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Robert Devaney • January 17, 2014

“At some point, you can’t fight the Feds,” said Jack’s Boathouse owner Paul Simkin. “We [Jack’s Boathouse] will not be there. We know when we’ve been beaten.”

Simkin responded to the Georgetowner, concerning the March 28 United States Court for the District of Columbia decision to dismiss Jack’s Boathouse case in which it claimed that the National Park Service did not have jurisdiction over the land where the boathouse sits. Jack’s Boathouse has been fighting its removal from the Potomac River shore at 3500 K St., NW, since December. The Good Friday decision seriously damaged Simkin’s legal challenge to the NPS eviction.

Nevertheless, Simkin seemed at peace with his own decision to withdraw from the fight and praised the new boat rental company that will work at the old Jack’s site. He also claimed a certain moral victory.

“Our objective was to stay there and keep working for another 70 years,” Simkin said. “If that were not possible, we intended to keep out the big corporate operators as well as a big collegiate boathouse. Neither will come to pass because of our fight, our supporters and the visibility of the assorted shenanigans.”

On March 4, the NPS awarded B&G Outdoor Recreation of Boston the contract to operate on the site of Jack’s Boathouse.

“For me, the next best solution is that the new folks coming have a philosophy like ours,” Simkin said. “If the boathouse space cannot be under our leadership, I cannot think of a better fit for Georgetown than B&G. They are good people and love the water, and we ask our supporters and customers to support them. B&G has assured me that it will hire all of Jack’s former employees. And that makes me rest easier.”

Jack’s Boathouse has been renting canoe and kayaks since 1945 when it was opened by Jack Baxter, a former police officer.

“You win some,” Simkin said. “You lose some. In the end, we believe we have come out ahead.”

Hayley Markovich •

The District of Columbia will resume its Breath Alcohol Testing Program on Friday, Sept. 28., after it was paused two years ago. Under the new program, a trained Metropolitan Police Department operator will administer tests to measure breath alcohol content when processing an arrest for impaired driving offenses.

“Ensuring we are doing everything possible to protect public safety is a priority for this administration,” Mayor Vincent Gray said Sept. 26 in a joint statement with the Metropolitan Police Department, the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of Chief Medical Examiner. Gray added that a $150,000 grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration helped to bring back the program.

The MPD suspended the breath alcohol program in 2010 because incorrectly calibrated machines were found to be giving false readings. D.C. police then worked with the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to develop new software for Intoximeter Instruments. During the 20-month development process there was continued reliance on urine tests and vigorous prosecution for impaired driving. Standard field sobriety tests will still be conducted at the scene and urine-testing equipment will remain available at all patrol districts.

The District began to get tougher on drivers impaired by alcohol and drugs with the Comprehensive Impaired Driving Act of 2012. Under the new act, maximum incarceration periods and fines will increase. Among these increases are that first time offenders could be jailed up to 180 days and fined up to $1,000. Convicted first-time offenders with a blood alcohol concentration of .20 percent or higher, or repeat DUI offenders, have a mandatory minimum 10-day jail time.

Offenders with a minor child in the vehicle face a minimum five-day jail sentence for each child in a required child-restraint seat and 10 days if they are not. Blood alcohol limits for commercial vehicle operators, including those for hire are set at .04 percent. These drivers will be subject to a five-day mandatory minimum jail term in addition to any other penalty for which they qualify.

“It is an important tool in our joint efforts to combat impaired driving and maintain public safety in the District,” said D.C. Attorney General Irvin Nathan. “With the new statute and the new, state-of-the-art equipment, we are now well positioned to combat impaired driving.”

Robert Devaney •

The trial of Albrecht Gero Muth, accused of killing his 91-year-old wife Viola Herms Drath in August 2011, has begun at D.C. Superior Court.
Delays to the trial start date were due in part to Muth’s failing heath because of his decision to restrict his eating. Judge Russell Canan ruled that the trial start Jan. 6 and have the defendant participate from his hospital bed via video conferencing — and not be at the courthouse, a first for the D.C. court. The jury will hear Muth speak but not see him in his deteriorated condition.

During testimony this week, Drath’s daughers, Connie and Francesca, talked about Muth’s money arrangements with his wife and of his emails to them about items he wanted upon her death.

Claiming he is innocent, Muth faces a charge of second-degree murder in the death of Drath.

