EAST of the RIVER 0810

East of the River Magazine • August 2010

Free to DC residents – apply today! Success starts NOW. Prepare your 3 or 4 year old for success in school.

Now enrolling for the 2010-2011 school year.

AppleTree’s evidence-based program helps children develop skills they need for kindergarten. They develop academic and social skills through: • Caring and engaged TEACHERS who receive extensive training on early childhood learning & development • Stimulating and fun CLASSROOMS where children learn important skills and a positive approach to learning • A CURRICULUM that increases academic and real-life knowledge for students and supports their individual needs Pre-applications for the East Capitol campus, located on the grounds of Eastern High School at the intersection of East Capitol Street and 19th St NE are now being accepted on a rolling basis.

Request an application form by calling the East Capitol campus on 202.525.7807 or apply online at www.appletreeinstitute.org AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School prohibits discrimination on the basis of a student’s race, color, religion, national origin, language spoken, intellectual or athletic ability, meaures of achievement or aptitude, or status as a student with special needs.

AppleTree Early Learning PCS - East Capitol 1900 East Capitol Street, NE • 202.525.7808 Visit one of our additional campuses: AppleTree Early Learning PCS - Riverside 680 I Street, SW • 202.646.0500 AppleTree Early Learning PCS - Amidon 401 I Street, SW • 202.646.0094 AppleTree Early Learning PCS - Columbia Heights 2750 14th Street, NW • 202.667.9490

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CONTENTS East of the River Magazine | August 2010

24 2010 Education Edition (insert) DC Area Community Colleges... 6 Broad in their offerings, inexpensive, and accredited, two-year colleges are a great educational resource.

Finding the Right Fit... 10 A good match between the student and a school’s educational philosophy can make all the difference in a student’s high school years.

20

Moving DC Forward...18 Can our city can move forward aggressively with education reform without our current Chancellor, Michelle Rhee?

They Don’t Miss A Beat... 22 Learning Dance at St. Mark’s Dance Studio Advertisers Directory... 25 Briefs on top schools in the District

Neighborhood News 08

Go See Do

10

East of the River Calendar

14

The Bulletin Board

16

The Numbers • Ed Lazere and Elissa Silverman

18

Higher Achievement’s Ward 8 Center... • John Muller

32

East Washington Life 20

Art in Anacostia • Shannon Holloway

24

Cooking Live • Tessa Moran

26

Toscana Flavors • Celeste McCall

28

When Blog Imitates Life • Nicky Peele

30

Living Local, Viva Local • Veronica O. Davis

Homes & Gardens 32

HGTV Features an Anacostia Property • John Muller

34

Changing Hands • compiled by Don Denton

36

The Classifieds

38

The Nose • Anonymous

COVER “Molotov Slide,” oil on linen, by Matthew Mann, resident artist at Honfleur Gallery, 1241 Good Hope Rd, SE, DC. www.honfleur.com; 202-5805972. Follow the story on page 20.

Ward 8 Farmer’s Market HEALTHY FOOD, HEALTHY COMMUNITY Fresh produce from local farmers, plants, art, food-preparation workshops, children activities, nutrition, give-always, music and more...

EBT, Snap Cards, WIC CVC & Senior Coupons accepted

We have 2 Days and a New Location!

Saturdays.......................................9:00 am to 2:00 pm Tuesdays ........................................3:00 pm to 7:00 pm

@ United Medical Center Front parking lot - 1310 Southern Ave. SE Ward8FM@gmail.com www.Ward8FarmersMarket.com capitalcommunitynews.com ★ 5

HILL RAG MIDCITY DC EAST OF THE RIVER FAGON COMMUNITY GUIDES

Capital Community News, Inc. 224 7th Street, SE, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20003 202.543.8300 • www.capitalcommunitynews.com EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Melissa Ashabranner melissaashabranner@hillrag.com EDITORIAL STAFF HOMES & GARDENS

MANAGING EDITOR: Andrew Lightman andrew@hillrag.com CFO & ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Maria Carolina Lopez carolina@hillrag.com KIDS & FAMILY EDITOR: Susan Braun Johnson schools@hillrag.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Mary-Frances Daly maryfrances@hillrag.com

Rindy O’Brien - Hill Gardener • rindyob@mac.com Derek Thomas • derek@thomaslandscapes.com Judith Capen • judith.capen@architravepc.com

NEWS & NEIGHBORHOOD REPORTS

ART: Jim Magner • jjmagner@aol.com DINING: Celeste McCall • celeste@hillrag.com LITERATURE: Karen Lyon • klyon@folger.edu MOVIES: Mike Canning • mjcanning@verizon.net MUSIC: Stephen Monroe • samonroe2004@yahoo.com THEATER: Brad Hathaway • brad@potomacstages.com TRAVEL: Maggie Hall • whitby@aol.com THE WINE GUYS: Jon Genderson • jon@cellar.com

WARD 1: Mark Johnson • ward1@hillrag.com WARD 2: Amanda Abrams • ward2@hillrag.com WARD 4: Tanya Snyder • ward4@hillrag.com ANC6A: Tanya Snyder • tanya.c.snyder@gmail.com ANC6B: Kyle Johnson • kylejoh@gmail.com ANC6C: Kyle Johnson • kylejoh@gmail.com ANC6D: Roberta Weiner • rweiner_us@yahoo.com WARD 7: Virginia Spatz • ward7@hillrag.com WARD 8: Virginia Spatz • ward8@hillrag.com BARRACKS ROW: 202-544-3188 H STREET LIFE: Elise Bernard • inked78@hotmail.com THE NOSE: thenose@hillrag.com

CALENDAR & BULLETIN BOARD

PRODUCTION/GRAPHIC DESIGN

HILL RAG, DC NORTH & EAST OF THE RIVER: Hill Rag & East of the River Calendar Editor: Kathleen Donner BULLETIN BOARD EDITOR: Mary-Frances Daly calendar@hillrag.com, bulletinboard@hillrag.com

LEAD DESIGNER: Jason Nickens 202.543.8300 X17 • jason@hillrag.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Jason Yen 202.543.8300 X21 • jay@hillrag.com

GENERAL ASSIGNMENT

ADVERTISING & SALES

Monica Cavanaugh • monica.cavanaugh@gmail.com Michelle Evans • invisiblecolours@yahoo.com Mary-Frances Daly • maryfrances@hillrag.com Celeste McCall • celeste@hillrag.com Heather Schoell • hschoell@verizon.net Tanya Synder • tanya.c.snyder@gmail.com Virginia Avniel Spatz • virginia@hillrag.com Peter Waldron • peter@hillrag.com Paul D. Shinkman - pdshinkman@gmail.com Melanie Sunukjian - melsunuk@gmail.com Shannon Holloway - holloway.shannon@gmail.com

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Deborah Bandzerewicz 202.543.8300 X13 • deb@hillrag.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Kira Means 202.543.8300 X16 • kira@hillrag.com CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: Maria Carolina Lopez 202.543.8300 X12 • carolina@hillrag.com

BEAUTY, HEALTH & FITNESS

WEBSITE

Patricia Cinelli • fitmiss44@aol.com Ronda Bresnick Hauss, LCSW • www.quietwaterscenter.com quiet_waters_center@yahoo.com Peter Sherer • Peter@expmatters.com

WEB MASTER: Jason Nickens 202.543.8300 X17 • webmaster@hillrag.com

ARTS, DINING & ENTERTAINMENT

KIDS & FAMILY Mary-Frances Daily • kidsnotebook@hillrag.com Susan Johnson • schools@hillrag.com

SOCIETY & EVENTS

DISTRIBUTION DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Andrew Lightman DISTRIBUTORS: David Sledgister and Southwest Distribution DISTRIBUTION INFORMATION: distribution@hillrag.com

DEADLINES & CONTACTS ADVERTISING: sales@hillrag.com DISPLAY ADS: 15th of each month CLASSIFIED ADS: 10th of each month EDITORIAL: 15th of each month; submissions@hillrag.com BULLETIN BOARD & CALENDAR: 15th of each month; calendar@hillrag.com, bulletinboard@hillrag.com

Mickey Thompson • socialsightings@aol.com We welcome suggestions for stories. Send queries to andrew@hillrag.com.

