Garrett’s Restaurant & Railroad Tavern Shuts It’s Doors
• June 10, 2011

When Garrett’s Restaurant and Railroad Tavern shut its doors for the last time on Monday, it was not simply another restaurant closing but rather the loss of a popular community hangout loved and frequented by locals, students, employees and tourists since 1979.

Garrett’s has been noted for its casual, chill atmosphere, and the restaurant’s weekly game nights and holiday events have attracted neighborhood regulars.

Nick Hardt, a longtime employee at Garrett’s, said he would miss the camaraderie and personality of the restaurant.

“Everyone knows your name, and it’s one of those places that’s been here awhile and it’s just fun,” said Hardt. “It was a gathering place for the neighborhood.”

Staff and friends gathered at the Town Tavern in Adams Morgan to commemorate the end of an era and relive old memories. For the restaurant employees, the parting is sad but amicable.

Hardt believes the restaurant closing reflects an ongoing change in the Georgetown area and a shift in the social scene as rent increases and bigger businesses move in. He hopes to see Garrett’s reopen, but thinks it unlikely that it would reopen in Georgetown.

As for the restaurant’s old haunt? “Hopefully it’s not another Starbucks,” said Hardt.
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Camberely Homes Unveiled
• June 8, 2011

“The Centennial Collection employs state-of-the-art construction methods and energy-saving features to provide a high performance home that ultimately can save homeowners money and reduces their impact on the environment. By exceeding the International Energy Conservation Code, we believe the Camberley Centennial Collection delivers a luxury home at the leading edge of the home building trend that satisfies the needs of today’s increasingly environmentally conscious consumer.”
– Alan Shapiro, president of Winchester Homes.

Awareness for energy efficiency is rapidly growing. Taking action, Montgomery County sets a precedent by executing a law disclosing energy expenses to new homeowners. Raising the bar to “go green,” Montgomery County showcases it’s benefits on May 9th, 2011 with Camberely Homes’ most cutting edge home design.

In Popular Run’s community of Silver Spring, Maryland,Camberely Homes, a luxury home building division of Winchester Homes, will have revealed the first Building America/Builders Challenge home. Built in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the home is found as a new success,balanced with science and art as it exceeds more than 40 percent of energy efficiency and Winchester Homes’ consumers’ Your Home. Your Way™standards.

The innovative models, named as the Centennial Collection, showcases the U.S. Department of Energy’s effort to push forth for more affordable, environmental friendly homes while encompassing the exact style of its prospective homeowner.

A computer energy model called Residential Energy Service Network (RESNET) Home Energy Rating System (HERS) indexed less than 60 versus compared to the 100 found in a standard home, hence the 40 percent plus savings in energy. While these numbers provide credible statistics, the architectural floor plans construct a design to avoid futile space and more artistic appeal.

Camberley Homes, a winner of the Gala Award Winner for Best Architecture and Design in 2010, welcomes you to be in awe of its Centennial Collection. It’s new, fresh, innovative achievement opens doors for home building pioneers and wilder dream homes.
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Weekend Round Up May 26, 2011
• June 2, 2011

Free Summer Saturdays at the Corcoran starts this weekend

May 28th, 2011 at 10:00 AM | Free on Saturdays! | Event Website
Join the Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art + Design for FREE Summer Saturdays – back by popular demand! This summer, from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend, enjoy free admission to the Gallery, including special exhibitions Chris Martin: Painting Big and Washington Color and Light. Enjoy special programs, Gallery tours, workshops, demonstrations, and performances for all ages.

Kicking off the first Free Summer Saturday this Saturday, May 28 at 2 p.m. is Body, a free performance by interdisciplinary artist ChajanadenHarder, who invites residents in all eight wards of D.C. to respond to the questions: “What do you most desire?” and “What have you lost?” by writing their answers on eight life-size body casts, which are then both performed and collapsed. Come see for yourself all summer!
Address
500 17th Street NW, Washington, DC, 20006

National Sporting Library &Museum Book Fair

Saturday, May 28, 2011, 10 am – 5 pm, the Library will host the NSLM Book Fair. Six authors are scheduled to talk for 20 minutes then sign books, beginning at 11:00. The authors are: Rita Mae Brown, Kate Chenery Tweedy and LeeanneLadin, Tim Rice, Bill Woods, and Norman Fine. Booksellers will be on hand and the authors’ books will be available for purchase. Check www.nsl.org for details in early May.

