Misguided Worship of 2nd Amendment Puzzling, If Not Appalling
• February 7, 2013

“A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

That’s the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution that everybody talks about every time shots are fired in schools, in the workplace, at a movie theater or down the street down on the corner.

National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre — in the aftermath of the shootings at Newtown, Conn., were 20 grade school children were killed along with several teachers — proposed arming teachers and said, “The answer to a bad man with a gun is a good man with a gun.” At Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on gun violence Jan. 30, he objected even to the idea of enhanced background checks, saying that “Universal background checks, which sounds, whatever, ends up being a universal federal nightmare imposed upon law abiding people all over the country.”

LaPierre’s answer appears to be to arm more people, to have zero restrictions on automatic weapons, to just leave gun owners alone lest the Second Amendment be somehow destroyed.

At the same hearing, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., who was critically wounded by a gunman in 2011 pleaded eloquently, testified. Her speech slowed to a powerful pace whereby every word acquired the quality of thunder.

“This is an important conversation for our children, for our communities,” Giffords said. “For Democrats and Republicans. Speaking is difficult, but I need to say something important. Violence is a big problem. We … must … do … something. It will be hard. But the time is now. You must act. Be bold. Be courageous. Americans are counting on you. Too many children are dying. Too many children.”

Giffords’s husband, a retired astronaut and U.S. Navy captain, declared his support for a background check, noting that both he and his wife were gun owners.

Giffords’s presence in the chamber was a powerful moment, but it was also impossible not to note the mostly friendly reception from many senators for LaPierre, a familiar figure on Capitol Hill as chief lobbyist for the NRA, for which he is paid an annual base salary of more $800,000 plus other compensation.

The Second Amendment has come up often in hearings held across Connecticut, where some of the parents of slain children, education officials, gun owners and police leaders spoke. One parent talked about his child and called for gun control while some members in the audience shouted “Second Amendment, Second Amendment.”

It should be pointed out that none of the proposals heard so far from legislators and the administration—from universal background checks, to banning military style automatic weapons—actually punish gun owners including those who rushed out to buy thousands of weapons after the Dec. 14 shooting. Rather, they’re intended to make it more difficult to purchase certain weapons, a development which would hurt gun manufacturers and gun shows—i.e., makers and sellers, not owners. Anybody who needs a gun—especially an automatic weapon—desperately, badly, immediately, urgently should get an automatic—there’s that word again—spot check.

I looked it up. There is the famous Second Amendment. It seems puzzling that we should get from there in the aftermath of the American Revolution to here. That lead-in statement about a well regulated militia suggests to me that citizens ought to have the right to bear arms in order to maintain a militia to protect us from . . .

I’m not on the Supreme Court. Nevertheless, Thomas Jefferson, the smartest man in the Western World outside Voltaire, Diderot and Benjamin Franklin, surely had the answer and just didn’t tell us.

It is, as the King of Siam said, a puzzlement. No. It’s much more than that. It is a shame and a tragedy that we talk about the death of not just children, but people in the line of fire, innocents, really, as some kind of collateral damage sacrificed at the altar of the Second Amendment. The founding fathers, the fathers and parents among them, at least, might have found that idea appalling.

‘Sugar & Champagne’ Goes to the Dogs on Jan. 31
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The Washington Humane Society will host its 12th Annual Sugar & Champagne Affair Thursday, Jan. 31, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, recognizing community activists against animal cruelty and raising funds for the District’s homeless pets.

Washington Humane Society’s humane law enforcement officers, humane educators and animal care and control officers are among the evening’s honorees. The popular, canine-friendly Sugar & Champagne Affair welcomes guests to bring their dogs to the event. Not many other galas in the city allow that.

New components have also been added to this WHS tradition. “The Golden Ticket” invites guests to enter a drawing, the winner of which will receive a tasting at RdV Vineyards for ten people and dinner at Market Salamander.

Guests may also participate in the “Cake Walk Challenge,” another new addition to the evening’s activities, in which cakes – created by five notable chefs – will be auctioned to the highest bidders.

The main event, which begins at 7 p.m., will feature Washington, D.C.-area pastry chefs, as well as champagnes and wines, to celebrate supporters of WHS efforts to fight animal maltreatment. Chef Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray of Equinox Restaurant and Muse at the Corcoran Gallery of Art are the reception’s hosts.