A veteran journalist and married previously to an Army colonel, Drath was found dead in a bathroom of her home on Q Street on Aug. 12, 2011, after being strangled and beaten. She and Muth were known around town for their dinner parties at her home with a mix of political, diplomatic, military and media VIPs. Drath was 44 years older than Muth.

Seen around Georgetown in faux military garb, Muth was perceived by neighbors and shopkeepers as, simply, a oddball. In recent years, he said that he was a member of the Iraqi Army — which the Iraqi government denied. He went so far as to have arranged a 2010 ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery for Iraqi Liberation Day. Muth was also known around government and foundation lobbying circles as Count Albi of the EPG (Eminent Persons Group).
Muth’s hunger strikes began in December 2012 after he was ruled competent to stand trial. In March 2013, a doctor deemed Muth too weak to stand trial. His fast continued, and a judge postponed the trial until Jan. 6.

Robert Devaney • January 15, 2014

Construction of a bike lane on M Street, NW, was to begin today, but cool weather has delayed the start of the project. When completed — in four to six weeks, “depending on weather conditions” — the protected lanes will stretch from 14th Street, NW, to 28th Street, NW, in Georgetown. Unlike the bike lanes on L Street, NW, there will be parking for cars next to the lane dividers.

Here are details from the District Department of Transportation:

“DDOT will be installing a protected bike lane (also known as a cycle track) on the north side of M Street between 14th and 28th Streets, NW. This will be the third of its kind in the District and will be the west-bound complement to the recently installed lane on L Street. The lane is designed to give bicyclists more protection from cars than a typical bike lane and to prevent delivery vehicles from illegally parking in the bike lane.

“Unlike on L Street, most parking and loading will remain adjacent to the bike lane. Like on 15th Street, NW, it will be shifted south to the outside of the bike lane. From 14th Street to 17th Street, rush-hour restrictions will be removed to allow full-time parking. From 17th Street to Connecticut Avenue, traffic volumes require removing some of the parking. From Connecticut Avenue to 26th Street, some parking will remain rush-hour restricted while other areas will change to full-time parking. Along the corridor, a few parking spaces will be removed at each intersection to accommodate turning lanes. There is no existing parking from 26th to 28th Streets. This will remain the same.

“Since 2008, DDOT has studied several alternatives for east-west bicycle facilities in this downtown corridor. It selected L and M Streets in part to minimize traffic impacts and conflicts with other plans — and because they are already convenient, popular routes for cyclists. The initial results from its evaluation of the L Street bike lane show a minimal change in the time it takes to drive from one end of the corridor to the other. Similarly, traffic modeling predicts minimal increase in delay on M Street after the bike lane is installed.”

For more information, visit www.ddot.dc.gov/bike — or contact Mike Goodno, DDOT Bicycle Program Specialist — mike.goodno@dc.gov.

Robert Devaney •

There is a new Yuletide tradition for Georgetowners this year: an international festival, to be known as Fete des Lumieres Georgetown, will have its American premiere with public art and light installations.

The following are details from the Georgetown Business Improvement District:

The holiday season will be aglow as four international artists bring their public art displays, using lights as their medium, to Georgetown for a week-long festival, inspired by the world-renowned Fete des Lumieres, or Festival of Lights, in Lyon, France.

The Georgetown BID in partnership with Alliance Francaise, Art Soiree Productions, SPAIN Arts & Culture, The JBG Companies, Wallonie-Bruxelles International and EDF (Electricite de France) will sponsor the light installations that will be positioned in several locations in Georgetown. Fete des Lumieres Georgetown coincides with the second annual Georgetown Holiday Window Competition, where a variety of neighborhood merchants create holiday-themed window displays using only four different materials. This year’s competition will add lights as a fifth element in honor of the week-long festival.

“Georgetown is a premiere destination for the holidays and year-round with more than 450 restaurants, shops, galleries and other merchants,” says Joe Sternlieb, Georgetown BID CEO. “We are thrilled that Fete des Lumieres will make its U.S. debut in Georgetown, and this is a tremendous opportunity to showcase public art in Georgetown’s public spaces,” Sternlieb adds. “We look forward to expanding this festival into one of Georgetown’s premiere events.”

Sylvain Cornevaux, Cultural Director for Alliance Francaise, says “We are delighted to partner with so many wonderful organizations to bring a representation of this beloved, innovative and historic French tradition to Georgetown.”

