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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

Kelly Byrnes • August 17, 2015

Benetton, the major fashion retailer that expanded across the U.S. during the 1980s and 1990s, has now dwindled down to one American store following the sudden and quiet closing of its Washington, D.C., store in Georgetown.

Last week, the store, located on the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and M Street NW, was abruptly boarded up with no explanation of its closing. The brand’s name has also been removed from the building’s exterior wall.

Though the Italian-based company still has an international presence—particularly across Europe and South America–the Georgetown closing signals the end of Benetton’s era in the American fashion industry, as its New York City store is now its lone retailer in the country.

The dwindling number of American stores can be attributed to popularity of discount clothiers and the underperforming teen-apparel market. Famous retailers, such as J. Crew and Abercrombie & Fitch, are closing stores. Wet Seal, which used to be across the street from Benetton in Georgetown, has closed most of its stores.

Benetton was a giant of children’s fashion, largely in part to its United Colors of Benetton clothing line. The collection boasts vibrant, colorful pieces and had garnered attention through the use of eye-catching yet somewhat controversial advertising, which aimed to promote social awareness. At its peak, the brand had more than 500 stores in the U.S.

The Georgetown Benetton at 1200 Wisconsin Ave. NW was one of the first to be opened in the U.S. by retail marketing expert Iraklis Karabassis, who brought the popular, hip fashion house to White Flint Mall, its first ever spot in America. Head of IK Retail Group in Georgetown, Karabassis opened more than 100 Benetton stores in the U.S. and Canada. He sold his Benetton operation to the Benetton Group in 2008.

It is rumored that the Japanese retailer Uniqlo, which will open a Tyson’s Corner location next year, could become the next occupant of the three-story space, which once housed the National Bank of Washington.

Kelly Byrnes •

Mayor Muriel Bowser plans to sign the “Sale of Synthetic Drugs Emergency Amendment Act of 2015” into law July 10.

The new legislation will authorize local police and government officials to “take swifter and stronger action against businesses that sell synthetic drugs,” according to a press release from the mayor’s office. The illegal substances, which are known by street names like “Spice,” “K2,” “Kush,” and “Scooby Snax” have had sales traced to gas stations and liquor stores.

The city has experienced a rise in overdoses of various synthetic drugs, and officials fear that the effects of the drugs can lead to a spike in homicides and other violent crimes.

Synthetic drugs appear to have played a part in the July 4 metro stabbing that left one man dead, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Authorities believe the suspect in the attack, 18-year-old Jasper Spires, had synthetic drugs in his system at the time. The drugs can contribute to violent, erratic behavior and an altered mental state of those who consume it.

Bowser will be joined by District Councilmembers and law enforcement officials at the signing.

Robert Devaney •

The iconic sign for the old Georgetown Theater returned to its proper place July 29, as workmen from Jack Stone Signs re-attached the metal structure to the former movie house at Wisconsin Avenue and O Street NW.

The red-letter day for the sign’s relighting is Sept. 23 — literally and actually — as the letters will be aglow in neon-red.

Architect Robert Bell bought the old theater property in October 2013 and is renovating the building at 1351 Wisconsin Ave. NW for retail and residential use. The theater’s neon sign, which display the illuminated word, “GEORGETOWN,” was hauled away last September and re-done at Jack Stone Signs, which originally manufactured it in 1950.

“Restoring the neon Georgetown sign has been a project of mine for seven years,” Bell told the Georgetowner. “It’s extremely satisfying as an architect committed to contextual architecture to help restore this historical building and its iconic neon sign as a vital part of Wisconsin Avenue and Georgetown. This restoration with its new mixed use building and garden will revitalize the heart of historic Georgetown.  More simply, this is fantastic, and I am looking forward to celebrating lighting the neon sign on the equinox, Sept. 23.”  

Architect Robert Bell and his plans for the rejuvenation of the old Georgetown Theater property were the subject of a Jan. 15, 2014, Georgetowner cover story. [gallery ids="102160,132918,132913,132923" nav="thumbs"]