The VIP Chefs’ Tasting Room, “an exclusive savory gathering prepared by the finest chefs of the national capital region,” begins at 6 p.m. before the main event, according to the WHS website.

Tickets for both the VIP event and general reception may be purchased at sugarandchampagne.org.

According to WHS, reception proceeds “directly benefit the animals and programs of the Washington Humane Society.”

WHS has served the Washington, D.C., region since 1870, working to ensure the well being and protection of animals through various services, such as adoption, sheltering, rehabilitation programs and humane law enforcement, among others.
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Chancellor’s Plan to Close 15 Public Schools Faces Opposition
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Following last week’s announcement that 15 Washington, D.C., public schools have been scheduled to close, Chancellor of D.C. Public Schools Kaya Henderson testified before the District Council’s education committee Jan. 23 to discuss the rationale behind the plan that has sparked opposition from community members and local organizations.

“For the first time in a long time, people have hope about the District of Columbia public schools,” Henderson told the council.

D.C. Public Schools finalized the changes that will take effect at the end of this academic year, including the consolidation of 13 of the identified schools – the other two of which are slated to close the following year – and “several expanded quality program offerings.”

The initial proposal to close 20 schools was altered after DCPS received enormous feedback and eliminated five schools from the list. The revised and current plan will affect more than 2,400 students and 540 employees, as first reported by the Washington Post.

Some people are opposed to Henderson’s plan — but not simply because it will force students to relocate to different schools.

Empower D.C., a local grassroots organization, believes Henderson’s plan is discriminatory, “blocking the school doors for hundreds of black and brown students,” according to attorney Johnny Barnes.

Barnes is working with Empower D.C. to combat the school closings plan. Its litigation strategy was announced at a press conference Jan. 23 in front of the Wilson Building on Pennsylvania Avenue, during the chancellor’s meeting with the council.

“We intend to vigorously and zealously pursue those legal avenues available to the parents and children affected so that all young people in Washington, D.C., have the same access to quality education,” Barnes said in a Jan. 18 statement.

Another feared consequence of Henderson’s plan is that DCPS will struggle to compete with the public charter schools that already serve more than 40 percent of public school students in the District, according to the Washington Post. Many worry closing 15 schools could exacerbate the problem, driving students to these charter schools rather than other conventional public schools.

However, DCPS says it believes the plan will ultimately prove to be advantageous, as funds and resources from the under-enrolled schools can be reallocated and more efficiently utilized.

“We’ve spent the last two months combing over every single comment, data point and proposal,” Henderson said in a Jan. 17 statement. “Now, it’s time for us to look to the future, for us to plan for the best ways that we can support our students.”

Weekend Round Up January 31, 2013
• February 4, 2013

“Authors on Deck” – Churchill and Sea Power by Christopher Bell

January 31st, 2013 at 12:00 PM | Free | Tel: 202-737-2300 | Event Website

As part of the United States Navy Memorial’s “Authors on Deck” book lecture series, author Christopher Bell will present his latest work, Churchill and Sea Power (Oxford University Press, 2012). Bell addresses a surprisingly neglected aspect of Winston Churchill’s career: his attitude to sea power.

Following his presentation, Bell will be available for a Q&A session and book signing.

Address

United States Navy Memorial, Naval Heritage Center; 701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Parish Gallery Georgetown: “Through the Years” Group of Gallery Artists

February 1st, 2013 at 06:00 PM | parishgallery@bigplanet.com | Tel: 202 944 2310 | Event Website

This opening reception entitled “Through the Years” features a group o gallery artist that at one point had shown at The Parish Gallery. Over the past 21 years, The Parish Gallery have shown so many exciting and talented artist. This exhibition the gallery will be showing both mid-career and masters.

Address

Parish Gallery

1054 31st Street, NW

Choral Evensong

February 3rd, 2013 at 05:00 PM | Free | diana@christchurchgeorgetown.org | Tel: 202-333-6677

Christ Church, Georgetown, continues its Choral Evensong series on Sunday,February 3 at 5 p.m. with the music of Philip Radcliffe, Herbert W. Sumsion, and Edward C. Bairstow. Sung by the professional Choir of Christ Church, this series is free and open to the public as a gift to the community.

Address

Christ Church, Georgetown

31st and O Streets, N.W.