Featured artists and installations, previously on display at the Lyon festival, include Luisa Alvarez presenting “Cuidad Habitad,” a collection of lit mannequins in whimsical poses. Alvarez will also exhibit Floating Lights, an interactive light wall. Both of those installations will be displayed throughout the festival. On Dec. 13 and 14 only, a duo of artists known as Theoriz Crew will create “Larsen 3G,” a collection of interactive video projections, and Chloe Yaiche will present “Zodiac,” an artistic display of constellations inspired by NASA satellite imagery.

Throughout the week, Art Soiree, local artists and merchants will host individual festival events, parties and promotions. For updated Fete des Lumieres Georgetown information and a complete listing of events, visit www.georgetowndc.com.

Gary Tischler • January 9, 2014

We are a nation of rituals, especially if we are members in good standing of the tribe of media: writers, photographers, essayists, editorial writers, reporters and bloggers.

At year’s end, we engage in time-honored rituals: predicting the outcome of the probable future of the next 12 months—as in the unsurprising firing of Redskins’ coach Mike Shanahan; Republicans regaining the Senate; Ted Cruz running for president; George Clooney not winning the Oscar or Taylor Swift winning some other award and remaining chaste and so on.

We look back, trying to decipher what just happened.

We look back and count our blessings.

We look back and count our losses.

Obituaries are a source of many things to their readers. It brings us up closer and personal to how we feel about death, and its existence in our lives. Because obituaries are the most final of facts: this person or that person, dead at 85.

We feel: bad, sad, shocked and somehow diminished, depending. Obituaries, well written or not, simply by the fact of them, are notable for how they make us feel, how we react to them, depending entirely on who you are and where you fit in the scheme of things. The death of Annette Funicello will not mean a thing to a Miley Cyrus devotee, for instance, but seeing her name there on the page this year took me right back to the 1950s summers in Ohio, after football practice when we went home as freshmen in high school, watching Mickey Mouse Club because of her, because she was our age and pretty, and American Bandstand came on right after that with its own rewards, which was watching cool kids dance to rock and roll.

I don’t mean to suggest that this is somehow important in the roll call of the dearly departed this year or any year. But it is a memory and a loss all the same.

The death of Nelson Mandela—anticipated but not immediately accepted—culminated in a celebration of his life, a kind of elevation to secular sainthood and a demonstration that the death of one great man means different things to many people. For many African American civil rights leaders and foot soldiers, Mandela had been a source of inspiration, an icon, a fountain of motivation for his passage from South African tribal royalty, to freedom fighter, to prisoner of the oppressors for 27 years during which his fame and stature grew, and his strategy and tactics changed as a political and national leader. He was the South African who would slay the dragon of Apartheid, while preaching conciliation and forgiveness and cooperation, a decision full of equal parts wisdom, political pragmatism and no small amount of visionary empathy. The aftermath of his death, which was a major loss for his country which lacks anyone close to his size and influence, became a celebration of life before apprehension about the future could set in.

The United Kingdom lost its Iron Lady, former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and Venezuela lost its self-styled revolutionary leader Hugo Chavez (to cancer), the latter a death not much mourned in the United States leadership circles, to whom Chavez was a thorn in the side.

I still read a lot but not as much as I used to: I expect time sends you back to old favorites, of which Elmore Leonard was one of mine, a quick-witted, pungent writer who was a pro, through and through, equally adept at westerns—(Robert Parker was, too) and thrillers which featured sometimes monstrous villains, very smart and sexy heroines, with whom the heroes could not sometimes keep up with. Some folks, including a New York Magazine writer, loved him for his westerns: books like “Last Stand at Saber River” aren’t being written any more, sad to say, not even by Larry McMurtry of “Lonesome Dove” fame. I liked “Get Shorty,” “Out of Sight,” “Tishimingo Blues,” “Rum Punch” and “Up in Honey’s Room,” just to name a few of a dozen or two.

Leonard defined the idea of reading for pleasure, which is self-defining. I mean no disrespect to Doris Lessing, who after all won the Nobel Prize for Literature, but I only keep her “African Stories” for occasional forays. As a novelist, Lessing was too cerebrally cool for my taste, but that’s just my two cents, as the Food Lion spokescat says.

