Latest News

Paulina Phelps • April 17, 2014

Are doctors making a small fortune off Medicare?

On April 9, the Washington Post reported that, according to new data, Medicare, the government insurance program for elderly people, has paid nearly 4,000 physicians more than $1 million each in 2012.

These findings reveal the possibility of corruption in our government and its programs. “The release of the information gives the public access for the first time to the billing practices of individual doctors nationwide,” reported the Post. The highest billing totals could reflect for some physician’s extreme efficiency or an unusually high number of patients. However, it could also signal fraudulent behavior among doctors, as has been previously found by government inspectors.

The Washington Business Journal reported on April 9 that before the leak of this information, “The American Medical Association and other physician groups had resisted the data release, arguing the information violates doctor privacy and the public may misconstrue details about individual doctors.” The doctors who profited the most were those who specialize in procedures that require costly operations.

“The specialists most common at the top ranks of the Medicare payments were ophthalmologists, oncologists, and pathologists,” according to the Washington Post. Many of these doctors understandably worry this data released to the public could be misleading. For instance, the Post quoted Minh Nguyen, “a hematologist-oncologist at Orange Coast Oncology in Newport Beach, Calif.,” who said, “It looks like I’m getting paid $9 million .?.?. but it’s a pass-through,” he said. “The majority of the billing goes to pay the drug companies.”

Georgetowner •

Oatlands Paranormal Tours

April 11th, 2014 at 07:00 PM | $20 adults, $12 children 12 and under | lkimball@oatlands.org | Tel: Lori Kimball 703-777-3174 ext 103 | Event Website

Full Moon Paranormal tours are back! April 11 at 7pm and 8pm, join us for a different look at Oatlands after dark.Our tour guides will share exciting ghost legends and personal tales of unexplained happenings on the property.

Address

Oatlands Historic House and Gardens; 20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane; Leesburg, VA 20175

Countdown to Yuri’s Night

April 12th, 2014 at 08:00 PM | $12-25 | info@astropopevents.com | Tel: 202-321-2878 | Event Website

Celebrating the anniversary of the first human space flight!

Featuring
SCI-FI Burlesque Show Starring Mr. Gorgeous, Candy Del Rio, Gigi Holliday, Maki Roll, Maria Bella.

INTERSTELLAR LIVE MUSIC: Atomic Mosquitos and James Terrell The Color of Sound.

LUNAR DANCE PARTY with rockSTAR turntablist Adrian Loving.

SPACE TRUCKIN’ ART EXHIBITION

PLUS Airstream Tours, Celestial Costume Contest, Courtesy Space Junk, Drink Specials, and more.

Address

Anacostia Arts Center; 1231 Good Hope Road, SE

Make- A- Wish Mid-Atlantic’s Walk For Wishes

April 13th, 2014 at 12:00 PM | wish9.intern@midatlantic.wish.org | Tel: (301)-962-WISH (9474) | Event Website

Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic invites individuals to participate in Walk For Wishes taking place April 13 at the National Mall in downtown Washington, DC.

Walk For Wishes is a community wide celebration and effort to grant wishes for local children with life threatening medical conditions.

Walkers of all ages are invited to participate in the walk, ongoing family festivities and other surprises.

For more registration information, head to midatlantic.wish.org

Address

National Mall in downtown Washington, DC.

Choral EvenSong

April 13th, 2014 at 05:00 PM | Free | Tel: 202-333-6677

Christ Church of Georgetown continues its Choral Evensong series on Palm Sunday, with the music of William Smith, George Dyson, and William Byrd. Sung by the professional Choir of Christ Church, this series is free and open to the public as a gift to the community.

Address

31st and O Streets, N.W.

Halley’s Spring Jazz Concert

April 13th, 2014 at 02:00 PM | 20 | halleyshoenberg@hotmail.com | Tel: 2403813510 | Event Website

The concert includes all the performers from her 2014 CD “Private Concert” – Halley Shoenberg (clarinet/saxophone), Jon Ozment (piano), Jon Steele (bass), Tony Martucci (drums), Charles Bubeck (vibraphone), John Jensen (trombone). Reservations are recommended since seating in the Mansion is limited. Please visit www.HalleyJazz.com for details.

Address

Mansion at Strathmore; 10701 Rockville Pike; North Bethesda, MD 20852

Take an Om Break – Lunch Hour Yoga

April 15th, 2014 at 12:30 PM | Free | Erika.Rydberg@dc.gov | Tel: 202-727-0232 | Event Website

Feed Yourself something different on Tuesdays. Join us for ongoing lunch hour yoga at the Georgetown Neighborhood Library. Lunch Hour Yoga will take place on Tuesdays beginning April 8th from 12:30 to 1:30. Our wonderful teachers come from different disciplines but are hoping to bring some health to your mind and body during a busy work week. Please bring your own mat. To RSVP for any or all sessions please email Erika.Rydberg@dc.gov

Yoga teachers are provided by Yoga Activist.

