Latest News

Georgetowner • August 17, 2015

Using DC by the Book — The App

July 30th, 2015 at 07:00 PM | Free | julia.strusienski@dc.gov | Tel: 202-727-0232 | Event Website

Join the Georgetown Neighborhood Library for a class on using the app element of DC by the Book, a DC Public Library resource designed to connect you with literature set in Washington, D.C.

Address

Georgetown Neighborhood Library; 3260 R St. NW

Middleburg Summer Sidewalk Sale

July 31st, 2015 at 10:00 AM | Tel: 540-687-5152

Middleburg, the quaint historic town in Virginia’s horse country, is cleaning out its closets and storage areas and moving onto the sidewalks, July 31 – Aug. 2, for the 9th annual Summer Sidewalk Sale. The sale, sponsored by the Middleburg branch of Union Bank & Trust, the Town of Middleburg, and the Middleburg Business and Professional Association, will be held on Fri. and Sat. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sun. as posted by shops. Look for balloons outside participating shops and restaurants!

Address

The Town of Middleburg; 12 North Madison Street; Middleburg, VA 20117

Pretty Chic Boutique: Garden Party

July 31st, 2015 | Free | Tel: 202-333-5477| Event Website

From French boutique labels to vintage high-end brands and elegantly modern Turkish jewelry, don’t miss Pretty Chic’s Summer Sale & Garden Party on Friday, July 31st. Wine and cheese will be served while you peruse racks of très chic vintage clothing for only $20. Everything inside is 50% off unless it’s consignment.

Address

1671 Wisconsin Ave. NW

“Above and Beyond: The Ultimate Interactive Flight Exhibition” Opening

August 1st, 2015 at 10:00 AM | Free | Tel: 202-633-2214 | Event Website

“Above and Beyond: The Ultimate Interactive Flight Exhibition” opens at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Aug. 1. Made up of 20 dynamic displays and immersive experiences, the exhibition focuses five key themes that define flight and space travel represented in five immersive “galleries” – Up, Faster, Higher, Farther, and Smarter. Designed primarily for kids ages 7 – 12, but open to visitors of all ages, the show features a multi-touch timeline, an immersive video experience and interactive simulations and design activities. Sponsored by Boeing, the exhibition will travel to several U.S. cities and international locations.

Address

Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum; Independence Ave at 6th Street, SW

Tony & Joe’s Seafood: Tacos and Tequila Tuesdays

August 4st, 2015 at 10:00 AM | Free | Tel: 202-944-4545 | Event Website

Tuesdays are the new Friday with ‘Taco and Tequila’ Tuesdays at Tony & Joe’s (3000 K St. NW). Back by popular demand, the lunch deal includes two tacos, with your choice of chicken, steak or fish, and a house margarita for $15. Offer is good at the bar only.

Address

Tony & Joe’s Seafood; 3000 K ST NW

Robert Devaney •

The partial collapse May 1 of the Watergate parking garage was caused by human error, according to D.C.’s Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. It determined that workers had put too dirt on top of the three-story structure and that the added weight caused the the collapse. It then issued notices of infraction to the Grunley Construction Company, which is working on the $125-million renovation of the Watergate Hotel, next to the garage, and to the Chapel Valley Landscape Company. The two fines — “for exceeding the allowable loads on top of the structure” — by DCRA are $500 each.

The collapse hurt two persons, prompted the evacuation of the office and other buildings and a massive D.C. Fire Department response along Virginia Avenue NW. It destroyed or damaged about 30 vehicles parked in the garage. Broken water pipes flooded businesses.

Grunley Construction and Developer EuroCapital Properties for the hotel responded to press inquiries by saying their investigations are still undoing.

Closed since 2007, the Watergate Hotel is slated for a fall 2015 reopening.

The Watergate complex, known for the 1972 burglary that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon, lies along the banks of the Potomac River next to another Washington landmark, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Georgetowner •

Mad Fox Breweries is finally set to open its D.C. gastropub, Max Fox Taproom, at 2218 Wisconsin Ave. NW, between the Subway sandwich shop and De Vol Funeral Home, after finding additional work was required in renovating the building.

Mad Fox CEO and executive brewer Bill Madden and business partner Rick Garvin started Mad Fox in 2007 and since have become very active in the craft beer and brewpub community. Falls Church will remain the hub of the whole operation, as all of the beers will be brewed there in its 16-barrel brewery. The new location will showcase Mad Fox’s award-winning handcrafted beers with draught and English-style cast service, including up to 24 draught and cask options.

“We have plenty of capacity in our brewery and we’ll be able to serve all of our Falls Church fans, wholesale clients and the Glover Park tap room without any compromises,” Madden said.

Robert Devaney •

President Barack Obama spoke at American University’s School of International Service, making his case for the Iran nuclear deal agreed upon his administration and the Iranian government. Evoking President John F. Kennedy who made a major foreign policy speech at the same university in 1963 and also President Reagan in his dealings with the Soviet Union during the 1980s, Obama gave a history lesson and reasons why the deal ought to be approved by Congress in September.