Address
The National Sporting Library and Museum
102 The Plains Road
P.O. Box 1335
Middleburg, Virginia 20118-1335
Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m

Memorial Day Concert

May 29th, 2011 at 05:00 PM | $15 Free for Students | Tel: 202.244.7191 | Event Website
The National Men’s Chorus, with Thomas Beveridge, artistic director, and Paul Skevington on organ, offers our ever-popular Memorial Day concert honoring the brave men and women who served in the American military. This annual event is a day or remembrance and gratitude for our freedom and liberty. Hear the rich tones of an all-male chorus singing America’s favorite patriotic songs, accompanied by organ, brass, and percussion. Stand and be honored as the chorus sings the song of the military branch in which you or a loved one served. Saint Luke Parish, 7001 Georgetown Pike, McLean VA. Tickets $15, students free. 202.244.7191 www.nationalmenschorus.org
Address
Saint Luke Parish
7001 Georgetown Pike
McLean VA.

Free Memorial Day Weekend Events at the Navy Memorial

May 30th, 2011 at 10:00 AM | Free and open to the public | tkiland@navymemorial.org | Tel: (202) 380-0718 | Event Website
Memorial Day Weekend Events featuring Rolling Thunder, a performance by the Rock Band Fourmanchu, commemorative wreathlayings and a traditional Navajo dance
Address
United States Navy Memorial
Naval Heritage Center
701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20004

Find more event on our Calendar

DC Restaurant Worker Wins $6M in Abuse Case
•

D.C. restaurant worker Liana Estona was recently awarded $6 million in damages in her sexual harassment case against her former employer, La Carbonara Restaurant and its owner, Fekeru Bekele, according to the DC Employment Justice Center. Estona (not her real name) “came to our clinic in January 2009 because she had not been paid properly by her former employer,” said Laura Brown, legal services director at EJC. The story of sexual abuse by Bekele came out during the initial interview and the EJC referred Estona’s case to local law firm Arnold and Porter.

After testimony from five expert witnesses, who spoke of the severe physical, emotional, and economic trauma that Estona had endured, the judge awarded Estona $6 million in damages and issued a permanent injunction against Bekele, preventing him from approaching within 100 feet of Estona, her home or current workplace.
According to Brown, the judge decided on a default judgment, after Bekele failed to file an answer. “In most sexual harassment cases, it comes down to a number of things, but this case was different because it got a default judgment; there wasn’t even a trial.”
Brown said they see 1,300 clients a year through their workers rights clinic, though a majority of those clients are referred to other law firms to handle their cases.

EJC sees many clients who claim to have been a victim of sexual harassment in the workplace, but because harassment often goes on behind closed doors, it’s hard to prove such cases in court. In this case, Estona came forward and had five witnesses testify on her behalf.

“He caught her behind closed doors, anywhere she would go in private: to change or to the storage room. He was there harassing her,” Brown said. “Claimants such as this very rarely have the courage to come forward and go through the process to recover, which included testifying in a criminal proceeding. She’s typical in some ways, but exceptional in others.”

Prince of Petworth, a local blogger covering the NW quadrant, reported the closing of La Carbonara as early as May 17. There windows are now covered and the phone has been disconnected.

Click It or Ticket Campaign Targets Unbelted Drivers After Dark
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The District Department of Transportation is joining forces with the Metropolitan Police Department for the 2011 national Click It or Ticket seatbelt enforcement mobilization. The enforcement effort runs through June 5.

During the mobilization, officers will be increasing checkpoints to make sure motorists are wearing seatbelts. Unlike many other states, District law allows police to stop a vehicle solely because its drivers and passengers are not properly buckled up. In the District, there is a $50 Fine & two-point penalty for not driving with a seatbelt or having a passenger without a seatbelt. Drivers who fail to properly secure their child passengers face a $75 fine and two points for a first offense, and a $150 fine for fourth and subsequent offenses.

From 1997 to 2010, the percentage of belted drivers rose from 58 percent to 92 percent; the national average in 2010 was 85 percent. In light of the overall high level of compliance, the District and other jurisdictions are turning their focus on night-time hours, when seat belt efforts can make the most difference in saving lives and preventing injuries.