I loved Oscar Hijuelos, the Cuban-born novelist and author of “The Mambo Kings Plays Songs of Love,” a beautiful, richly stylistic writer. And I will read Seamus Heaney’s poems til the day that I can’t.

Locally, I always remember hearing about Joseph Grano and his unsuccessful fight to keep Rhodes Tavern from being demolished. I remember seeing the name of Ev Shorey, and then remembering his graceful charisma whenever I encountered him, occasions well met, especially in his days as president of the Citizens Association of Georgetown. I remember going to the the Parish Gallery a number of times, as run by Norman Parish, it was a gift for African-American artists, but not exclusively, the gallery was an invitation to the citizens of Washington at its Canal Square location. We also lost Ed Thomson who co-founded the Friends of Book Hill Park. Jim Weaver of Weaver Hardware was a mainstay for decades and one of Georgetown’s classic and classy businessmen. Likewise, the innovative Norman Tolkan of the Door Store left us.

James Gandolfini’s death was big because it was sudden, and he was working his character actor gifts like a worker bee even in the aftermath of his huge success as Tony Soprano on “The Sopranos” on HBO. You could find him dozens of films working his acting magic—he was sly and oddly shy, all eyebrows and menace and carrying the hungers of a big guy around like pebbles in his shoes.

Noted in Passing

Richard Ben Cramer—“What It Takes”was the ultimate political and campaign book ever written, dense, detailed and just plain perfect about the 1988 presidential race.

Patti Page—Beautiful woman, beautiful singer and “Tennessee Waltz,” a gorgeous song.

Van Cliburn—Prodigy pianist in Moscow, the eternal tuxedo man.

George Jones and Ray Price—What it means when people talk about classic country and western male balladry. No one like that around any more.

Richie Havens—“Freedom” over and over again at Woodstock, plus “Here Comes the Sun,” a sage and iconic figure of rock and roll.

Pat Summerall—The best, most concise and worth listening to in sports broadcast sports, especially pro football, plus a good guy.

Jean Stapleton—Edith, and a lot more than that.

Bonnie Franklin—Personified what it meant to be a modern single parent raising two daughters in a sitcom.

Stan Musial—A St. Louis Cardinal forever, but always even more “Stan, the Man.”

Earl Weaver—Baltimore Oriole, tough, pungent and pugnacious, and he won.

Deanna Durbin—Girl and child star, foil for Judy Garland, beautiful, Mickey Rooney’s and Andy Hardy’s crush.

Ken Norton—Superb fighter, former heavyweight champ, tough on Ali.

Ray Manzarek—Remember all those keyboard riffs that surrounded Jim Morrison like musical jewelry? That would be the Doors’ keyboardist, Mister Manzarek.

Tom Clancy—The biggest military thriller writer ever, mega-million copies, “The Hunt for the Red October” to begin with.

Roger Ebert—Outside of Pauline Kael, the best popular and serious movie critic ever, excluding James Agee who was just plain serious.

Jack Germond and Helen Thomas—Political media legends.

Dennis Farina—Tough guy cop, tough guy mobster, always Farina.

Eleanor Parker—One of Hollwyood’s finest (“Detective Story” and “The Man With the Golden Arm”) actresses who had the misfortune to be really beautiful and red-haired (“Scaramouche” and “The Naked Jungle”) and to be remembered for losing out to Julie Andrews in “The Sound of Music”.

Joan Fontaine—Olivia DeHavilland’s sister, a sibling rivalry that should have become a movie. Oscar for “Suspicion,” a star in “Rebecca,” “Ivanhoe” and “Jane Eyre” opposite Orson Welles.

Peter O’Toole—Old blue eyes of the epic movie in “Lawrence of Arabia,” wonderful in “Becket,” “The Lion in Winter,” “My Favorite Year”, boozum buddies with Richard Harris and Richard Burton.

Jonathan Winters—On any given day, in any quirky way, the most original, funniest funny man alive.

Lou Reed—Took a walk on the wild side.

Georgetowner •

Ri Ra Irish Pub opened Dec. 30 in the former space of Mie N Yu and, before that, Hamburger Hamlet — and fills the place with all things Irish that gives the old M Street building a special shine and authenticity that it probably never had before.

