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Robert Devaney • April 11, 2016

Dean & Deluca at 3276 M St., NW, was closed Feb. 19 for one day by the D.C. Health Department. The fancy food store was cited for various health hazards, “including but not limited to heavy infestation of vermin.”

Last year — also in February — Dean & Deluca was closed for a day by D.C. Health for rodent droppings and more. Live birds in the outside cafe were also a problem. At the time, the coffee bar in the outside cafe was moved into the building. Also sold outside were bagels, pastries and other sweets. Now, all those items are sold in the historic market building.

The store is open again and did not comment on this citation.

Robert Devaney •

An elderly man is dead and his wife is in stable condition after a double stabbing in their Georgetown home in the 3300 block of Q Street, NW, according to the Metropolitan Police Department, which was called around 6:30 a.m. Sunday morning.

The deceased was identified by police as 88-year-old Le Roi Elliott, who was stabbed to death. His wife, 81-year-old Vaughan Elliott, was taken to the hospital with injuries. The MPD also identified one of their sons, Bradford Elliott, 56, as the suspect in the double stabbing during an early morning fight and arrested him. He is reportedly mentally ill and lived in the Q Street home with his parents. Vaughan Elliott called 911.

Bradford Elliott answered the door with blood-soaked hands when police arrived, police told the Washington Post.

From first reports, police called the attack “domestic in nature.” Assistant Police Chief Patrick Burke told the media: “The situation appears to be mental-health-related.”

Georgetown-Burleith advisory neighborhood commissioner Ed Solomon, who spoke with the media at the crime scene, said, “This is something that could happen anywhere, whether it’s a mental health issue or something else going on. We don’t know. Of course, we are very concerned for our community.”

Neighbors are shaken by the news, and a few talked to the Elliotts’ other son Reade who lives in Loudoun County, Virginia, and arrived at the house on Sunday afternoon. The home sits across from the Volta Park tennis courts. Two blocks east of the murder scene was the Q Street home of 91-year-old Viola Drath, killed in August 2011. Last week, her husband Albrecht Muth was convicted of murdering her.

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Gary Tischler •

The District of Columbia’s Democratic mayoral primary is coming up faster in your rear window than a speeding motorcade. It’s on April 1 in less than 80 days, and its winner will likely take the general election to become mayor.

With a crowded field, it remains an unsettled and unsettling race—at least if the Jan. 9 mayoral debate, held at Dumbarton House in Georgetown and co-sponsored by the Georgetown Business Association and the Citizens Association of Georgetown, was any indication. The forum also got a bit of a stir when an uninvited candidate came forward and joined the panel.

Before a packed, standing-room-only audience, a total of seven candidates showed up to debate a variety of issues, some of them Georgetown-centric as befitted the location. Nevertheless, the whole process still resembled seven candidates in search of a dominating issue.

While the District Council candidates for mayor—Ward 2’s Jack Evans, Ward 4’s Muriel Bowser, Ward 6’s Tommy Wells and at-large Vincent Orange—jockeyed for leader-of-the-pack position, Busboys and Poets owner Andy Shallal and State Department veteran Rita Jo Lewis went some ways in establishing their bona fides as legitimate candidates.

But there was confusion on two fronts at this debate. Due to a public safety meeting, Mayor Vincent Gray did not show, depriving his competition and moderator Davis Kennedy, publisher of the Current Newspapers, from asking him once again about his role in his heavily investigated 2010 campaign for mayor. If that wasn’t enough, the debate at times threatened to turn into the Carter-Kennedy show, after late-arriving (by more than 15 minutes) candidate Christian Carter, a 31-year-old businessman in the District, was told by Kennedy that he had not been invited and would not be asked questions.

Carter, who throughout the proceedings sounded both refreshing and outrageous at turns, pulled up a chair anyway, even after Kennedy said only the council candidates and two candidates—presumably Shallal and Lewis—who were considered to be plausible long shots had been invited. That was mildly insulting enough. Then, Carter asked, “Isn’t it hard enough to run for mayor without dealing with you,” and declared, “I am a free African American man.” He then asked Kennedy, reluctant to recognize him: “Is this slavery?” Kennedy replied, “Yes.” By this time, there were shouts from the audience along the lines of “Let him speak”—meaning Carter, not Kennedy.

The two would spar a little later when Kennedy asked what he called a serious of tough, even “rude” questions of each candidate, including Carter, when he questioned his knowledge about D.C. issues, and whether, given that fact, he should be running at all.

Wells fared not much better when Kennedy, citing an unnamed colleague of Wells, said that Wells hadn’t accomplished much during his tenure, a charge which Wells appeared to refute without much of a sweat.