We are also interested in your views on community issues which are published in the Last Word.

Please limit your comments to 250 words. Letters may be edited for space. Please include your name, address and phone number. Send Last Word submissions to lastword@hillrag.com.

For employment opportunities email jobs@hillrag.com.

PUBLISHER: JEAN-KEITH FAGON • fagon@hillrag.com Copyright © 2010 by Capital Community News. All Rights Reserved.

capitalcommunitynews.com

6 ★ East of the River

• August 2010

WARD 7 CAREER AND JOB TRAINING EXPO Making Ward 7 Stronger One Resident At A Time THURSDAY AUGUST 26, 2010 10AM - 12PM: Interview Coaching Workshops and Help Desk Support Information Session 12PM - 4PM: Job and Career Fair St. Luke’s Catholic Church 4923 East Capitol Street, SE, Washington DC, 20019 (Two blocks from Benning Road Metro) For more information and to register contact: Nicole Carter-Matthew at 202-388-3723 or nmatthew@erfsc.org / www.erfsc.org Open to all DC residents - must bring DC photo ID Professional attire required. Bring lots of resumes!

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GO. SEE. DO. 1812 Overture on the Washington Monument Grounds On Tuesday, August 17 at 8:00 p.m., U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” and the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) Presidential Salute Battery perform Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture at the Sylvan Theater on the grounds of the Washington Monument.. “The Year 1812, Festival Overture in E flat major, Opus 49” popularly known as the 1812 Overture is an overture written by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1880 to commemorate Russia’s defense of Moscow against Napoleon’s advancing Grande Armée at the Battle of Borodino in 1812. The overture is best known for its climactic volley of cannon fire and ringing chimes. www.usarmyband.com

Washington Redskins Training Camp As we go to press the training camp open practice days and times are Sunday, August 1, 8:30 a.m.; Monday, August 2, 8:30 a.m.; Tuesday, August 3, 8:30 a.m.; Wednesday, August 4, 8:30 a.m.; Thursday, August 5, 8:30 a.m.; Saturday, August 7, FAN APPRECIATION DAY! noon; Tuesday, August 10, 8:30 a.m.; Wednesday, August 11, 8:30 a.m.; Sunday, August 15, time TBD; Monday, August 16, 8:30 a.m.; Wednesday, August 18, 8:30 a.m.; Thursday, August 19, time TBD. Parking lots open approximately 90 minutes prior to the scheduled start of practice and gates open approximately one hour prior to the start of practice.

Generally, practice times last between 90 minutes and two hours, so fans are encouraged to come early. All practice times and dates are subject to change. Free. Redskins Park, Loudoun County, Virginia. www.redskins.com

8 ★ East of the River

• August 2010

Feet in the Street On Saturday, August 28, the roadways in Fort Dupont Park, including Fort Davis Dr. and Fort Dupont Dr., will be closed to motor vehicles from 9:00 AM-3:00 PM. Residents and visitors are invited to come put their “Feet in the Street” and run, walk, bike, skate, and play along this 1.6 mile long corridor. Other activities include guided nature hikes, guided bike rides, bicycle skill sessions for kids, free bike rentals, physical fitness demonstrations, community garden tours, Healthy Food = Healthy Community workshops and a rock climbing wall. Fort Dupont is one of the largest parks in the District with 376 acres to explore. www.godcgo.com

Prince William County Fair Today the Prince William County Fair is one of the largest events in the Washington, DC area. Second and third generation families still bring their animals and crops for display and competition. There’s a baby contest, chocolate challenge, pet show and youth garden. Also enjoy the livestock competition in dairy cattle, beef cattle, swine, dairy goats, meat goats, sheep, poultry and rabbits. The home arts categories are produce, flowers, canning, baked goods, handicrafts, textiles, ceramics, art and photography.

Carnival rides and games round out the experience. $8. Aug. 13-21. Prince William County Fairgrounds, 10624 Dumfries Rd.(off) Rte. 234 Manassas, VA. 703368-0173. www.pwcfair.com

Shakespeare Theatre Free-For-All “Twelfth Night” Shakespeare loved to use the device of mistaken identity, and nowhere does he use this convention more skillfully than in Twelfth Night. Viola, surviving a shipwreck, walks ashore at Illyria, and immediately embarks on a gambit to allow her to make her way in a world of men...and the plot thickens. See Viola, Loivia, Cesario, Sebastian, Antonio and all the others at Shakespeare Theatre’s Free-For-All every day Aug. 19 through September 5 (except Mondays) at the Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW. Two tickets per person available two hours before each performance at the box office. 202-547-1122. www.shapeapearetheatre.org

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Calendar AUGUST | 2010

AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD “East of the River” at Honfleur Gallery. Tuesday through Friday, noon-5:00 PM; Saturdays, 11:00 AM-5:00 PM Gallery closed on Sundays and Mondays. For the fourth year running, artists rooted in Wards 7 and 8 will be featured in Honfleur Gallery’s juried East of the River exhibition.

Eleven artists are included in the exhibition; BK Adams, Nigil Brice, Ralston Cyrus, Melani Douglass, Matthew Mann, Samuel Mercer, Marlon Normon, Luis Peralta, Amanda Stephenson, Deborah Terry and Renee. 1241 Good Hope Rd. SE. 202-580-5972. www.honfleurgallery.com Celebrate New Life at The Rock Christian Church. Every Saturday, 3:00-6:00 PM. If you have hurts, habits or hangups! This is the place to come to. Help is here. Free. 1300 Good Hope Rd. SE. Call Dwain Lynch 301-523-0381 with questions. Church office, 240-770-5041.

Big Chair Chess Club. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 4:00-10:00 PM; Saturdays, noon-9:00 PM. “To teach the un-teachable, reach the un-reachable, and always think before you move” is the core mission of the Big Chair Chess Club, Inc. at the Deanwood Branch located in the nation’s capital. The organization teaches chess to innercity children and adults, not only as a board game, but also as an application to life skills, such as improving one’s concentration and self-discipline. $30 a year for adults, $10 for kids. 4322 Sheriff Rd. NE. 202-396-1780. www. bigchairchessclub.org Ward 7 Parent and Family Resource Center Family Book Club. Every Wednesday, 6:00 PM. Enjoy the evening reading with your child, meeting other families, and strengthening your child’s reading skills. Free books and snacks.

