program. Enrolling in the rail program automatically enrolls students in the bus program. This program could replace the $30 30-day pass for some students, though the free pass may be revoked if used for non-school events.

Georgetowner •

Owners of three Maine Avenue Fish Market businesses have sued the D.C. government and two developers of the $2 billion Wharf project, the largest mixed-use development project in the District, alleging that they are being forced out of business. In the complaint, the businesses say the government shut down Water Street SW, the primary access point to the Fish Market, preventing customer and delivery access, that construction crews have blocked their parking lots and that the developers have attempted to evict them illegally.

Since a meeting last year between the owners and representatives of the developers failed to resolve their differences, developers have tried to evict two of the businesses. The market owners asked the U.S. District Court for D.C. to prevent “further blocking, altering, or eliminating any entrances to or exits from Plaintiffs’ leased property including the Common Area.”

The CEO of one of the developers, Monty Hoffman, issued a statement recently that said, “With any large-scale project in a dense urban area, some temporary disruption is inevitable.”

Georgetowner •

Reversing her original stance to keep police officers’ body-camera footage away from public view, Mayor Muriel Bowser has proposed the most open plan in America. Citing the high-profile police shootings of the past year, Bowser has changed her stance. “Nationally, we have all seen too many instances where video footage proved to be invaluable,” she said.

Private citizens would be able to view silenced footage of any police interactions on street corners, during traffic stops and elsewhere outdoors. But, in line with privacy concerns, video recorded indoors or in private settings and cases of domestic violence or sexual assault, even in public places, would not be viewable except in court proceedings.

Any person recorded by a body camera could view footage of their interaction at a police station within 90 days of the incident. Academic researchers, prosecutors, the Office of Police Complaints and a few others would have unrestricted access to all of the footage.

The D.C. officers’ union and advocates for open government and police accountability say the plan does not go far enough, but are pleased that the mayor recognized the lack of support for completely restricting public access.
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Robert Devaney •

The CVS at 2819 M St. NW had an unwelcome shopper Aug. 11, and the store manager knew it. She went to the local Georgetown Business GroupMe app — an online community that shares information or photos on suspicious shoppers, among other things — on her smartphone and asked for a “walk through” of the store by an officer of the Metropolitan Police Department. A policeman quickly arrived and checked out the suspect, who was with friends.

The suspect had taken off his ankle monitor and held an H&M shopping bag (now, for store employees, a well-known clue that a person may be looking to shoplift). The MPD officer struggled with the suspect and injured his (the officer’s) foot. The suspect was handcuffed and sat down on the sidewalk as about 15 MPD officers arrived on the scene. While grabbing the attention of passersby, the scene was quickly taken care of by MPD, the D.C. Fire Department and EMS, with both officer and suspect taken away in ambulances for a hospital checkup.
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Georgetowner •

Blues Alley: Poncho Sanchez

August 14th, 2015 at 08:00 PM | 40 | Tel: (202) 337-4141 | Event Website

Legendary percussionist Poncho Sanchez and his Latin Jazz Band are performing live from Friday, August 14th through Sunday, August 16th. Inspired by the conga playing of Cuban great Mongo Santamaria, Sanchez honed his skills as a percussionist and broke into the limelight at the age of 23 when he joined vibraphonist Cal Tjader’s famed Latin jazz ensemble in 1975.

Address

Blues Alley; 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW

Mr. Knick Knack at Market Common Clarendon

August 14th, 2015 at 10:30 AM | 0 | isobel@taapr.com | Tel: 2026258370 | Event Website

Mr. Knick Knack, the DC areas most popular children’s entertainer, will perform weekly songs for the Market Common Clarendon community Friday morning’s beginning August 14 from 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM. Please join us on the following dates for child friendly entertainment and sing a longs!

August 14; August 21; August 28; September 4; September 11; September 18; and September 25

Address

Market Common Clarendon; 2700 Clarendon Blvd; Arlington VA 22201

Nakimuli Trunk Show

August 15th, 2015 at 02:00 PM | 0 | info@nubianhueman.com | Tel: 2023943386 | Event Website

Nakimuli end-of-summer trunk show at Nubian Hueman Boutique. The show displays the stunning Black Star / Jump Hi Collection at a 20%-50% discount for RSVP’d patrons. Designer McMillan has adorned celebrities such as Eva Marcille of America’s Next Top Model, Grammy Awards winners Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, Danielle Brooks of Orange Is The New Black, and music artists Jazmine Sullivan and Merrill Garbus of TuneYards. All pieces range in size from small to 3x-large.