Meaning “the king of good times,” Ri Ra is a chain with spots in Arlington, Atlantic City and Las Vegas among other places. The Wicklow, Ireland-based company, cofounded by David Kelly and Ciaran Sheehan, prides itself in its antique furnishings and fixtures, whether from the Royal Bank of Ireland or the Royal Theatre of Dublin — as well as above-average pub fare, such as “the beetroot and Irish cheddar tart, mussels steamed in Guinness with crisp streaky bacon, cream and herbs, or the Roast Pork Roulade . . .”

One of the pub’s centerpieces is a statue of St. Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint, said to be saved from a fire in Cork, Ireland, during the 1920s. The sacred statue eventually made its way to an estate sale in 2011, whereafter it was refurbished and brought to Washington, D.C., by Ri Ra.

Among the revamped rooms are the theatrical space and the upstairs Whiskey Room with special drinks and special food pairings. The Whiskey Room with its unique stairway fixtures and specially made bulb-and-barrel chandelier is only at the Georgetown Ri Ra.

At 3125 M St., NW, Ri Ra is still in its soft opening phase, says manager Angela Grogan, who hails from County Mayo, with weekday hours, “4 p.m. until late”; weekends, it opens 10 a.m. A grand opening party is planned for Jan. 23. And, yes, you will get the feeling that you might not be far from the River Liffey or Trinity College.
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Gary Tischler • January 6, 2014

Joseph N. Grano, Jr., was an exemplary man—a kind of Don Quixote of the Italian-American stripe in the sense that he seemed to pursue impossible dreams and fight what often turned out to be unbeatable foes.

Grano was a man who believed in preserving aspects of history in terms of historic buildings, historic figures and events. In this historic city where you can’t go too many blocks or even parts of blocks without tripping over a memorial statue, historic plaques and such, you would think this was a no brainer. However, when you figure that the competing interests are about building office buildings, renovating historic homes or forgetting obscure parts of history, it’s not too hard to figure why Grano, a man of redoubtable energy, did not often succeed in his most passionate pursuits.

Grano was the son of Italian immigrants. Born in the Bronx, he came to Washington in 1977 to work for the Veterans Administration, armed with a law degree and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. John’s University. The combination probably defined him in his pursuits. He quit his legal work 30 years ago and set about embracing and trying to save Rhodes Tavern from demolition.

The Rhodes Tavern imbroglio became his claim to fame, and it’s why Grano is remembered to this day. Oliver T. Carr, Jr., then the head of one of the city’s major development and construction companies, was planning to demolish the Rhodes Tavern, an old three-story building at 15th and F Streets, NW. The building dated back to 1799, which made it the oldest commercial structure in downtown Washington — and to Grano’s way of thinking, a site that should be saved and preserved for posterity and history. It had been a tavern, a dining place, polling place and a bank. By the 1970s, it was also run down, a building which many considered an eyesore. In any case, it was in the way of the Metropolitan Square project across the street from the Treasury Building.

For several years, Grano was in the forefront—very visible, very noisy, very everywhere—in the fight to save Rhodes Tavern. He pestered then Mayor Marion Barry, city council members, legislators pretty much on a daily basis. If a crowd was gathered any where, if there was a public meeting somewhere, there was Grano with his “Save Rhodes Tavern” sign. The Washington Post obituary includes a large picture of Grano, intensely eying the camera, surrounded by signs: “Have a Heart, Mr. Carr”, “Rally to Save the Historic Rhodes Tavern” and “Rhodes Tavern, D.C.’s First Town Hall, It Must Not Be Moved or Destroyed.”

In retrospect, it’s clear that Grano’s cause never had a chance to succeed. Rhodes Tavern was demolished in September 1984. But long-term and short term, Grano may have had the last word. The year before the destruction of Rhodes Tavern, D.C. voters approved a pro-preservation ballot initiative, which had been proposed by Grano. And in 1999, Grano managed to get a plaque commemorating Rhodes Tavern on the site.

Grano was proud of his Italian heritage and quite active in Italian groups and organizations. He led the effort to have Congress honor the 19th-century Italian architect Constantino Brumidi — responsible for the decorative aspects of the Capitol Dome — on the bicentennial of the architect’s birth.

Grano was also a Republican, which made him fairly unique in Washington in those days, but he also pursued statehood and advocated exempting D.C. residents from paying federal taxes. He died of complications from a stroke Nov. 24 at the age of 68.