Address

3260 R Street NW

Georgetowner •

Georgetown Park retail space is getting an upgrade with three new additions this month, including shoe retailer DSW, the shop-in-shop Bhldn and a new Department of Motor Vehicles service center.

DSW opened this morning in Georgetown Park at the entrance near Washington Sports Center. The 22,000-square-foot space offers discount shoes, accessories, and handbags for Georgetown shoppers to enjoy. The store will be open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 8pm and Sunday from 12pm to 6pm.

Bhldn, Anthropology’s sister brand, is opening their shop-in-shop within Anthropology tomorrow. Bhldn (pronounced “beholden”) is a bridal boutique focused on vintage inspired gowns and accessories. The shop-in-shop will have their wedding dresses to choose from as well as reception gowns, bridesmaid dresses, and accessories. The store will be open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and noon to 7 p.m., Sunday.

While a ribbon-cutting with Mayor Vincent Gray is scheduled Monday, April 14, the DMV service center is slated to open April 29 at the Georgetown Park space. The center will share an entrance on M Street across from Dean & DeLuca with Washington Sports Club and DSW, but will actually be on the floor below. The new DMV comes just over two years after they shut own the previous Georgetown DMV center in 2013. “There will now be a D.C. DMV service center in every quadrant of the city,” said Vanessa Newton, DMV public affairs specialist.

Georgetown Park, originally an indoor mall, is now focused on retail space on the street.

Paulina Phelps •

With the beautiful weather and cherry blossoms in full bloom, it is easy to forget that “Potholepalooza” season is here.

For those unfamiliar, “Potholepalooza” is a month of the year, when the District Department of Transportation is totally dedicated to reporting and restoring potholes. While this is helpful and beneficial as it makes the road much more vehicle-friendly, it also infamously creates traffic jams and delays.

Due to the weather conditions, the start of “Potholepalooza, “which in past years begins at the end of March, was announced April 9. “The unusually cold winter coupled with the snow and temperature fluctuations have all taken a toll on our roads,” said Mayor Vincent Gray in a press release.

It has already been a very productive year for DDOT. The department has patched more than 9,000 potholes this winter alone — with crews patching up more than twice as many potholes this January and February as they did last year. DDOT has decided to step up its game in other ways as well. For instance, it added more patching crews and increased the goal for fixing potholes from 72 hours to 48 hours.

During “Potholepalooza,” Washingtonians are encouraged to report potholes to get in touch with the city through a number of avenues. For instance, one could call 311, tweet @DDOTDC, or email potholepalooza@dc.gov.

For more information, such as a map of the potholes that are closed, open, and pending is found on this website: [http://gis.ddot.dc.gov/potholeapp/](http://gis.ddot.dc.gov/potholeapp/)

Robert Devaney •

Mayor Vincent Gray and other D.C. officials cut the ribbon April 14 for the soon-to-reopen Georgetown service office of the Department of Motor Vehicles after its nearly two-year absence. As it was previously, the office is located in the Georgetown Park retail complex at 3222 M St., NW. Entry for the DMV center is the one at the western M Street entrance of the retail complex for DSW and Washington Sports Club.

The Georgetown DMV will open for business April 29: hours are 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. The new 12,000-square-foot space has 150 seats and is twice the area as the old center; it is on the lower level. On average, the Georgetown DMV has handled 500 persons per day; the new center will be able to handle at least 600 per day.

Speaking at the morning press conference were Gray, council members Jack Evans of Ward 2 (where the DMV office is located) Mary Cheh and advisory neighborhood commissioner Bill Starrels — along with Brian Hanlon, director of the D.C. Department of General Services, and Lucinda Babers, DMV director — and representatives of landlord Vornado Realty Trust and contractor Davis Construction.

Babers said she was grateful for all the teamwork to make the DMV office return to Georgetown after its May 2012 closing. Declaring it “a beautiful at the DMV,” Babers said, “It takes a village.” Meanwhile, she noted DMV workers were undergoing employee training.

Also coming are new requirements for DMV-issued identification cards. There are already newly designed driver IDs. On Oct. 1, updated federal IDs will be required for entry into federal buildings — a particularly acute need for those who work and live in D.C. The REAL ID Act will require revalidation of all driver’s licenses in the years ahead. By April 1, 2016, old IDs regardless of expiration date will not be acknowledged for air travel by the Transportation Security Adminstration.

DMV will notify those whose IDs will become obsolete, Babers said, and assign appointment times to come into the DMV center to revalidate. Baber said DMV has issued 541,000 driver or non-driver IDs.