Turn Up the Heat! Annual Gala

February 4th, 2013 at 06:30 PM | Tickets start at $275 | ocna@ovariancancer.org | Tel: 202-331-1332 | Event Website

Join the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance for an evening of delicious food that helps raise awareness of ovarian cancer and support programs for women with the devastating disease. We are once again teaming up with dozens of celebrated women chefs from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Our 8th Annual Gala highlights the best of these chefs’ talents and raises funds for ovarian cancer.

Address

Ritz Carlton, 1150 22nd St NW

14th Annual Washington DC International Wine & Food Festival

February 5th, 2013 at 04:00 PM | $75-$125 | sgregory@webportglobal.com | Tel: 202-312-1300 | Event Website

With our increasingly knowledgeable consumer base, the 2013 Festival will be extended over several days and will include seminars, tastings, food pairings, dinners, and a signature event each evening. Our goal is to provide guests with multiple, focused opportunities to sample high quality food and wine, meet and greet winemakers, chefs and tastemakers, and continue our tradition of sharing the art, culture and fun of food and wine.

Address

1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

Straight Talk With Liz Ann Sonders

February 6th, 2013 at 06:00 PM | Free | john.welch@edelman.com | Tel: 800-750-9539 | Event Website

Liz Ann Sonders, Schwab’s Chief Investment Strategist, takes a look at what she sees on the horizon for the markets and economy in 2013. She will share her perspective on changes coming out of Washington and the impact they may have on individual investors, especially for those nearing or in retirement. This video presentation will be followed by a branch-led discussion.

Address

7401 Wisconsin Ave, Suite #100; Bethesda, MD 20814

CAG: 4th Annual Georgetown Art Show

February 7th, 2013 at 06:00 PM | Tel: 202-368-5878 | Event Website

CAG (Citizens Association of Georgetown) invites all to celebrate and view the talent and creativity of Georgetown resident artists at CAG’s 4th Annual Georgetown Art Show. Free to the public, the show will launch with an opening reception on Thursday, February 7th from 6 to 9 p.m. and will be open from Friday, February 8th thru Sunday, February 10th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the House of Sweden (2900 K Street, NW). CAG’s unique show will feature artwork by local Georgetown residents and artists who have studios in Georgetown. Media will include oil and watercolor paintings, prints, sculpture and photography. Most works will be for sale, with a few on loan from private collections. Click here for more about the show.

Address

House of Sweden

2900 K Street NW

‘House of Cards’: Familiar D.C. Backdrops, New Way to Pay and View
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Washington D.C. has long provided great location backdrops for films and TV series, whether it be “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “National Treasure” or “West Wing.”

The latest series located in D.C. to watch is the new Netflix original series, “House of Cards,” which premieres Friday, Feb. 1, exclusively on the online streaming service. It may be familiar ground but the way viewers see the series is innovative.

Netflix is releasing all 13 episodes of the first season at one time so that viewers can watch them at their own leisure. The success of the House of Cards could change the how people watch television.

The remake of the BBC miniseries follows House Majority Whip Francis Underwood, played by Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Spacey, on his quest for revenge against the newly inaugurated president after being passed over for Secretary of State. The cast also includes Robin Wright as Spacey’s wife, along with Kate Mara and Corey Stoll. Behind the scenes, David Fincher (“Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”) and Beau Willimon (“Ides of March”) portray the darker side of Washington.

Filmed in Maryland, “House of Cards” reportedly cost Netflix $100 million to produce, and the company has already guaranteed 26 episodes of the gripping political thriller. The aim is to draw subscribers in with exclusive, original content they can’t view anywhere else as opposed to paying for more expensive premium cable channels.

As with many TV shows or films set in D.C. there was the obligatory social scene premiere with stars, local politicos and media — this time at the Newseum Jan. 29.

Kennedy Center Unveils Bold, $100-Million Expansion
• February 1, 2013

In a bold, interactive plan, which links people, gardens, river, president and the performing arts, the Kennedy Center announced its first major expansion since it opened in 1971. Rehearsals will be seen with monuments in the background; plantings will honor the center’s namesake, the 35th president, John F. Kennedy; as stage will float on the river. It is not a done deal, as the designs must pass muster from regulators, and the project will cost $100 million, not the $450 million required for a 2005 design that called for steps coming from the main esplanade to the edge of the Potomac River. Also, this new project will be privately funded.