For new and struggling readers, ages 6 and under. 5601 East Capital St. SE. For more information, call Marketta Wiley at 202-724-7568.

Separate and Unequaled: Black Baseball in the District of Columbia. Open daily, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM. Exhibition about segregated baseball from from Reconstruction to the second half of the 20th century. Anacostia Community Museum. Free. 1901 Fort Pl. SE. 202-633-4820. anacostia. si.edu Big Chair Breakfast Bunch. Saturday, Aug. 14, 10:00 AMnoon. Big Chair Coffee n’ Grill (upstairs). All are welcome to attend and discuss what’s happening East of the River.

2122 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE. 202-525-4287.

Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens. Open daily, 7:00 AM-4:00 PM. Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens is about 700 acres and is part of Anacostia Park. The park includes the gardens, Kenilworth Marsh, ball fields and recreational facilities. It is the only National Park Service site devoted to the propagation and display of aquatic plants. Free.1550 Anacostia Ave. NE. 202-426-6905. www.nps.gov/kepa

Farmer’s Market at United Medical Center Every Tuesday and Saturday through Oct. Tuesdays, 3:00-7:00 PM. Saturdays, 9:00 AM-3:00 PM. Stands offer a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmers, free samples, and new recipes using fresh produce. In addition, features fresh herbs and live plants, teas, oils, potpourri, and honey. 1301 Southern Ave. SE. 202-574-7121.

10 ★ East of the River

• August 2010

Frederick Douglass National Historical Site. Open daily, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM. Tours at 9:00 AM, 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM, 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM From 1877 to 1895, this was the home of Frederick Douglass, the nation’s leading 19th century African American spokesman. Visitors to the site will learn more about his efforts to abolish slavery and his struggle for human rights, equal rights and civil rights for all oppressed people. Free. 1411 W St. SE. 202-4265960. www.nps.gov/frdo Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum. Open daily, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM. As the Smithsonian Institution’s museum of African American history and culture, the museum explores American history, social and creative expression from an African American perspective. Free. 1901 Fort Place, SE. 202-633-4820 anacostia.si.edu

Shuttle Anacostia. Through Labor Day. Free weekend (plus September 6) roundtrip rides from the National Mall to the Anacostia Community Museum with stops at the National Air and Space Museum, the Anacostia Metro, and the historic Frederick Douglass home. For the schedule, call 202-633-4820 or visit anacostia.si.edu A Self-Reliant People: Greater Deanwood Heritage Trail. Discover, or see with new eyes, this traditionally African American enclave in Far Northeast when you follow “A Self-Reliant People: Greater Deanwood Heritage Trail.” Fifteen poster-sized street signs combine storytelling with historic photographs and maps to transport you back to the days before Deanwood was Deanwood. To pick up the trail go to Nannie Helen Burroughs Ave. and Division Ave. NE. Walk one block south to Foote Street, at the edge of Marvin Gaye Park. The 90-minute, self-guided tour will bring you along Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, up 49th St. and along Sheriff Rd. back to Minnesota Ave. and the Metro station. Walk the trail at your own pace and take time to enjoy this small town in the city. Don’t forget to pick up a free trail guide from businesses along the way. 202661-7581. www.culturaltourismdc.org Anacostia Neighborhood Library. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 9:30 AM5:30 PM. Tuesday and Thursday, 1:00-9:00 PM. Closed Sundays. The new 22,000 square foot library has more than 40,000 books, areas for children, teens and adults, Mac computers for teens, 32 computers for the public, community meeting rooms and more. 1800 Good Hope Rd. SE. 202-715-7707. dclibrary.org/anacostia Anacostia Neighborhood Library Book Club.

Thursdays, 6:30 PM. Anacostia Neighborhood Library. Book club just now forming. 1800 Good Hope Rd. SE. 202-715-7707. dclibrary. org/anacostia Deanwood Neighborhood Library. Monday and Wednesday, 1:00-9:00 PM. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9:30 AM-5:30 PM. Saturday, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM. Closed Sundays. 1350 49th.

St. NE. 202-698-1175. dclibrary.org/deanwood Deanwood Adult Book Club. First Monday of every month, 7:00 PM Engage in thought-provoking conversations and share your interests.

1350 49th. St. NE. 202-698-1175. dclibrary. org/deanwood Francis A. Gregory Interim Library. Monday and Wednesday, 1:00-9:00 PM. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9:30 AM-5:30 PM. Saturday, 9:00 AM-5:30 PM. Closed Sundays. 2100 36th Pl. SE. 202-698-6373. dclibrary.org/francis Washington Highlands Interim Library.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 9:30 AM-5:30 PM. Tuesday and Thursday, 1:00-9:00 PM. Closed Sundays. 4037 S. Capitol St. SW. 202-243-1184. dclibrary.org/washingtonhighlands Aquatic Resources Education Center of DC. Open weekdays, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM (summer hours). Sitting on the banks of the Anacostia River in Anacostia Park, the Aquatic Resources Education Center is an ideal place to study aquatic ecosystems, water quality, and local

fish and fisheries. The Center features live species exhibits, interactive displays, and an indoor pond for handling live animals. Free.

Anacostia Park, 2700 Anacostia Dr. SE. (202) 535-2260 Each One, Reach One Community Day. Aug. 29, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM. Stanton Elementary School. Sponsored by the Rock Christian Church, this event will have food, music, moonbounces and games for the kids and more. Free. 2701 Naylor Rd. SE. 240-7705041.

Councilmember Alexander’s Constituent Services Office. Open weekdays, 10:00 AM6:00 PM. 2524 Penn. Ave. SE. 202-581-1560.

Councilmember Barry’s Constituent Services Office. Open weekdays, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM. 2100 MLK Ave, SE, #307. 202-698-2185.

SIX GREAT WAYS TO MEET PEOPLE Historic Hot Spot: The Brewmaster’s Castle.

Thursday, Aug. 12, 6:30-8:30 PM. Christian Heurich House Museum, 1307 New Hampshire Ave. NW. $10 suggested donation. Enjoy a Happy Hour of historic significance! Take in the sights of the Brewmaster’s Castle and meet fun, dynamic people. Libations and light Hors d’Oeurves. 202-783-5144. www.dcpreservation.org PM @ THE TM. Wednesday, Aug. 18, 6:00-9:00 PM. The Textile Museum, 2320 S St. NW. $10, (advance tickets recommended). Escape the heat with cool drinks, retro games and live music. Enjoy gallery talks in the exhibition “Art by the Yard: Women Design Mid-Century Britain” and make your own silk-screened tshirt to take home. Enter to win prizes from area businesses and restaurants. 202-6670441. www.textilemuseum.org Phillips after 5. First Thursday of every month, 5:00-8:30 PM. The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. Gallery talks. Live jazz. Museum shop. Food. Socializing in the Galleries.

