JUNE 30 Ella-Rue at the W
• June 22, 2016

The W Washington D.C. Hotel will host an Insider Collective party with Rachel Loya featuring Ella-Rue, at which guests …

JUNE 28 Gentle Yoga for Age 55 and Up
•

The Georgetown Neighborhood Library offers a free one-hour yoga class on Tuesday morning. All skill levels are welcome, but the …

JUNE 25 Vine on the Waterfront
•

This community-wide festival at Oronoco Bay Park on the Old Town Alexandria waterfront will feature local restaurants and wine, as …

D.C. Primary Will Test Mayor-Council Balance
• June 10, 2016

Guess what? There’s a primary election June 14, the last Democratic presidential primary on the schedule. By that time, after the California primary, it’s fair to say that the issue […]

Friends of Volta Park: 20 Years Strong
•

“It was an opportunity to fix up the park,” says John Richardson, founder of the Friends of Volta Park, matter-of-factly. “It’s been great fun.” On June 10, the group will […]

Friends of Volta Park: 20 Years Strong
• June 8, 2016

“It was an opportunity to fix up the park,” says John Richardson, founder of the Friends of Volta Park, matter-of-factly …

D.C. Primary Will Test Mayor-Council Balance
•

Guess what? There’s a primary election June 14, the last Democratic presidential primary on the schedule.
By that time …

Volta Park Day Celebrates This Special Village
• June 2, 2016

Before the rain and cooler air swept in, the weather for the annual Volta Park Day was perfect on Oct. 6. Food, music, games, rides and a flea market greeted the young and old who visited and filled the park at Volta Place and 34th Street. It was an easy and fun gathering that showed off the best of Georgetown, especially its youngest residents.

John Lever, a member of the Friends of Volta Park, had this to say about the day: “Generally, Volta Park Day is less about making money than getting the community involved in Volta Park. For the year, the Friends of Volta Park tries to cover $50,000 in needed maintenance and upkeep for our little park which the city would otherwise not provide. Through our Volta Park Gala in the spring and with sponsorships, we have been able to get close to our goal but still need more than $10,000 dollars from the community. This event builds awareness of the great facilities so the public can help. Go to www.voltapark.org to lean more.”

Lever added: the West team of Georgetown’s west side beat the East team of the east side in the annual softball game. [gallery ids="101487,152000" nav="thumbs"]

Minimum Wage Goes to $11.50 July 1
• May 4, 2016

D.C.’s minimum wage is scheduled to increase to $11.50 per hour July 1 and will be capped at that rate, following $1 per year increases since July 1, 2014, when the minimum wage increased from $8.25 to $9.50. On Jan. 15, 2014, Mayor Vincent Gray signed the “D.C. Minimum Wage Amendment Act of 2013,” triggering the raises. Maryland’s Montgomery and Prince William counties also increased their minimum wages to $11.50 in 2014.

During her 2016 State of the District address, Mayor Muriel Bowser called for increasing the District’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2020. A voter initiative was approved last July to be on the ballot this November if enough signatures supporting the wage increase are collected.

This year’s increase does not affect the base minimum wage for tipped restaurant workers, which remains at $2.77 per hour, however, if the average earnings (per week) do not equal or exceed $11.50 per hour, the employer must make up the difference.

While labor unions and other progressive groups have praised the moves, restaurant owners and the D.C. Chamber of Commerce have warned that the increases will cause businesses to close and jobs to be cut.

Bill to Regulate ANCs Rankles Commissioners
•

In an effort to make advisory neighborhood commissioners more accountable to residents, At-large Council members Anita Bonds and David Grosso introduced “The Advisory Neighborhood Commission Omnibus Amendment Act of 2016” on April 5 to change the way ANCs operate.

Commissioners are elected to represent their neighborhood residents on issues such as zoning, parking, public safety and public works, liquor licenses and economic development, but calls for reform of the system have been rumbling for years amid scandals of abuse, most recently highlighted by the conviction of commissioner William Shelton in Ward 5 for embezzling more than $28,000 from ANC funds.

The bill — which among other things, would require commissioners to share office space and equipment, provide commissioners with a $500 per year stipend and simplify financial reporting — has a number of critics from ANC commissioners such as Kathy Henderson of Ward 5, who said, “The bill is outrageous,” and Mary Cuthbert of Ward 8, who said, “It’s horrible.” Commissioner Gary Butler of Ward 7 said, “I think if commissioners are compensated at perhaps $5,000 or $10,000 a year, you would get a better pool of candidates for the positions.”