At press time, here is the information from the Kennedy Center:

“Each year, millions of people nationwide take part in innovative, inclusive, and effective education programs initiated by the center, including school- and community-based residencies and consultancies, age-appropriate performances and events for young people, career development for young actors, dancers, singers and instrumentalists, and professional learning opportunities for teachers, teaching artists and school administrators. The expansion project will provide much-needed classroom space and multipurpose rooms for lectures and symposia”.

“After careful consideration, the selection committee unanimously recommended the firm of Steven Holl Architects to the full board.”

“Holl’s initial concept for the project includes three connected pavilions that will house classrooms, rehearsal rooms, education for arts managers, lecture space, multipurpose rooms, and limited office space. In the initial concept, one pavilion will float on the Potomac River and offer an outdoor stage. Public gardens will fill out the space, fusing the Kennedy Center with the landscape and river. The exteriors will utilize translucent Okalux, glass, and Carrara marble, the same Italian marble which clads the original facility. The silhouette of the current building will be preserved by connecting the new structure underground and via the main plaza. A formal design will be created and announced in the coming months.”

Chance for Bipartisanship?
• January 30, 2013

Here’s a word you haven’t heard on the hill in a while; bipartisanship.

Why, just about the only time you heard the word was when partisan on one side bemoaned that the other side wasn’t being bipartisan, and that it was their fault. It was sort of a constant varia- tion to the tune of “I’ve Got Those Ain’t Got No Bipartisanship Blues,” and everything was singing it off key.

Well, it’s a new day on Capitol Hill, and bipar- tisanship—”bipardismo” to you Spanish speak- ers—was in the air, sort of like love springs in the spring. And it was the need, desire, aching-for- action on a comprehensive immigration bill that was the spur.

Three Republican and three Democrats, two of them—Democratic Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida—making their statement in Spanish to the delight of English and Spanish speakers alike. The gang of eight—it includes Republicans John McCain of Arizona, Jeff Flake of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democrats Richard Durbin of Illinois, Charles Schumer of New York, and Michael Bennet of Colorado— announced a wide-ranging proposal to overhaul the country’s immigration laws as they exist. Sen. John McCain who has waxed hot and cold on the issue for years is once again in the forefront—he said we need to fix the mistakes of 1986.

President Barack Obama was expected to set forth his own principles and plan Jan. 29, which rumor has it are somewhat like the Senate plan but more liberal and more focused on getting illegal aliens on a path to citizenship.

The president and senators agreed that the effort would be bipartisan. For Obama, he was keeping a promise and a voting bloc. For the Republicans, it was pragmatism, spurred quite a bit by electoral defeat in which the Latino vote figured prominently.

Here are elements of the Senate plan: quick legalization status for illegal immigrants provided that they pay back taxes and a fine. The path toward citizenship would be delayed until further strengthening of the nation’s border. Rubio said it would modernize the entire legal immigration sys- tem and added that we have to deal with the people that are here now “in a way that’s responsible and humane.”

The White House’s participations in the Senate bipartisan effort was minimal while reports said that Obama’s administration had been working on their plan for a long time.

So: bipartisanship or competing plans?

Still, here are Democrats and Republicans working together, and the White House praising the effort and calling it similar to its plans. In the age of lowered expectations, that’s something, a far cry from four decades in which both sides in the end seemed to stumble, often bitterly, toward the arid desert of complete breakdown and failure to negotiate. Obama pushed through a Health Care bill without a single Republican vote. The Senate Republican leader almost from the moment Obama took office four years ago vowed to make it his mission to oust and opposed Obama.

The Republicans are going back to work chas- tened by their unexpected electoral loss. That may have spurred a lot of soul searching by party stalwarts and future presidential candidates, which is all to the good.

Of course, there have been attempts to reform and re-plan immigration before without much headway.

But just listening to the remarkable blame-free and rhetoric-free talk of late (the last 24 hours) should give one, if not hope, at least pause.

What’s next?

A joint . . . ahem . . . bipartisan effort on tax reform?

Civil Rights Era Called for Everyday Heroes to Show Courage Against Discrimination
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Some heroes are famous. Others are just quietly courageous.

The most courageous people I ever met, and admittedly never knew very well, were the handful of 14-year-old African- American students who in 1963, when we were freshmen, chose to come to my white high school rather to their black high school. They chose to be strangers in a strange new place rather than be stars in a familiar place.