Cash Bar. Admission is the price of the current exhibition. 202-387-2151. www.phillipscollection.org Jazz on Jackson Place. First Thursday of every month through September, 6:30-8:30 PM. Decatur House Courtyard, 748 Jackson Pl. NW (at Lafayette Park). “In the spirit of our nearly two centuries-old tradition of great entertaining, Decatur House invites you to gather and relax in our beautiful, historic setting while enjoying the sounds of local musicians.” $25, includes food and drink (beer and wine). 202218-4332. www.decaturhouse.org First Wednesday Jazz @ The Historical Society. First Wednesday of every month, 6:009:00 PM. The Historical Society of Washington, DC, 801 K St. NW. Described as a “motivational mixer” featuring jazz, R&B and neo soul. $10 cover. Food and spirits are extra. 202-3831850. www.historydc.org Volunteering Made Easy by One Brick. One Brick brings volunteers together to support other non- profit organizations by adopting an innovative twist to the volunteer experience:

they create a friendly and social atmosphere around volunteering, and after each volunteer event, invite volunteers to gather at a local restaurant or cafe where they can get to know one another in a relaxed social setting. www. onebrick.org

LAST OF THE SUMMER MUSIC Jazz in the Sculpture Garden. Fridays through Sept. 10 (rain or shine), 5:00-8:00 PM. National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden.

Live jazz performed by an eclectic mix of top artists from the Washington area entertains visitors outdoors in front of the fountain or in the Pavilion Cafe (if it’s raining). The Pavilion Cafe features a seasonal tapas-style menu and bar service during the concerts. Everyone can enjoy these concerts. You do not have to order food or drinks. Free. 202- 289-3360. http:// www.nga.gov Fort Dupont Summer Concert. Saturdays through Aug. 21 (rain or shine, except in the event of lightening), 8:00-10:00 PM. Aug. 7, Sugarfoot’s Ohio Players; Aug. 14, Midnight Starr; Aug. 21, SOS Band. Free. Minnesota Ave. and Randle Circle, SE. 202)-426-7723. www. nps.gov/fodu Fort Reno Summer Concerts. Mondays and Thursdays through Aug. 12, 7:00-9:30 PM. Fort Reno Park. Free. Chesapeake St. between Wisconsin and Nebraska aves. NW, across from Wilson High School. www.fortreno.com Capitol Riverfront Concerts. Wednesdays, through Aug. 25, noon-2 PM. New Jersey Avenue and Tingey Street Plaza. Capitol Riverfront Concerts is a ten week summer concert series with lively and diverse musical artists, performing everything from original pop to Latin Jazz, R&B, bluegrass, Caribbean and more. Free. 202-465-7093. www.capitolriverfront.org Music at Epiphany. Tuesdays, 12:10-1:00 PM Church of the Epiphany. The music is generally classical in this church known for its great acoustics. On the third Tuesday of each month, the music performed is from another culture or style--you may hear a steel drum band or a sitar. Free. A free-will donation ($5 suggested) will be taken to help support the artists. 1317 G St. NW. 202-347-2635. www. epiphanydc.org Live! on Woodrow Wilson Plaza. Weekdays through Sept. 24 (weather permitting), noon1:30 PM. Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. LIVE!’s lunch-time performances feature world-renowned entertainers in a variety of flavors, such as African dance, legendary R&B, Motown sounds, hip hop, Latin swing and pop rock. Free.1300 Penn. Ave. NW. 202-312-1300. www.itcdc.com Concerts at the Netherlands Carillon. Saturdays in summer, 6:00-8:00 PM. Carillon concerts are presented by outstanding carillonneurs. During concerts, visitors are welcome to climb the tower’s 135 steps to watch the carillonneur perform and view the city of Washington and the surrounding area. Free. (Virginia shore of Potomac River, opposite Washington, DC and bordering the northern end of Arlington National Cemetery). 703-289-2500. www.

nps.gov/gwmp/carillon Carillon and Peel Bell Recitals. Carillon Recitals on Saturdays, 12:30-1:15 PM. Peel Bell Rehearsals on Tuesdays. 7:30-8:30 PM. Peel bells ring every Sunday at approximately 12:30 PM after the 11:00 AM service. Washington National Cathedral. Manufactured by the John Bellfoundry of Loughborough, England, the smallest bell weighs 17 pounds; the largest 12 tons. The carillon is played via a keyboard and pedals, situated high in the cathedral’s central tower (150 feet above the nave floor) and directly amid the bells. The carillon recital and peel bells are best heard from the Bishop’s Garden. Look for signs as you enter the cathedral grounds. 202-537-6200. www. nationalcathedral.org Summer Organ Concerts at the National Shrine. Sunday evenings in summer, 6:00 PM (5:30 PM performance of the Knight’s Tower Carillon). Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. All are welcome to come and hear music from the majestic pipe organ of the Great Upper Church. Free.

400 Michigan Ave. NE. 202-526-8300. www. nationalshirne.com Jazz Night (and fishfry) in Southwest.

Fridays, 6-9 PM. Westminster Presbyterian Church. Local musicians perform, and the Southwest Catering Company provides a fish fry 5:30-8:30 PM. $5/general; free/children under 16. Modestly priced food. 400 I St. SW. 202-484-7700, www.westminsterdc.org/jazz. htm.

US Marine Band Concerts at the Sylvan Theater. Thursdays in summer (weather permitting), 8:00 PM. You are welcome to bring folding chairs, blankets and refreshments to the concert. Free. 15th St. and Independence Ave. SW (on Washington Monument grounds).

202-433-5717. www.mbw.usmc.mil Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Daily (including all holidays), 6:00 PM. The Kennedy Center Grand Foyer. “Performing Arts for Everyone” at the Millennium Stage was instituted to introduce the Kennedy Center to wider audiences by offering free performances, 365 days a year. Free. 202-444-1324 or 202-4674600. www.kennedy-center.org “Homegrown: The Music of America” Concert at the Library of Congress. Aug. 25, noon.

Steve Meisner and Friends (Slovenian-style polka music). Free. Coolidge Auditorium in Jefferson Building (First St. between East Capitol St. and Independence Ave. SE). 202707-5510. www.loc.gov

SUMMER MOVIES Summer Film Series @ the Atlas. The Atlas Performing Arts Center will be screening three different film series this summer. Every week will feature different films in all three of the series. 70’s Family Series: Snoopy Come Home, Aug. 7; Tom Sawyer, Aug 14; The Call of the Wild, Aug 21; Black Stallion, Aug 28. Cinema al Fresco Film Series: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Aug. 7; Nine, Aug 14; Three Coins in the Fountain, Aug. 21 ; Romeo and Juliet, Aug. 28 ; Roamn Holiday, Sept. 4. Gay 101: All About Eve, Aug. 5; Suddenly, Last Summer, Aug. 12;

capitalcommunitynews.com ★ 11

WIDE SHOE OUTLET Men’s and Women’s sizes up to 15 EE Brands: Naturalizer • Soft Spots Ros Hommerson • Propet Walking Cradles • InStride Slingshots are Back

Cabaret; Aug. 19; Mommie Dearest, Aug. 26; Steel Magnolias, Sept 2.

8:00 PM. 1333 H St. NE. $6. 202399-7993. www.atlasarts.org U Street Movie Series: Harrison Field Under the Stars. Aug. 10; 7:00 PM, gates open; 8:00 PM, free popcorn; 8:30 PM (about). “The Soloist.” Free. Harrison Recreation Center, 1330 V St. NW. www.movies. ustreet-dc.org Comcast Outdoor Film Festival at Carter Barron. Aug 28 and 29, gates open at 7:00 PM. Showtime at dusk. Aug. 28, “Invictus.” Aug. 29, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.” Carter Barron Amphitheatre, 16th St. and Colorado Ave. NW

SPECIAL BARGAINS Marlow Heights Shopping Center 4123 Branch Ave Marlow Heights, MD

301-702 1401

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Animal Clinic of Anacostia Candace A. Ashley, DVM 20 years of serving Capitol Hill (minutes from Capitol Hill & Southwest via 11th Street Bridge)

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12 ★ East of the River

• August 2010

Specially Priced Kennedy Center Tickets. Full-time students (grade school through graduate school), persons with permanent disabilities, seniors (65 and older), enlisted military personnel, and persons on fixed low incomes are able to purchase tickets to many Kennedy Center performances at a 50% discount. You must come in person to the Kennedy Center Box Office.