Evans was asked about his initial refusal to strip Ward 8 Councilman and former Mayor Marion Barry of a committee chairmanship. Evans responded it was enough that Barry had admitted to wrongdoing and that stripping him of the chairmanship would not allow him to be an effective representative of his ward.

The fate and future of a Georgetown Metrorail Station and the Whitehurst Freeway appeared to be hot button topics—almost everyone seemed to be for a new Metro stop—part of the Metro’s long-range plans as well as that of debate sponsors CAG and GBA and the Georgetown Business Improvement District’s long-range plans. Shallal, a trolley car enthusiast, threw in a word of caution: “Imagine the traffic jams around that project in Georgetown, because it will take a long time to complete and will be disruptive.” Nobody particularly likes the Whitehurst, but only Lewis outright suggested that it should be torn town. As Evans noted, quoting someone else, that “people hate it when they look at it and love it when they use it.”

There was some talk about local, neighborhood anti-crime watches funded by special taxes, which brought Evans to recall that he had been instrumental in the passing of BID legislation. “You’d have to have something like that,” he said. Orange went a step further: “Isn’t it about time we had a BID in Anacostia?”

Orange, Shallal, Lewis and Wells—in different ways—all called for dealing with the District’s growing income gap, for creating more real affordable housing, for challenging the government to make sure that it would not lose its middle class and for helping its least advantaged, most struggling residents.

Wells was obviously proud of the fact that he’s accepting no corporate donations. Money, he said, has always had a corrosive effect on politics, as it did, it appears, in the last campaign or in any campaign. He has already indicated that corporate contributions ought to be banned. He also advocated that school reform was a mixed bag, that it wasn’t over, that much more work needed to be done. “Every student in the District should have an elementary school within walking distance to his or her home,” he said. Orange suggested that one way to deal with financial ethics is to make it so that council members could not hold down another job.

The problem, however, remains the same in this campaign: incumbent and candidate Gray—absent or present—was and is the elephant in the room, precisely because of the cloud that hangs over him about his previous campaign and the fact that the investigation is ongoing. It’s an issue that now hangs over this campaign. The media won’t leave it alone—nor should it—and it’s fodder for his rivals.

In a city which appears to be economically strong and prosperous, which is, in fact, on its way to becoming that world-class city everyone talks about, other issues remain to be dealt with—liveable wages, low income housing, the homeless, fair tax breaks, the plight of seniors and children, a still wobbly education system increasingly charter-heavy, ethics problems, the disparity between highest and lowest earners, none of which by themselves seem to find clear visibility or traction.

All of those issues made an appearance in the debate, but not so much that the earth shook noticeably. The council candidates have records to defend or brag about, and Evans has more to talk about than anybody, one way or another, given that he’s the longest-serving council member.

None of the candidates appear to be solidly in the imagination of large parts of a population, which is visibly changing in its make. Hark the millennials are here, and Chocolate City has diminished in size. In terms of the campaign, it’s that old Carpenters’ song: “We’ve only just begun. [gallery ids="101595,147420,147412,147407,147417,147423" nav="thumbs"]

Marie Loiseau •

A thief on a bicycle struck thrice in Georgetown on Tuesday, Oct. 29. The suspect, described as a young, thin, black male, aboard a dark bicycle, began his spree at 5:30 p.m. on the 1600 block of Wisconsin Avenue.

The first victim stood on the sidewalk with phone and wallet in hand. She didn’t have time to think before the thief rode by, snatching both items.

About an hour later, the thief made an attempt at a second snatching but met some strong, successful opposition. The 15 year-old target had his iPhone plucked from his hand. When he lunged for the tire, however, he successfully flipped the bike and grabbed his cell from the ground before the bicyclist took off.

Ten minutes later, the thief struck again. This time he targeted Danielle Lake, 26, as she stood waiting for her bus at M and Thomas Jefferson Streets. “A guy riding a bicycle just snatched the phone out of my hand,” said Lake. Her iPhone 4S was gone in a flash. She yelled for someone to stop the man, but no one did.

Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier warned citizens: “In cities around the country, the robbery and theft of small personal electronics is driving an increase in crime as thieves target unattended small electronics in cars, pockets, purses and on tabletops.”

Individuals are encouraged to pocket cell phones and wallets, keeping them out of reach of potential thievery – and to stay alert of their surroundings.

Gary Tischler •

Jack W. Germond, who died at the age of 85 Aug. 14, looked like a newspaper guy, talked like one, too, and lived like one. If respect and reputation are the coin of the realm in the business of reporting and print journalism, Germond was one very rich guy.

He was a print man through and through, but he also struck an unforgettable figure on television, most famously with “The McLaughlin Group.” Germond made every guy who took on beats, wrote about crime or back room politicians out of the limelight and who would never look like Brian Williams, feel a twinge of hope. Heck, more than a twinge.