Robert Devaney •

The Hyde-Addison Elementary School at 3219 O St., NW, has revised plans to expand its school and play areas, as it presents designs before community reviews groups like the Georgetown Advisory Neighborhood Commission.

The addition of a third building – with a playground on top – on the O Street side of the school property will house a cafeteria, gymnasium and extra classrooms, leading to an additional 25,000 square feet. The new building would be partly underground. While another plan adds a section to the back of Addison School, most favored is the O Street building with its greater use of light and smart connection to the old school. Hyde’s School Improvement Team expressed its frustration with approval delays for the start of construction at the overcrowded and popular school.

At the March 31 ANC meeting, commissioners approved the O Street concept. The Old Georgetown Board will look again at the concept.

During the March 31 ANC meeting, other decisions included:

• While the ANC supports 150 new apartments at the old Latham Hotel, 3000 M St., NW, it disapproved of the facade’s designs, especially the reconstruction of the retail building in front of the hotel.

• Concerning condos planned by EastBanc at 3601-3607 M St., NW, the ANC disliked the stark boxy look and also wanted the developer to lower rooftop fixtures. It asked that the stability of the hillside property of Prospect Street homeowners above be checked out.

•The ANC wants the D.C. Department of Public Works to work out a better way of picking up old trash cans when new trash and recycling containers are given out during the summer.

• Flexi-Pave material that overlies tree box space on crowded sidewalks along the commercial corridor of Wisconsin Avenue and M Street was approved. The special plastic protects the trees’ roots, while allowing water to penetrate and flow through the dirt to roots.

the Georgetowner •

During a search for missing Relisha Rudd in Kenilworth Park March 31, Metropolitan Police said it discovered the body of an adult male.

During an afternoon press conference, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said that the dead man’s identity was not yet known but expected an ID soon and that the search for Rudd would continue. Lanier also told the media that the man appeared to have killed himself but could not confirm that.

According to ABC7 News, sources told the news outlet that “it is possible the body belongs to Kahlil Tatum, Relisha’s alleged kidnapper, who is also wanted by the FBI in connection with the death of his wife, Andrea Tatum.”

Those same sources told ABC7 News, it reported, “that the male victim appears to have been shot in the head and that a gun was found in his lap …”

During a March 27 press conference near Kenilworth Park, Lanier first announced, “We cannot ignore the possibility that he may have killed her.” Lanier was referring Tatum, the suspected abductor, who worked at the shelter, where Rudd and her mother lived. D.C. police also labeled their efforts “a recovery operation.”

The search at Kenilworth Park has involved the D.C. Fire Department and Emergency Services, the Metropolitan Police Department and a K-9 unit and the Prince George’s County Police, conducting a “grid search” of the wooded 700-acre area in Northeast D.C. on the Anacostia River.

After information was disclosed which tracked Tatum to the Kenilworth Park area, investigators began the search. Investigators also reported that on March 2, a day after Rudd was last seen, Tatum spent considerable time in Kenilworth Park. In addition, according to NBC4 News, on March 2 he had purchased suspicious items like garbage bags, a shovel, and lime, which can be used to speed up the decomposition of bodies as well.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Relisha Rudd or Kahlil Tatum is asked to call 911or the Command Information Center at 202-727-9099 or 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).

Gary Tischler •

Musically, the guy known as Keb’ Mo’ (a street variation on his given name of Kevin Moore) can do a lot of things. Whether it’s smooth or fast-paced rhythm and blues, funk, jazz, folk and even a little bit of country, here and there, he loves to collaborate with other musicians, notably jazz players or country legend Vince Gill and the great Bonnie Raitt.

But when you get down to it—and he can get down to it—Keb’ Mo’ is a blues man, pure but probably not so simple.

In a way, he’s keeping the tradition alive. The blues (and southern gospel) are the wellspring of rock-and-roll and American pop, rock and all that jazz as well as the songs and poetry of southern African Americans. He is a link to the Delta Blues of Lightning Hopkins, Robert Johnson, the Reverend Blind Gary Davis, Sonny Terry and others, but he’s also a blues man in the contemporary vein.

“I tried to do something different every now and then,” said the Los Angeles-born star in a phone interview. “But you know, people know you for who you are, and they don’t want you to stray too far.”

While he has a string of hit albums—his latest, coming out this month. “BLUESamericana” features songs and music played to good effect in the juicy stews of live performance. To that end, Keb’ Mo’ is playing again at the Music Center at Strathmore at 8:30 p.m., April 3. Perhaps not the hotbed of down and low, low down blues, but there it is.

“People—everybody—respond to the songs,” he says. “It’s about real life. It’s modern blues, but it’s like the old blues, been-down-so -ong songs, people getting love, or sex, or love, losing it, trying to survive, get down with some joy in the music. Today, life is a little different, and I write my songs to be about today. The music, that comes from everywhere, from all the greats, but the songs, they’re mine.”