Each eligible person may purchase one SPT ticket per performance, subject to availability. 202-4674600. www.kennedy-center.org/ tickets/spts Newseum--Kids Get in Free.

Through Labor Day, the Newseum waives its admission price for all visitors age 18 and younger. (Up to 10 free kids with each paid adult admission.) Curious about the Newseum and what’s inside? The “Family Fun Deal” makes summer the perfect time to find out. “Family Fun Deal” tickets, like all Newseum tickets, are valid for two consecutive days. (regular kids admission, $12.95 plus tax). 555 Penn. Ave. NW. 9:00 AM-5:00 PM. 1-888-6397386. www.newseum.org Free Summer Saturdays at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Saturdays through Labor Day weekend. Additionally, visitors will enjoy unique Free Summer Saturdays programming, including community art projects and sketching workshops, tours, concerts and more. Free. (regular admission, $10). 500 17th St. NW. 10:00 AM-5:00 PM. 202639-1700. www.corcoran.org Community Night at International Spy Museum. Last Wednesday of each month, 5:00-9:00 PM. All area residents are welcome to experience all that the museum’s permanent exhibition has to offer for.

Gain access to the world’s largest collection of international espionage artifacts ever placed on public display. Free. (regular admission, $18). 202-393-7798. 800 F St. NW. www.spymuseum.org

National Museum of Women in the Arts. First Sunday of each month, noon-5:00 PM. This museum is the only museum in the world dedicated exclusively to recognizing the contributions of women artists. Free. (regular admission, $10). 1250 New York Ave. NW. 202-783-5000. www. nmwa.org Shakespeare Theatre Company Ticket Deals. 20% for seniors, 60 and older; $10 tickets for 35 and younger; $10 standing-room-only tickets. Two performance spaces: Lansburgh Theatre at 450 7th St. NW and Sidney Harman Hall at 610 F St. NW. 202-547-1122. www. shakespearetheatre.org Woolly Mammoth Theatre Ticket Deals. Patrons 25 and under, $15 tickets. Stampede Seats--side balcony seats at $15 each, sold 2 hours prior to showtime. 641 D St. NW. 202-393-3939. www.woollymammoth.net Washington National Opera’s “Generation O”. This is a program for students and young professionals between 18 and 35. A limited number of discounted “Generation O” tickets will be available for every Washington National Opera production. For the first time this fall, there will be a 50% season ticket discount for “Generation O.” The Washington National Opera performs at the Kennedy Center. Registration is free. 202-295-2400. www. dcopera.org/beyondstage/generationo Living Butterfly House at Natural History Museum. Free on Tuesdays (regularly $6). Opens daily at 10:15 AM. Final entry at 5:00 PM. Smithsonian Natural History Museum, 10th St. and Constitution Ave. NW. 202-633-1000. www.mnh.si.edu Learn to Swim in DC (for free).

Basic lessons are free for DC residents. More advanced classes are $25 for a 4 week session (2 lessons a week). For more information, 202724-4495. www.dpr.dc.gov

SPORTS, DANCE AND PHYSICAL FITNESS Washington Nationals Baseball Home Games. Aug. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29. 7:05 PM (Sunday games at 1:35 PM). $5 and up. South Capitol and N sts. SE. www.washington.nationals.mlb.com Post-Game Fireworks at Washington National’s Stadium. Aug. 13 and 17, (about) 10:00 PM. The firworks take place immediately after all Friday night home games. You don’t have to be at the game to enjoy the fireworks. Free. South Capitol and N sts. SE. www.washington. nationals.mlb.com

Fort Dupont Ice Arena Public Skating. Saturdays, through Aug. 14, 1:00-2:30 PM. $5, adults. $4, children and seniors. Skate rental, $3. 3779 Ely Place, SE. 202-5845007. www.fdia.org Southeast Tennis and Learning Center. Open daily; Monday through Saturday, 9:00 AM-9:00 PM; Sunday, 9:00 AM-6:00 PM. Four indoor courts.

Kung Fu and Tai Chi at the Historical Society of Washington, DC. Every Saturday (rain or shine). Kung Fu, noon; Tai Chi, 1:00 PM. Suitable for all ages. Kung Fu is a broad term that is used to describe all martial arts of Chinese origin. The ancient art of Tai Chi is a style of Kung Fu that emphasizes internal energy.

Free. No RSVP required. Historical Society of Washington, DC, 801 K St. NW (Mount Vernon Square).

202-383-1850. www.historydc.org Tidal Basin 3K Monthly Run. Third Wednesday of each month, noon.

This run is free and informal. West Potomac Park (meet on Ohio Drive at West Basin Drive, near the Tourmobile. stand). 703-505-3567. www.dcroadrunners.org Ferebee Hope (indoor) Aquatic Facility. Open weekdays, 3:00-8:00 PM. Closed weekends. Free for DC residents (have ID). 3999 Eighth St. SE. 202-645-3916. www.dpr. dc.gov/dpr Anacostia (outdoor) Pool. Open daily except Mondays; weekdays, 1:00-8:00 PM; Saturdays and Sundays, noon-6:00 PM. Free for DC residents (have ID). 1800 Anacostia Dr. SE. 202-724-1441. www.dpr. dc.gov/dpr Barry Farms (outdoor) Pool. Open daily except Tuesdays; weekdays, 1:00-8:00 PM; Saturdays and Sundays, noon-6:00 PM. Free for DC residents (have ID). 1230 Sumner Rd. SE 202-645-5040. www.dpr. dc.gov/dpr Benning Park (outdoor) Pool.

Open daily except Thursdays; weekdays, 1:00-8:00 PM; Saturdays and Sundays, noon-6:00 PM. Free for DC residents (have ID). Southern Ave. and Fable St.SE. 202-645-5044. www.dpr.dc.gov/dpr Douglass (outdoor) Pool. Open daily except Wednesdays; 1:008:00 PM; Saturdays and Sundays, noon-6:00 PM. Free for DC residents (have ID). Frederick Douglass Ct. and Stanton Ter. SE. 202-645-5045. www.dpr.dc.gov/dpr Fort Dupont (outdoor) Pool. Open daily except Tuesdays; 1:00-8:00 PM; Saturdays and Sundays, noon6:00 PM. Free for DC residents (have ID). Ridge Rd. and Burns St. SE. 202-645-5046. www.dpr.dc.gov/dpr Fort Stanton (outdoor) Pool. Open

daily except Thursdays;1:00-8:00 PM; Saturdays and Sundays, noon-6:00 PM. Free for DC residents (have ID). 1800 Erie St. SE. 202-645-5047. www.dpr. dc.gov/dpr Kelly Miller (outdoor) Pool. Open daily except Mondays; 1:00-8:00 PM; Saturdays and Sundays, noon-6:00 PM. Free for DC residents (have ID). 4900 Brooks St. NE. 202-724-5056. www.dpr. dc.gov/dpr Oxon Run (outdoor) Pool. Open daily except Mondays; 1:00-8:00 PM; Saturdays and Sundays, noon-6:00 PM. Free for DC residents (have ID). Fourth St. and Mississippi Ave. SE. 202-645-5042. www.dpr.dc.gov/dpr

COMMUNITY MEETINGS Anacostia High School Improvement Team Meeting. Fourth Tuesday. 6:00 PM. Anacostia High School, 16th and R sts. SE. PSA 607 Meeting. Second Thursday. 7:00 PM. Anacostia Public Library, 1800 Good Hope Rd. SE ANC Meeting for 7-A. Third Tuesday.

