Town Topics

Robert Devaney • March 13, 2013

The Friends of Book Hill Park plan a April 10 party at the 31st Street home of Cheryl and Mike Naeve to raise funds to complete the trident fence on the Reservoir Road section of the park.

“Our group was able to raise funds to restore the trident fence on the Wisconsin side of Book Hill Park,” said Julia Diaz-Asper, co-president of the board of Friends of Book Hill Park. “We also rescued the partial fence from the Georgetown Library’s basement and were able to restore it with the help of Outerbridge Horsey. We are missing the rest of the fence on the Reservoir Rd side of the park. Marston Luce referred us to a person who is able to reproduce the trident fence; the Trident logo was designed by a local artist. The trident motif was designed originally to represent the reservoir at the top of the hill behind the library.”

For more information, contact Julia Diaz-Asper at jasper@ttrsir.com or 202-333-0077.

Robert Devaney •

Here is an update from Homicide Watch D.C. (“Mark every death. Remember every victim. Follow every case.”) on alleged killer of Viola Drath, Albrecht Muth:

Weakened by a months-long fast and in critical condition at United Medical Center, Albrecht Muth on March 6 attempted to win back his right to represent himself at his upcoming murder trial. Muth spoke with the court by phone, saying that, in fasting, he intends to possibly die before Easter, will subpoena Gen. David Petraeus and other high-ranking government officials for evidence he was an Iraqi brigadier general and that his wife, 91-year-old Viola Drath, was killed by an Iranian agent. “This marks the last time I will address myself in public,” Muth also told the court.

Muth’s claims, though, did little to sway Judge Russell Canan, who urged Muth to end a months-long hunger strike that has left attorneys at a loss on how to proceed with the trial scheduled to begin March 25. “You say you’re innocent of these charges,” Canan said to Muth. “I would hope you would have enough faith in the criminal justice system that you’d be vindicated.”??Muth said his fast is motivated by religious reasons; the angel Gabriel appeared to him and told him not to eat, he said. The fast “aims to bring me into one with Christ Jesus during this Lenten season,” Muth said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Glenn Kirschner said doctors at United Medical Center suspect he may be drinking water when no one is watching. No plan is in place yet that would allow Muth to appear in court without jeopardizing his fragile health.

Lisa Gillespie •

The statue of abolitionist, orator and District resident Frederick Douglass moved from One Judiciary Square to the U.S. Capitol in the National Statuary Hall along with the sculptures of other famous Americans. All 50 states have statues of two luminaries apiece in the Capitol building, but because D.C. is not a state, the Douglass statue and one of architect Pierre L’Enfant were not admitted. As a compromise, legislation authored by Rep. Dan Lungren, backed by D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and approved last year, allows D.C. to have one statue.

But Norton has vowed to “continue to fight to bring” the L’Enfant statue into the Capitol as well. After all, L’Enfant planned the city of Washington, the nation’s capital. His statue remains at One Judiciary Square.

Lisa Gillespie •

The National Cherry Blossom Festival’s opens March 23 at the Warner Theatre and will feature American pop singer Andy Grammer, jazz pianist Chihiro Yamanaka, and violinist Nanae Iwata. Free online registration is required in advance. Taste of Japan returns, after a two-year hiatus, in April at the Carnegie Library. The city’s Japanese restaurants will help celebrate the gift of cherry blossom trees to D.C. from Japan from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event is only open to the first 350 people who purchase tickets. Tickets are $100 per person; $150 per person for an exclusive preview hour starting at 6 p.m. Proceeds will go to the festival, a nonprofit. The parade takes place April 13 from 10 a.m. to noon. Grammy award-winning artist Mya and Elliott Yamin of American Idol will be joined by the University of Maryland’s GYMKANA, seen on America’s Got Talent; the Washington Wizards Girls; D.C. Rollergirls; eight marching bands from across the country; the Youth Choir and All-Star Tap Team. Although free along the parade route, prime grandstand seating is available for $20 through Ticketmaster or by calling 800-745-3000.

Robert Devaney •

The March 4 meeting of the Georgetown-Burleith Advisory Neighborhood Commission was standing room only, its biggest of several agenda items a discussion of the traffic changes on Wisconsin Avenue in Glover Park. These changes have gone beyond mere “traffic calming” to produce cars waiting in one lane for longer than planned through the neighborhood north of Georgetown.

Along with the commissioners at the table were Councilmembers Jack Evans (Ward 2) and Mary Cheh (Ward 3) along Terry Bellamy, director of D.C. Department of Transportation. Evans repeatedly said he wants two lanes going north on Wisconsin Avenue and got applause from the crowd, when he said the revisions needed to come sooner than one year. Cheh plans a May 1 roundtable on the traffic issue. Bellamy brought his DDOT team to the meeting and said it could make some changes and added that 37th Street and Tunlaw Road was the next traffic project to tackle.

Others used the phrase “terrible idea” to describe the changes. Commissioner Tom Birch said he disliked the “needless left turn” lanes, commission Bill Starrels said he did not go to Whole Foods in Glover Park but rather one in Foggy Bottom and commissioner Ed Solomon expressed concern about the traffic’s “ripple effects” through Burleith. Calling Georgetown “traffic-challenged,” Joe Sternlieb, CEO of the Georgetown Business Improvement District, said he was worried that fewer people might come to town.

On the other hand, Glover Park commissioner Jackie Blumenthal said, “People are generally pleased.”