The president arrived at Nebraska Avenue NW late, just before noon, apparently because someone could not print out a crisp copy of his speech. “Even presidents have problems with toner,” he began. The day before was his 54th birthday, and he, first lady Michelle Obama and others dined at the hard-to-get-into Rose’s Luxury restaurant at Barrack’s Row near Capitol Hill.

Today’s almost hour-long speech before about 300 people, excluding press, was deadly serious: how to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of Iran. Among the VIPs in the first row, front and center in the audience, was Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

Interrupted by polite applause from time to time and a bit of laughter once or twice, Obama argued how diplomacy averted nuclear war in the 20th century and how the Iran Deal was an either-or decision: “The choice we face is ultimately between diplomacy and some sort of war — maybe not tomorrow, maybe not three months from now, but soon.”

He said the same crowd against the Iran Deal was the same one which pushed for the Iraq War in 2003. He warned about walking away from the current agreement trying to get a better deal for the U.S. and its allies: “What’s more likely to happen, should Congress reject this deal, is that Iran would end up with some form of sanctions relief without having to accept any of the constraints or inspections required by this deal.  So in that sense, the critics are right:  Walk away from this agreement and you will get a better deal — for Iran.”

At the same time, while acknowledging Iran’s terrorist activities, past and present, Obama appeared to insult those opposing the administration’s deal: “I realize that resorting to force may be tempting in the face of the rhetoric and behavior that emanates from parts of Iran. It is offensive. It is incendiary. We do take it seriously. But superpowers should not act impulsively in response to talks… Just because Iranian hardliners chant ‘Death to America’ does not mean that that’s what all Iranians believe. In fact, it’s those hardliners that are more satisfied with the status quo. It’s those hardliners, chanting ‘death to America,’ who’ve been most opposed to the deal. They’re making common cause with the Republican Caucus.”

At the end, the 44th president pulled back and circled back to the 35th president, saying, “John F. Kennedy cautioned here, more than 50 years ago, at this university, that ‘the pursuit of peace is not as dramatic as the pursuit of war.’  But it’s so very important.  It is surely the pursuit of peace that is most needed in this world so full of strife.”

After a quick TV commercial-quality appeal — “My fellow Americans, contact your representatives in Congress.  Remind them of who we are.  Remind them of what is best in us and what we stand for, so that we can leave behind a world that is more secure and more peaceful for our children.” — Obama left the stage and made it back to the White House in time for lunch.

See the full text of the Aug. 5 speech, as provided by the White House, here.

Chuck Baldwin •

A new hospital has been officially proposed at Georgetown University, replacing a parking lot next to the main hospital. MedStar Health filed a letter of intent with regulators on July 30, which states the $400 million hospital is “intended to address current and future needs for additional care capacity and overcome the structural limitations … that impede additional medical surgical delivery upgrades.”

Approval of the plans requires numerous internal and external reviews and a public hearing before the District’s State Health Planning and Development Agency can act.

Construction is intended to begin by the end of 2016 and finish in 2020.

Robert Devaney •

Georgetown University accepted the resignation of Pat Henner, director of the track and field and cross country programs at the university after 16 years of service. The university also issued its findings July 31 concerning allegations of racial bias by the school’s track program and misconduct by student-athletes in the track and field program. Henner and other coaches were found to have no knowledge of misconduct by student-athletes.

The university statement reads, in part:

“The Office of Institutional Diversity Equity and Affirmative Action, which conducted the investigation into racial bias, found no racial bias in the track program. The investigation included a systematic review of equity among athletes and involved dozens of interviews with current and former team members and coaching staff. … Georgetown has also concluded a thorough review of allegations relating to reports of hazing and sexual misconduct among members of the men’s track team. The investigation included dozens of interviews with coaches, current and former members of the track program, and others with knowledge of the climate around the track program.

“The investigation found that inappropriate locker room behavior and the creation of offensive materials relating to unofficial team events violated the university’s policies regarding sexual misconduct, harassment, non-discrimination and hazing. It is clear that not every student-athlete engaged in misconduct, and the investigation found no wrongdoing by the coaches. Nonetheless, these behaviors and actions created a culture that is inconsistent with the university’s values and did not meet the expectations Georgetown has set for members of its community and for its student-athletes.

“As a result of the misconduct investigation’s findings, and in order to build a positive culture in the men’s track team that is both respectful and inclusive, the men’s track team will be sanctioned with a mandatory, university-imposed reduction in competitive opportunities during the 2015-2016 academic year.

“Georgetown’s participation will be canceled in seven weekends of competitions. In lieu of competition, student-athletes’ time will be used for reflection and discernment, for mandatory training and for dedicated efforts to building an inclusive and respectful team culture.”

No successor has been announced for Henner.

Peter Murray •

The keepers of the Historic Congressional Cemetery brought in the goats for another, 24-hour round of heavy landscaping today. The goats, officially called the Browsing Green Goats of Prosperity Acres in Sunderland, Maryland, come in every year to clear out invading vines, poison ivy, weeds and other unwanted vegetation from the cemetery, which was established in 1807. In the process, they drop their own brand of organic fertilizer which helps grass grow in the lot. Check out photos of the Historic Congressional Cemetery clearing below.
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Peter Murray •

A woman is in serious condition MedStar Washington Hospital Center after threatening police officers responding to a fire in Northeast with a knife on Saturday. The woman, who has been identified as Renita Nettles, 22, by the Washington Post, is being charged with assault with a deadly weapon and arson, according to a police report. She suffered a single gunshot wound to the shoulder, according to the Post.