7:30 PM. Benning-Stoddard Rec. Center, 100 Stoddard Pl. SE. 202-727-1000.

7A@anc.dc.gov. www.anc7a.org ANC Meeting for 7-B. Third Thursday.

7:00 PM. Ryland Epworth United Methodist Church, 3200 S St. SE (Branch Ave and S St. SE). 202-584-3400. anc7b@ pressroom.com. www.anc7b.us ANC Meeting for 7-C. Second Thursday. 7:00 PM. Sargent Memorial Presbyterian Church, 5109 Nannie Helen Burroughs Ave. NE. 202-398-5100. anc7c@verizon.net ANC Meeting for 7-D. Second Tuesday. 6:30 PM. Sixth District Police Station, 100 42nd St. NE. 202-398-5258.

7D06@anc.dc.gov ANC Meeting for 7-E. 2nd Tues.. 7-8:30 PM. Jones Memorial Church, 4625 G St. SE. 202-582-6360. 7E@anc.dc.gov ANC Meeting for 8-A. First Tuesday.

7:00 PM. Anacostia UPO Service Center, 1649 Good Hope Rd. SE. 202-8896600. www.anc8adc.org ANC Meeting for 8-B. 3rd Tues, 7 PM. Seventh District Police Station Community Center, Alabama and McGee Sts. SE. 202-610-1818. www.anc8b.org ANC Meeting for 8-C. First Wednesday (June meeting is on the nineth because of the holiday). 6:30 PM. 2907 MLK Jr Ave. SE. 202-388-2244.

ANC Meeting for 8-D. 4th Thurs. 7:00 PM. Specialty Hospital of Washington, 4601 MLK Jr. Ave. SW. 202 561-0774 ANC Meeting for 8-E. Third Tuesday.

7:00 PM. SE Tennis and Learning Center, 701 Mississippi Ave. SE. 202-5616616. 8e02@anc.dc.gov Please note that many ANC and other monthly meetings don’t happen in August. Please confirm. ★ capitalcommunitynews.com ★ 13

neighborhood news

>> bullentin board

Bulletin Board KIPP School to Open in Anacostia in 2011 KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) has announced that Washington, DC native Cherese Johnson will open a KIPP public charter elementary school in Anacostia in 2011.

This will be the ninth school for KIPP DC, which plans to expand to 10 schools within the next two years. By 2015, KIPP DC will be able to serve over 3,400 students from Washington’s most underserved communities. Johnson’s school will join KIPP DC’s first elementary school, Promise Academy, in serving disadvantaged students in grades 1-4. KIPP DC is a network of high-performing, college-preparatory public charter schools in Washington D.C. The network now serves over 2,000 students at eight schools on three campuses in the DC. All KIPP DC schools are tuition-free, open enrollment schools, and actively recruit and serve students in the On Monday, Aug. 9, Ward 8 residents will have an opportunity to hear each candidate’s platform and to ask questions. The city’s most under-resourced Congressional Delegate and Shadow Representatives forum is from 6:30-7:30 PM. The Mayoral forum is from 7:45-9:15 PM. communities. At KIPP DC, Saint Elizabeths Hospital (auditorium), 1100 Alabama Ave. SE. Ample Free Parking! Take Metro to Congress Heights Station on the there are no shortcuts – outstanding educators and staff, Green line. If you can’t attend, watch live on-line at www.maestropc.com/itv.htm more time in school, a rigorous college preparatory-curriculum, and a strong culture of achieveSafe Driving and Verizon Tech Project. Youth 12 DC Trust and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater ment and support help our students make signifiand under will be treated to a one week overnight cant academic gains and continue to excel in high Washington Launch Homeless Youth Program stay at BGCGW’s 168-acre Camp Brown located The DC Children and Youth Investment in Southern Maryland. Teens will receive a one school, college and beyond. www.kippdc.org.

Trust Corporation and the Boys & Girls Clubs of weekend camp stay. There will also be four sessions Greater Washington (BGCGW) are partnering to for parents.

Host African High School Students for Three provide off-site after-school and summer activities.

The Family Emergency Shelter at the former The Hope 2 Opportunity (H2O) Initiative allows D.C. General Hospital in Southeast is a tempo- Weeks (Sept. 25-Oct.15) Visions In Action is seeking volunteers to serve the youth to spend time away from the shelter for rary home to nearly 400 children and youth whose as a stand-in family for 3 weeks during its Afria few hours every day – while keeping them en- families have been displaced by the recession, or can Youth Leadership Program (supported by the gaged, learning and having fun. who were in need of shelter during the cold win- Department of State). The students are teenagers From April to August, the Trust and BGCGW ter months. News accounts have reported that the are providing programming for up to 75 youth shelter is overcrowded and noisy. “It is important from Mali and Cote d’Ivoire who will learn about ages 6-18 at The Richard England Clubhouse 14, that all children have positive, meaningful activities democracy and acquire leadership skills during the located on Benning Rd. in northeast Washington. in which to participate, after-school and during the program. As a host family, you will provide the Youth participating in the program are transported summer,” said Ellen London, interim president and students with a safe place to sleep and meals in to the site by passenger van provided by the De- CEO of the Trust. “For young people living in such the mornings and evenings. Students will attend partment of Human Services. The summer session stressful conditions, out-of-school-time activities events during the daytime and will return home in the evenings to spend time with you and your famincludes programs such as Career Launch, UPS become even more vital.”

Congress Heights Community Association Mayoral and Federal Candidates Forum

14 ★ East of the River

• August 2010

ily. A family can be anyone, whether a single person, or a couple with kids, or a married couple without kids. If you are interested, email exchange@ visionsinaction.org or call 202-6257402. www.visionsinaction.org

Anacostia Community Museum, 43rd Anniversary Luncheon: Word, Shout, Song!

The theme of this year’s special luncheon on Wednesday, Sept. 15, noon-2:00 PM, celebrates the exhibition “Word, Shout, Song: Lorenzo Dow Turner Connecting Communities through Language.” The keynote speaker is Marquetta L. Goodwine, known as Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation.

Goodwine is a native of St. Helena Island, South Carolina, and one of the expert commissioners for South Carolina for the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, one of forty congressionally designated National Heritage Areas. Melvin Deal, founder and director of the African Heritage Dancers and Drummers, is the 2010 honoree for the John R. Kinard Leadership in Community Service Award. Tickets are $125 each, a portion of which is tax deductible. For more information or to reserve your tickets, please call 202-633-4875 or email ACMinfo@si.edu.