Address

Nubian Hueman Boutique Lounge; 1231 Good Hope Rd SE

Dumbarton House: “The Search for Yarrow Mamout”

August 19th, 2015 at 06:30 PM | $15 for members (DCPL and DH/NSCDA); $25 for nom-members | Tel: (202) 783-5144 | Event Website

A Muslim former slave from West Africa, Yarrow Mamout purchased property located at what is now 3324 Dent Place, NW in 1796, where he lived until his death in 1823. Mamout became famous after Charles Wilson Peale painted his portrait in 1819 and for a later portrait painted by James Alexander Simpson in 1822. The search for Yarrow Mamout’s remains stems from an obituary circulated by Peale following Yarrow’s death that suggests he was buried in his backyard.

From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Yarrow Mamout Archaeology Project Field Director, Mia L. Carey will talk speak at Dumbarton House about the project’s research methods, findings, and more.

Address

Dumbarton House; 2715 Q St. NW

Peter Murray • August 17, 2015

At midnight July 20, the U.S. and Cuba resumed diplomatic relations after 54 years of broken ties. Amidst the celebration, the media went into a frenzy, creating copious Cuba content. Below are some of the more interesting pieces, on history, architecture, politics, gossip and more that came out of the day.

As part of the network’s coverage on Cuba, CNN looked at the fraught history of the Cuban Interests Section here and the U.S. Interests Section in Havana.

CNN also took video inside the Cuban Embassy on 16th Street, showcasing the property’s elaborate architecture, ornate stain glass ceiling, marble staircases and more.

The New York Times reports on the U.S. embassy opening from the ground in Cuba, and looks at the changes the country faces as diplomatic ties fade away.

A new CBS poll shows that 58% of Americans support resuming diplomatic ties with Cuba while only 24% oppose it. In addition, 54% of Americans support ending the trade embargo between the two countries.

In a press conference today, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said that as diplomatic ties resume, so should the U.S. economic blockade of Cuba end. He added that the blockade “caused a lot of suffering to the Cuban people.”

The Washington Post’s Reliable Source theorizes that restored diplomatic ties will lead to more soirees at the Cuban Embassy, where an exclusive bar Hemingway’s serves the best mojito in town, according to one source.

In other U.S.-Cuba news, the U.S. Men’s national soccer team trounced the Cuban team 6-0 on Saturday to advance to the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) Gold Cup Semi-Finals.

Kelly Byrnes •

Local business professionals will gather July 21 for an open house presented by Summit Commercial Real Estate. The event, sponsored by Georgetown Professionals as part of their monthly happy hour occurrences, will be held at 3255 K Street NW, formerly the Cycle Life building.

Beginning at 6:00 p.m., the evening will feature food and beverages provided by Rockland’s Barbeque and Grilling Company. The event presents an opportunity for community outreach by teaming with DistrictGolf, a non-profit organization that supports veterans through their “Hit with Heros” program, which they launched this year.

Georgetown Professionals offers opportunities for sponsoring events to coincide with their monthly Happy Hour gatherings, and reach out to over 2,000 local professionals as well as over 600 firms in the greater D.C. area.

Peter Murray •

The Metropolitan Police Department’s Human Trafficking Unit has arrested 41 men since July 14 for soliciting prostitution in Northwest D.C.

Starting in January, the MPD unit has conducted a number of sting operations at hotels around Thomas Circle not far from the city’s old Red Light District on 14th Street NW. Police lured johns online with fake advertisements, giving the men men hotel room numbers and arresting the ones who showed up.

Police were spurred by reports of street prostitution from local businesses and churches around Thomas Circle and along the bustling 14th Street corridor downtown. Prosecutors in the District have increasingly focused on prostitution cases of late in an effort to battle human trafficking.

The arrests come after Ward 2 Council member Jack Evans proposed new legislation that would crack down on johns by allowing police to tow and boot their cars. The “honey, I lost the car” bill, as Evans dubs it, is meant to embarrass johns and decrease prostitution in the city. He said recently there has been an “enormous increase in street prostitution” in the city.

His proposal comes from a long line of ideas the District has experimented with to crack down on prostitution since the early 1990s. Other ideas tested out by the city government to put a damper on prostitution include banning right turns on certain streets and starting a “John School” to shame and frighten men caught soliciting prostitutes.