His voice is direct and smooth. Accessible, it speaks right to the heart and soul, and feet, as the blues are wont to do.

“Yeah, sure, I like to play with other people,” he said. “That Bonnie Raitt, man, she can play. She is one bad-ass player. I can hardly keep up with her.” That’s not exactly true, although Raitt has a high-power way about her on stage, and her playing is what he says it is. “And country music, it’s like regular blues. It’s about drinking, lying, cheating, love, heartache, that kind of thing—you got those guys that could really sing that.”

“Oh, yeah, I had some thoughts about being a rock star, you know that kind of life,” he said. He comes from Compton, Calif., a city in Los Angeles County. “That kind of thing … you know it took me a while to get everything straight, and forget about that. “ One of his musical mentors was a guy named Papa John Creach, who played with Jefferson Airplane, one of the premier rock bands from the San Francisco Bay area.

The really personal and original stuff in his music comes from his own life. He has even written songs for a children’s album, called “Big Wide Grin.” He appeared in 2001, on Sesame Street with the whole gang—Kermit the Frog, Grover, Elmo— all singing “Everybody Be Yo’self.”

Keb’ Mo’ no longer lives in L.A. He and his wife moved to Franklin, Tenn., where they’re raising a six-year-old son named Carter. “That kid is a trip, let me tell you,” he said. “It’s an experience, you know, to be with a little kid. Everything’s new. They got all that energy.”

This is a blues man decidedly in the real world, doing his part: he’s part of the No Nukes group, for which he recorded his own version of the Buffalo Springfield song, “For What It’s Worth.”

He says “BLUESamericana” is a new phase for him. It’s different from his last album, which included India Arie, Vince Gill and Marcus Miller. If the last album, “The Reflection,” sounds personal, it is with a personality touched by the blues, for all the things that matter: “Do It Right,” “For Better or Worse”, “The Worst Is Yet To Come”, “Somebody Hurt You, “The Old Me Better”, and “I’m Gonna Be Your Man.”

He remains a traveling man. His tour stops at New York City; Victoria, Canada; Evanston, Ill.; Middletown, Ohio; Grants Pass, Oreg., Saratoga, N.Y.; Minneapolis, Minn., among many other places.

But home is in the back of his mind and where he came from, as he sings in a song about his bringing up in L.A. — “There’s More Than One Way Home”: “Daddy came around every once in a while/but momma, she was there all the time/and summertime in Compton was not like TV/but we were right there where we needed to be.”
He says he was influenced by Taj Mahal from the 1970s: “He was doing things his way and that’s what you do”—but he, too, has found that there is more than one way home. “My audience, it’s a little bit of everybody—older people, blues people, black and white, young people. Sometimes, I think I’m the oldest guy in the building.”

Maybe yes; maybe no. Keb’ Mo’ sure doesn’t play or sing like the oldest anything when it the blues.

Paulina Phelps •

Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier announced April 3 that the weeklong search for missing eight-year-old Relisha Rudd in Kenilworth Park in Northeast Washington, D.C., has ended.

“We came here expecting the worst, a grave site,” Lanier said. “We’re relieved that we did not find that . . . We’re always hopeful. Children are found years after they disappear.”

While the search was unsuccessful in finding Rudd or evidence of what might have happened to her, it did result in the discovery of the body of Rudd’s suspected abductor, Kahlil Malik Tatum. The search of the 700-acre park has been exceptionally thorough with police looking through trash bins, digging large holes and using flashlights to look into storm drains.

The search for Rudd has been described as a recovery operation, but many people disagree. For instance, although the search in Kenilworth Park has come to a close, different conclusions have been posited by other organizations investigating the case. The most recent speculation was by a National Missing Persons Organization called the Black and Missing Foundation. This organization believes Rudd’s disappearance is the result of a human trafficking network. WUSA 9 News reported that co-founder of the organization Derrica Wilson said, “I’m pulling at everything in me and there’s nothing in my gut that tells me we’re in a recovery operation. I feel that we’re searching for a live person.”

Wilson co-founded the Black and Missing Foundation with her sister Natalie Wilson to raise awareness and efforts in locating missing persons of color, a segment of the population far overlooked. For instance, according to the foundation in the last year more than 200,000 persons of color were reported missing. Compared to other cases, Relisha’s serves as an exception as it has gotten a great deal of media coverage, which many people believe is because she is so young.

“This case has really rocked me to the core,” Derrica Wilson told WUSA-9 News. “I personally feel that this little girl was sold. I think her mother sold her to Tatum and I think Tatum has sold her in this worldwide industry of trafficking.”

Wilson says that she believes the investigation needs to expand far beyond D.C. and incorporate more than just police. “She could be anywhere and we need to help find her,” Natalie Wilson said. “We would like the public to get involved. Again, somebody knows something.”