Resident Appreciation Day August 5 was Resident Appreciation Day at 4335 4th St. SE. The celebration included a Moon Bounce, games, Bingo, teen shoe-give-away, food a DJ and more.

Volunteers Needed for Daily Trail Patrol at Marvin Gaye Park Volunteers will be asked to dedicate two hours per shift to ride/walk through the park, interact with the local community, pick up litter and report on the condition of the park and trail. Volunters can participate on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, depending on your schedule. Individuals and community groups are encouraged to volunteer! For more information, contact Jennifer Boryk at jennifer.boryk@ washingtonparks. net or 202-398-7275.

Archdiocese of Washington Welcomes Catholic Girls School Washington Middle School for

Girls (WMSG) in Southeast Washington, DC is officially a Catholic school, having met the requirements of the Archdiocese of Washington.

WMSG was founded in 1997 by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus and the Religious of Jesus and Mary, together with the National Council of Negro Women. Their aim was to focus on the needs of at-risk middle school girls in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, DC. This past year, the school served 90 students in grades 4–8 on two campuses: THEARC, located at 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE, and Washington View, at 2683 Douglass Rd. SE. The school, which serves very low-income families, charges no tuition. To cover the cost of the students’ education, WMSG annually has to raise $1.5 million from individuals, foundations and local businesses. WMSG has a 97 percent attendance rate and 98 percent of its students graduate from high school.

The students are accepted at some of the area’s most competitive high schools, including Connelly School of the Holy Child, Elizabeth Seton High School, Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School, Georgetown Visitation and Washington Math, Science and Technology High School.

Ward 7 Nonprofit Network Central Community Calendar To advertise events, seminars, workshops, trainings, and community events, send them your information online with the name of the event, date, location, time, host organization, contact person and telephone number. Information must be in at least two weeks before the event date.

All information will be reviewed and listed at the discretion of the Network. www.w7npn.org

Donate Medical Equipment DC Shares accepts wheelchairs, walkers, canes, hospital beds, shower chairs, transfer benches, lifts and computers you are no longer using.

This equipment will be given to those who can’t afford to buy them. All donations are tax deductible. Equipment is available free of charge to qualified individuals and families on a first come-first served basis. Call 202-332-2595 or email dcshares@ verizon.net to set-up an appointment to visit or drop off equipment at the DC Shares at 1301 Belmont St. NW,

Suite 1D. Monday, Wednesday, Friday; 10:00 AM-6:00 PM. www.dcshares.org

New Trees Need Water Casey Trees requests that residents pay special attention to “new trees,” especially during periods of high heat. New trees are those planted within the past three years that need 25 gallons or 1.5 inches of rain every week to survive. In areas where a number of new trees have been planted, neighbors might “adopt one tree each” and ensure that it is watered throughout the summer.

HEW Federal Credit Union Opens Silver Hill Branch in District Heights On Saturday, July 24, HEW Federal Credit Union (HEWFCU) celebrated the “Feel the Magic” themed grand opening of its Silver Hill Branch at 5720 Silver Hill Rd. in District Heights, MD. The ribbon cutting ceremony included statements by Patricia Ellis, Chairman of the Board of HEWFCU, Mayor James Walls, Jr. of District Heights, and Maryland State Senator Nathaniel Exum. Additional festivities included performances by Josh Norris, who was voted “DC’s Best Magician” in 2009 by the Washington City Paper.

Detours for Installation of Streetcar Tracks in Anacostia Beginning on Saturday, Aug. 7, left turns from southbound S. Capitol St. to Firth Sterling Ave. SE and right turns from Firth Sterling Ave. SE to northbound S. Capitol St. will be prohibited. These turning restrictions will be in effect until Friday, Aug.28, weather permitting.

In addition, the intersection of Firth Sterling Ave. and S. Capitol St. will be closed to northbound traffic from 9:30 AM-3:00 PM on Saturday, Aug. 14; Monday, Aug. 16; Tuesday, Aug. 17 and Wednesday, Aug. 18.

Northbound traffic on S. Capitol St. will have to turn right on Firth Sterling Ave. and then left on Suitland Parkway to return to S. Capitol St. Traffic Control Officers will be on hand to assist but delays are anticipated and motorists are advised to use alternative routes if possible. www.ddot.dc.gov/dcstreetcar

Free Tree Watering Devices DDOT’s Urban Forestry Administration is offering free watering devices to those willing to water street trees so they survive this heat spell. According to DDOT’s notice, It takes less than 10 minutes a week to fill the free slow-drip watering device they will provide to any resident, business, or property manager whether for an office or apartment building or condominium who adopts street trees through the Urban Forestry Administration’s Canopy Keepers program. 202-671-5133. ddot.dc.gov (click Trees).

Preschool and Pre-K Early Childhood Transition Week Starting this fall, children enrolled in preschool or pre-K at a DC public school will participate in DCPS’s “Early Childhood Transition Week” from Aug. 23 through 27. The first letter of your child’s last name will determine which days of the first week your child should attend school. Children with a last name beginning with the letters A–K will attend school Monday and Tuesday.

Children with a last name beginning with the letters L–Z will attend school Wednesday and Thursday. All children will attend school together Friday, Aug. 27. Families are welcome, but not expected to stay with their child during that week.

Contact your child’s school to find out when their orientation night is scheduled the week of Aug.16. For more information, call 202-478-5738.

Public Comments on UDC Department of Education Requested The Department of Education, at the University of the District of is hosting an accreditation visit by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) in fall 2010. They invite interested parties to submit third-party comments for review by the visiting team.

Comments must address substantive matters related to the quality of professional education programs offered, and should specify the party’s relationship to the institution. Send comments to NCATE Board of Examiners, 2010 Mass. Ave. NW, Suite 500, DC 20036-1023 or by e-mail to callforcomments@ncate.org. Do not send anonymous comments. ★ capitalcommunitynews.com ★ 15

neighborhood news

>> the numbers

the NUMB3RS 3.327.649.10

Three Big Questions for the Election Season

by Ed Lazere and Elissa Silverman

E

lections are about the future, and with that in mind, many candidates seeking office this year have put improving DC’s public schools at the top of their agenda. There’s little argument that better public education is critical to our city’s future. Good teachers and well-equipped classrooms certainly are major factors in improving the lives of our city’s children—one third of whom live in poverty.

But it’s also fair to say that even the most talented instructor cannot overcome the impacts of malnutrition, abuse and economic insecurity on a child’s ability to learn. Nearly half of all substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect come from DC’s poorest neighborhoods. Two in five DC families report that they at times don’t have enough money to buy food. Very simply, it’s hard to pay attention in class when you’re hungry or you didn’t get a good night’s sleep because your family lives in a car.

16 ★ East of the River

• August 2010

These factors contribute to the fact that even within the same school, poor children score lower on math and reading tests than classmates from higher-income families.

Research shows that costly social ills—including poor health, illiteracy, and violence—are tied to poverty. So failing to address the problems kids bring with them into the classroom will take school reform only so far.

Or put another way, helping the families of poor children may be as important to improving educational outcomes as having capable teachers and a nicely renovated school.