The police officer who shot Nettles has not been identified by the Metropolitan Police Department, but a spokesman said he has been placed on administrative leave, which is routine in cases like this one.

The source of confrontation in the Clay Terrace neighborhood is unknown, but many bystanders took photos and videos of the shooting, sharing them on social media, too. One of those videos, which is graphic in nature, can be seen (here)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQjh_nsMI1Q]. Viewer’s discretion is advised.

Robert Devaney • August 13, 2015

With the resignation of its president, Charles Camp, the Georgetown Business Association’s board of directors voted in a new president and vice president July 15 and then gathered at Dog Tag Bakery for its monthly networking reception.

The new GBA president is Sonya Bernhardt, formerly its vice president. Bernhardt is the CEO of Georgetown Media Group, which publishes The Georgetowner Newspaper and The Downtowner Newspaper.

The GBA vice president is Hope Solomon, who works at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and previously worked with the U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms. Solomon also is involved with the family business on P Street, Wedding Creations & Anthony’s Tuxedos.

“I wish Sonya and Hope and the GBA, of which I remain a corporate member, all the best in the future,” former GBA president Charles Camp told The Georgetowner. Camp heads the Law Offices of Charles H. Camp, P.C., located on Thomas Jefferson Street, NW.

Meghan Ogilvie, chief operating officer of Dog Tag Bakery, which opened a little more than six months ago, thanked the GBA for its award of “New Business of the Year.” Ogilvie spoke about the bakery’s commitment to educate veterans on how to run a business besides learning how to bake and make soup and sandwiches. The program runs through Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Education. The Dog Tag non-profit on Grace Street was co-founded by Rev. Rick Curry, S.J., and Connie Milstein, both Georgetowners.
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Georgetowner •

Meet the Artists Reception

July 17th, 2015 at 05:00 PM | Free | pdubroof@iona.org | Tel: 202-895-9407 | Event Website

Join us in celebrating Carol Bouville and Barrie Ripin and their vibrant works on display at the gallery. Featuring live music and delicious refreshments. Special thanks to Sunrise on Connecticut Avenue for their generous support of Iona’s art events.

If you have any questions, please contact Patricia Dubroof, gallery director, at 202-895?9407, or by email at pdubroof@iona.org.

Address

The Gallery at Iona; 4125 Albemarle Street NW

‘Monotypes’ at Old Print Gallery

July 17th, 2015 at 05:00 PM | Event Website

The Old Print Gallery is excited to announce its new print exhibit, Monotypes, which will open on Friday, July 17, with a free nighttime reception at the gallery from 5-7 p.m.

A monotype is the most painterly method of printmaking, created by manually adding ink onto a plate, which is then printed through a traditional press. The show will remain on view through September 12.

Address

The Old Print Gallery; 1220 31st St. NW

Support Meeting for People with Hypoparathyroidism

July 18th, 2015 at 09:00 AM | Free | lrosato@rarediseases.org | Tel: (203) 744-0100 | Event Website

he National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) is hosting a regional meeting for patients and families affected by Hypoparathyroidism. It is an opportunity to meet other patients and speak with a medical expert. Attendees will be able to share personal experiences with each other, gain a better understanding of this rare disease, and help others cope with the effects of their illness. NORD will share accurate and useful information and will explore ideas for future assistance.

Address

Embassy Suites Hotel; 4300 Military Road NW

Summer Splash on 14th Street

July 18th, 2015 at 12:00 PM | chris@neptunefineart.com | Tel: 2029861200 | Event Website

Neptune Fine Art and Robert Brown Gallery are pleased to announce the opening of a satellite space in the 14th Street Arts District of NW Washington, D.C.

Please visit our inaugural exhibition, Summer Splash on 14th Street from July 18 – September 5, 2015. Featuring: Polly Apfelbaum, Donald Baechler, Ellsworth Kelly, Philip Taaffe and many more.

Gallery hours: Wednesday – Saturday 12 – 7 pm, Sunday 11-4 pm and also by appointment.

Address

1530 14th Street NW

Patti LaBelle

July 19th, 2015 at 08:00 PM | Event Website

Hey sister, go sister, the Grammy-winning soul sister and Emmy-nominated actress delivers timeless hits like “Lady Marmalade,” “New Attitude,” and “On My Own,” with “astonishing force and control” (Rolling Stone).

Address

Filene Center; 1551 Trap Road; Vienna, VA 22812

Wait, Wait … Don’t tell Me!

July 23rd, 2015 at 08:00 PM | Event Website

Watch comedians, journalists, celebrity guests, and more compete in NPR’s award-winning current events quiz show, hosted by actor and playwright Peter Sagal, for their chance to win a coveted prize from scorekeeper emeritus Carl Kasell.

Address

Filene Center; 1551 Trap Road; Vienna, VA 22812