A large man, he poked fun at his looks, his business and himself often, a rare quality in a field that has more egos than a surgeon’s convention. In a town and region in which you could run across a syndicated columnist without half trying while walking the dog, Germond stood out. He was Washington bureau chief for Gannett Newspapers, wrote a column for the Baltimore Sun and wrote about politics loaded with inside information from inside informants—so much so that he acquired a reputation of writing the truth, getting the story and maintaining his larger-than-life soul.

He wrote—sometimes with Jules Witcover—books galore about Washington and politics, about elections, plus two memoirs about the large shadow he cast: “Fat Man in a Middle Seat: Forty Years of Covering Politics” and “Fat Men Fed Up: How American Politics Went Bad”. He rose to prominence in Washington coming out of New York state covering politics there in the late 1950s, as good a training grounded for immersion into the game of politics as you probably can get.

Germond would be the first to admit that if you put him into a thousand-dollar suit, he could reduce it to a hundred-dollar suit just be sitting down. According to the Washington Post, he said he was “a fat, bald guy who looked unkempt even in a freshly pressed suit and a Brooks Brothers shirt, who played poker and the horses rather than golf, who didn’t give dinner parties except for friends and who sometimes drank too much.” He worked for the Washington Star until it folded and went to the Baltimore Sun, until he retired in 2001. He also appeared on TV talk shows, such as “The McLaughlin Group,” where he took on the role of defender of the liberal faith.

And still he wrote. Before and after retirement, he wrote, the “Politics Today” columns with Witcover, and the books he wrote with him: “Blue Smoke and Mirrors: How Reagan Won and Why Carter Lost the Election of 1980” and “Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars? The Trivial Pursuit of the Presidency 1988.”

When Germond died, he had just finished writing his first novel, “A Small Story for Page 3”. Naturally, the hero was a reporter. Sadly, there won’t be a second. -30-

Robert Devaney •

Key Bridge was closed in both directions July 11 for about an hour — roughly 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. — after the Metropolitan Police Department responded to a phone call about a bomb. After a suspicious package investigation, police found nothing, they reported. Lanes on the bridge were opened to traffic a little after 11:30 a.m.

At the M Street side of Key Bridge, repair work has left metal plates on the roadway. A $20-million rehabilitation project for Key Bridge — which connects Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Va. — is slated to begin in fall 2013, according to the District Department of Transportation.

Meanwhile, DDOT is detouring traffic on northbound 37th Street, NW, for its project to improve the intersection of 37th Street and Tunlaw Road, NW. “This detour is scheduled to last until Wednesday, July 24, weather permitting,” according to DDOT. Southbound traffic on 37th Street will not be detoured during this period.

DDOT also reports: Northbound 37th Street, NW, traffic will be directed eastward on Whitehaven Parkway, NW, to northbound Wisconsin Avenue, NW, and then to westbound Calvert Street, NW. WMATA has installed temporary stops for Metrobus routes that have been affected by this project, and the related detour. Traffic control signs will be in place to guide travelers around the detour.

For more details, contact the project engineer Charles Daniel (202-409-2070 or Charles.Daniel@dc.gov) or assistant project engineer Dawit Kebede (202-359-5926 or Dawit.Kebede@dc.gov).

Robert Devaney •

Washington, D.C.’s best small-town Independence Day parade was held for the 47th time along MacArthur Boulevard, NW, with local politicians, church groups, associations, Bolivian dancers and just some friends getting together in an antique car. As usual, candy was thrown to the children at the sidewalks, and MacArthur Liquors offered cold juices for the hot and happy day. And, as usual, when you saw the riders from the United Horsemen’s Association of D.C., Md., Penn. and Va., you knew the parade is over.

After the parade was over, many parade-watchers walked to the Palisades Recreation Center on Sherrier Place. On hand were Mayor Vincent C. Gray, councilmembers, government officials, the Palisades Citizens’ Association, the Friends of Palisades Recreation Center and other supporters to cut the ribbon on the newly renovated Palisades Playground, the District’s third playground to be completed under Gray’s Play D.C. Playground Improvement Project, managed by the District’s Department of Parks and Recreation and Department of General Services.

“Palisades Playground is not only the District’s first ‘imagination playground,’ but it is representative of the rich Native American history that exists in the Palisades community,” Gray said. “One of the main goals of my One City Action Plan is to improve every resident’s quality of life, providing safe and inviting places for our children to play. The renovations and upgrades here at Palisades Playground are an investment in our children, our families, our community and our great city.”