In 1954, Brown v. Board of Education decid- ed that “separate education facilities were inher- ently unequal.”My typical small southern town ignored the Supreme Court. In 1970, the courts required southern schools to integrate, but, in the 1963 south, it was a choice that took real courage.

Four of my black classmates came to mind during the Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration.

Clarence passed away three weeks ago. He was a gentle giant who always recognized me with a smile, reminded me who he was, and told me to not worry about forgetting his name.

Margaret came to our 25th reunion picnic – but not the dinner – and askedus white kids to sign her yearbook. Now twenty years later, that episode embarrasses me still. No other black classmate ever came to our white reunions.

Herman was asuperstar student and athlete who excelled at football, basketball, and track. Today, he’s a doctor in New York City. During my freshman year, Key Club selected new mem- bers.It was an honor. Herman was not selected. The following year, our longest meeting was debating whether to offer him membership. We didn’t. Race was never mentioned. Race was the only issue.

My memory is vivid because as a Jew in the South, I knew how quiet – and deafening – discrimination could be. My parents and I discussed whether I should quit Key Club. I didn’t. It was easy, as it has throughout my life, to quietly hide behind my white skin and blond hair. Herman couldn’t do that.

Linda graduated number one in our class with a 4.0 average, the highest grade point average then possible. She never received the recognition that others with lower grades (like me) got. She was also – and may sue me for publishing this – drop-dead gorgeous.

Linda is a lawyer in Connecticut, now a nationally known “mover and shaker” in the non- profit world. After being a bank attorney and serving as a commissioner of the Connecticut utility regulatory agency, she became president of one of the nation’s largest non-profit foundations managing $750 million dollars, more than a thousand funds, and thousands of grants.

In 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. declared, “I Have a Dream,” just days before school started. Did these young heroesdecide to break the race barrier because of that speech? How do they remember those years? It can’t be good.

“Connect . . . connect . . . connect,” Dr. Zinerva White slowly repeated at my city’s MLK breakfast until the 500 of us absorbed his message and reached out to hold hands with the person next to us.

I called Herman and Linda, 50 years late, to “connect.”

In 1963, my little town had its own heroic Martin Luther Kings.

Jack Evans Report: Big Plans for Term
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Council Period 20 is now well underway, and we will soon be swept up in our oversight and budget season. Before
that happens, I want to lay out some of my top priorities for the term.

Our public education system continues to be one of my top areas of focus. I was pleased to work with the community in helping to advocate that the Chancellor keep Garrison and Francis-Stevens open. Fortunately, the Chancellor took note of what we are already well aware of in Ward 2 – demographic trends in our neighborhoods require our city to pro- vide residents with the educational and other resources our new children will need. I hope families will continue to decide to stay in the District, unlike in past years, when so many young families would move to the suburbs once they started having children.

Next, public safety is a continuing prior- ity of mine. As the District’s population continues to grow, not to mention the daytime commuter population, we need an expanded police force to continue to keep us safe. While I applaud the Chief for reporting the lowest homicide rate in decades last year, we have to give her the resources she needs to continue this trend. When I first moved to DC, we had 5,200 officers on the police force. When I joined the Council, we had 4,800. Would you believe that today we have only 3,890 sworn officers? I introduced a bill a few weeks ago that would mandate that the Mayor fund 4,000 officers as a minimum staffing level. That is not a magic number, but in my judgment, after 20 years of service, it is a first step in the right direction. We also need to fund overdue pay raises to the officers currently on the force – when you don’t give pay raises for several years, retention starts to become a problem.

Third, I want to continue to focus on providing access to quality health care for all our residents. Hopefully, it is well known by now that we have the second-highest state insurance coverage rate in the country, with only Massachusetts consistently outscoring us. Isn’t it nice to finally be at the top of one of those state ranking lists? I am excited about the implementation of the District’s new health care exchange, which should make it easier for individuals to avail themselves of private health insurance options. I want to make sure, though, that this is not done in a way that increases insurance costs for our small businesses.

Fourth, I want to continue to fund afford- able housing. I was one of the original cre- ators of the Housing Production Trust Fund, and I still support it because it is one of a relative few government programs that con- sistently exceeds our performance expecta- tions. I believe it is critical to subsidize private developments, such as the Howard Town Center project, so that they include affordable housing components. I was dis- appointed to see undoubtedly well-meaning but nonetheless misguided opposition to this project from a handful of public officials and public interest lobbying groups. I think there is a misunderstanding by many of how this business works – developers will choose the most profitable business proposition available to them. Care to take a guess as to whether affordable housing generates more profits than the development of an office building? Anyone familiar with economics knows that if we don’t at least help cover the opportunity cost spread between the use we want (such as a mixed use that includes affordable housing) and the most profitable use (yet another office building), all we will get is office space. Not to mention that with regard to Howard Town Center, specifically, the land was sitting vacant for nearly a decade and will continue to do so if not for our efforts.

All of these priorities lead to my fifth goal – more jobs for District residents. When you provide a world class education system, a safe environment, and affordable housing, as well as health care, to all our residents, jobs will follow. While many parts of our city are doing well, other parts of our city remain at very high levels of unemployment and deserve our best efforts in facilitating job creation in the District. Helping to incentivize the creation of construction jobs through city projects prepares our residents for long-term career paths through apprenticeship programs. Once the developments are completed, permanent hospitality jobs result as businesses occupy the new spaces, and we receive many dollars in expanded tax revenue for each dollar we initially invest in subsidies.

Thank you for all your support and good ideas, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office if you have any constituent services requests with which we can assist you.

Ins & OutsJanuary 30, 2013
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**Billy Reid Clothing Store Coming to M Street**
Billy Reid, the men?s and women?s clothing store with Southern roots, will be taking over the empty space of Uno Pizzeria?s Chicago Grill at 3211 M St., NW. The store also sells antiques. Most stores are in Alabama and Texas. The D.C. Billy Reid will its second north of the Potomac River; it has a New York store. The large build- ing also comes with a liquor license, which may explain why Billy Reid chose the spot. ?There are also plans to have the retail space hold live performances and evening affairs, which is a signature in all of Reid?s establishments,? reported the Washington Post last year.

**Business Group Kicks Off 2013 at the George Town Club**
The Georgetown Business Association held its first board and committee meetings of 2013 Jan. 16 at the George Town Club on Wisconsin Avenue and then kicked back with an ?Inaugural Kick-Off Reception? at the Club Room, which filled with members, old and new, and with guests for a lively evening of camaraderie along with food and drink. In gearing up for this year?s business efforts, the association is calling for volunteers to help with various committee assignments: membership, events, marketing and communications, safety, economic devel- opment and small business, governance and legislative. To serve on any of these committees, contact the Georgetown Business Association, 3233 K St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20007 — 202-640-1279 or e-mail: info@gtownbusiness. com.

**Kavanagh?s Closing for Fancier Italian Eatery**
Here?s a news blast from neighborhood blog Popville: Another new restaurant is coming to Glover Park. Restauranteur Adam Hiltebeitel tells me that he is bringing Arcuri to 2400 Wisconsin Ave, NW. He says Arcuri will be ?an energetic restaurant serving American food inspired by Italian traditions? and should open in early 2013.

2400 Wisconsin Ave is home to a few res- taurant including Heritage India but Arcuri will be taking over the lower level, currently home to Kavanagh?s Pizza Pub.

**Third Edition Holds Its Last Parties**
The Third Edition has a few Thursday parties left to say goodbye. Whether it will be renamed El Centro, as its new partnership includes the Sandoval Group, remains unclear. ?It?s been a great run, and it has a great history,? owner Greg Talcott said of Third Edition. ?But it?s time to put a new face on it.?

**Take Unwanted Furs to Coats for Cubs**
Before you toss the fur that either you no longer want or is in bad shape, take it over to Buffalo Exchange to contribute to its Coats for Cubs drive.

The annual drive aims to collect furs and redistribute them to wildlife rehabilitation pro- grams across the country. Rehab centers use the donated furs as bedding for wild animals, such as raccoons, foxes or even cubs, that have been orphaned or injured. Your unwanted furs can make a natural bedding more suitable than blankets for wild animals.

Buffalo Exchange, the family-owned and -operated fashion resale retailer, took over the program from the Humane Society of the United States in 2006, when financial cuts forced it to discontinue the program. Since then, Buffalo Exchange and the Humane Society have col- lected more than 7,500 furs.

Donations of real fur coats, accessories, trims and shearlings can be dropped off at Buffalo Exchange?s Georgetown location at 3279 M St., NW, or at its 14th Street location. The drive runs through April 22, Earth Day.