As people left for afternoon barbecues or to get ready to view the fireworks on the National Mall, Gray talked about D.C.’s lack of full representation in Congress and complete self-determination. In D.C.’s case, he said, it is “liberty and justice for some.”

Later, reflecting on Independence Day, Gray said in his weekend radio address, it is “high time for full democracy to come to the hundreds of thousands of Americans who live, literally, within the sight of the Capitol dome. … ‘No Taxation Without Representation’ became a standard rallying cry for American patriots fighting British tyranny.”
“Over two centuries later, there remains one jurisdiction in our country that does not enjoy that freedom,” Gray said. “It is time to free D.C. and end the shameful practice of taxation without representation, once and for all. Our nation’s founding patriots would demand nothing less.”
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Eve Barnett •

As some D.C. establishments closed for Fourth of July festivities, two local restaurants, Serendipity 3 and Sushi-Ko, closed for less celebratory reasons: health code violations.

Serendipity 3 at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and M Street was briefly closed last week because of three citations from the D.C. Department of Health. The famous New York-based eatery was cited for not posting a business license, failing to have appropriately hot (110 degrees) water at every hand sink, and storing meat and other perishables at temperatures above the required temperature (41 degrees).

Although the manager told WUSA9 News that he dealt with the citations and reopened the business, Serendipity 3 was closed July 8. The sign over its doors read: “Sorry, we are closed for the remainder of the evening we apologize for any inconvenience.”

In addition, local favorite Sushi-Ko at 2309 Wisconsin Ave., NW, in Glover Park has been closed since June 28 because of an expired business license. Although the owner Daisuke Utagawa has not given specific details about the restaurant’s closing, previous news report cited the business’s bill with the Office of Taxation and Revenue. The Department of Consumer Regulation reportedly required Sushi-Ko to pay its bill before it can reopen.

Utagawa told the Washington Business Journal last week he was trying to get the restaurant open this week. “We’re working to renew the business license, and as soon as we do, we’ll open right back up again,” Utagawa said. “We’ve got everything except one little part.”

As for Serendipity 3’s brief closure, the Georgetowner contacted two of its representatives but has not heard back by press time.

UPDATE: After quickly dealing with minor infractions, Serendipity 3 re-opened.

Rachel Scola •

The Fillmore Center for the Arts has had its full funding restored, saving jobs from being cut and preserving the chance for District students to deeply engage in the arts for another year.

D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson announced the restoration of funding last week given the “recent, positive changes [to the] budget outlook for Fiscal Year 2014.” Councilmembers Jack Evans and Mary Cheh were very much in favor of restoring the funds and worked with Henderson to restore the funding, even offering to assist with funds if necessary.

Henderson believes the funding will continue to “allow the program to continue to serve students at the level we’ve come to expect from the Fillmore Arts program.” The Fillmore has been a nationally recognized school of the arts since 1974, teaching 3,500 students each year. The Fillmore not only offers school year programs but also has summer classes. There are two locations in order to cater closer to elementary schools. Classes range from drama to dance to drawing.

Parents were alarmed at the announcement of a budget cut, and there was even an online petition started from the Friends of Fillmore to urge Henderson to change her mind about funding. Voices have been heard and now the school will continue to serve District students in the arts and four full-time positions that were at first “excessed” will remain.

Georgetowner •

He may not be black and white and red all over, but the adventure of Rusty the red panda on Monday certainly caused a stir.

The National Zoo announced Monday morning that Rusty was not in his exhibit and that they were searching the near area for his whereabouts. He had last been seen at 6 PM for feeding time in his exhibit. The Zoo posted details and directions for people if they found Rusty on their Twitter and Facebook page. They warned that when confronted or scared red pandas will bite and that all citizens should use caution if they find Rusty.

It was at 1:36 PM on Monday afternoon that the call came in from a citizen to the Washington Humane Society that Rusty had been spotted at an Adams Morgan residence. WHS Officer Peter Martel, part of Animal Care and Control, arrived to the scene first and began a rescue plan for the panda, which was idling in a tree. Smithsonian staffers soon joined Martel, and they lured Rusty down and out of the tree where he was then safely transferred to a crate and back to the Zoo.

The Zoo announced this morning via Twitter that Rusty is still in the vet hospital at the Zoo, where he is bright, alert and recovering from his adventure. It is still unclear how Rusty managed to escape his exhibit, as no trail was left behind. Zoo officials are looking into every aspect and theory of this escapade and Rusty will not return to his habitat on the Asia Trail until the case is closed.

The Zoo describes red pandas as arboreal and territorial animals, which explains why Rusty only traveled as far as the tree in Adams Morgan. Rusty has only been part of the Smithsonian Zoo family since June 10 of this year, and he will turn 1 year old this July.
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