That’s why more than 100 organizations—including businesses, faith groups and nonprofits—as well as several thousand DC residents have joined Defeat Poverty DC, an effort this campaign season to press candidates on their plans to combat one of DC’s most stubborn problems. Defeat Poverty DC is asking candidates three key questions at

meet and greets, campaign forums and fundraisers: What will you do to make work possible for the thousands of parents who lack critical job skills? What will you to do to make work pay for the one-third of DC families that are working but poor? What will you do to make basic needs affordable so that all children can grow up healthy and safe?

To Those Who Want to be Mayor: What Will You Do to Make Work Possible?

DC’s poverty rate has remained persistently high, and the recent economic downturn has caused the numbers to jump even higher. At the beginning of the year unemployment hit a record 12 percent citywide – and is estimated at nearly 30 percent in Ward 8. A recent DC Fiscal Policy Institute analysis estimated that last year 11,000 more District residents fell below the poverty line,

which is less than $18,000 for a family of three.

Keeping our fingers crossed that the recovery is just around the corner shouldn’t be our strategy. We need to get our residents back to work, and part of Defeat Poverty DC’s mission is to get candidates to say how they plan to do that. Nobody said it will be easy: More than 50,000 low-income District residents lack the skills needed to get a job that pays family-sustaining wages and approximately 20 percent of this group has not worked in the past five years.

But not talking about it won’t help. We should keep our elected officials accountable for some resources already at our disposal, like DC’s first source requirement. Under first source, businesses doing work with the city must make their best efforts to hire a majority of DC residents for new openings. But the first source program has been neglected by DC’s leaders and businesses for years. A re-

cent report by DC Auditor Deborah K. Nichols found that record-keeping of first source agreements was incomplete, compliance monitoring was neglected, and there was inadequate use of the first source registry—the list of residents seeking work that employers are supposed to hire from.

Not doing our best to make our citizens productive hurts all of us.

By not hiring DC residents, paychecks unnecessarily travel out to the suburbs and the opportunity to inject more money into DC neighborhoods is lost.

To Those Who Want to Be DC Council Chairman: What Will You Do to Make Work Pay? For some DC residents who are working, even a full-time job earns too little money to make ends meet. It’s a fact that one in three District families with children, for example, have incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty line even though one parent is working full-time.

What ideas do those who want to represent us have to make sure those who work all day will take home enough pay to support themselves and their families?

We need to find ways to train our residents for the jobs that are available. What are the thoughts of those running for office about strengthening DC’s community college, for example?

Then there’s DC’s “living wage” law, passed with lots of excitement four years ago yet still not a reality in the city. Across the country, living wage laws mandate that contractors with cities or states pay all workers the specified living wage.

This helps make sure that taxpayer dollars are not spent to create poverty-wage jobs. Yet the DC Auditor found that many contractors are not in compliance with the living wage act. We hope the newly elected mayor and DC Council will choose to make the living wage a reality.

DC’s leaders might also think more about who pays taxes in the city and how to incentivize work for those who earn low wages. In

recent years, the Mayor and Council have increased the sales tax, gas tax, cigarette tax, and parking meter rates. Yet a new income tax bracket for households over $350,000 was rejected.

To Those Running for DC Council: What Will You Do to Make Basic Needs Affordable?

Here’s another fact: A DC resident earning minimum wage has to work three full-time jobs to pay for a market-rate two bedroom apartment in the city. That’s because the cost of living in the District of Columbia is among the highest in the nation, making it especially challenging for low-income residents to make ends meet. Is it any surprise that 100,000 DC households spend more for housing than is considered affordable?

Any efforts to help low-income families obtain good jobs and increase their earnings must be coupled with programs and policies that allow them to cover the costs of such basics as food, housing, health and child care. Yet many of these areas have seen severe budget cuts over the last several years. For example, funding for DC’s affordable housing programs in next year’s budget is one-third lower than three years ago. And funding for DC’s childcare programs next year is nearly one-fifth lower than in 2008, even though the reported number of children participating in the programs has held steady.

The Best Future For DC: Better Schools and Better Economic Opportunities This is a big campaign year for DC. The election debate should be about how we plan to conquer our biggest challenges. Defeating poverty might seem like an overwhelming task–but so is creating a model public school system. In both cases, the first step is to make the issue a priority on the political agenda. By asking these questions, we’ll be moving in the right direction.

Ed Lazere is the director of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute (www.dcfpe. org), which conducts research on tax and budget issues that affect low-and moderate-income DC residents. ★ capitalcommunitynews.com ★

17

neighborhood news

“Higher Achievement opened its new Ward 8 Center this summer after years of anticipation.”

Higher Achievement’s Ward 8 Center Open and seeking Mentors article & photo by John Muller

A

fter years of community anticipation, Higher Achievement opened its Ward 8 Center this summer at Savoy Elementary School at 2400 Shannon Place SE, a short walk from the Anacostia Metro station.

The formal ribbon cutting for the Ward 8 center held last month was attended by Mayoral candidate and City Council Chairman Vincent Gray and former Mayor and current Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry, who led scholars in a chant, “My mind is a pearl. I can do anything in the whole wide world.”

“Young people motivated me to get back into politics,” said Barry, who has been on the City Council since 2004 and made a public pledge to volunteer with Ward 8’s Higher Achievement Center.

Higher Achievement provides an “additional lift” to schools and families in East Washington according to Gray. Thirty-nine percent of all children in the city live in Wards 7 and 8 said Gray who frequently visited

18 ★ East of the River

• August 2010

Higher Achievement’s Ward 7 Center at Kelly Miller Middle School on 49th Street NE while representing the Ward on the Council.

In an interview, Ward 8 scholars K’Nihja Yong and Brooke SheltonEpps, fifth graders at the Washington Middle School for Girls, shared an excitement for Higher Achievement.

Both admitted to being talkative and sometimes disruptive in class, but with their summer experience at Higher Achievement, they confessed to becoming more focused and coming to the realization, with the support of Higher Achievement staff, that they can use their personalities to help other students in their class who might need help. Higher Achievement has given them “confidence in helping others” and has made them role models amongst their peers.

Ward 8 Center Director Durham, a 1982 graduate of Higher Achievement, says the community is “very excited” about the program’s presence.

Before opening its Ward 8 Center, the organization raised funds to

cover three years of operations.

“The communities of Ward 8 have a lot to offer and we have a lot to offer to the communities of Ward 8. We’re not going anywhere. This sense of longevity is refreshing and lets Ward 8 know that we have made a commitment,” says Durham.

In their initial year, Ward 8 has fifty 5th and 6th graders culled from an applicant pool of sixty-five. Recruitment for rising 5th graders will begin in January with staff visiting local schools and soliciting recommendations from teachers.

The staff and scholars of Ward 8 had a busy summer taking a field trip to the offices of Voice of America, the official radio and television broadcasting service of the United States federal government since 1942, and staying in the dormitories of Penn State University while on their college trip.

In the last decade Higher Achievement, started in the 1970’s at Gonzaga High School in NW, has undergone exponential growth and

in the process built itself as a national model for after-school academic enrichment programs. Last November, First Lady Michelle Obama presented Higher Achievement with the Coming Up Taller Award in recognition of their outstanding community arts and humanities programs, one of 15 nationwide recipients selected from more than 400 nominees.

With centers in Wards 1, 4, 6, 7, and now Ward 8, Baltimore and Alexandria, Higher Achievement provides 650 hours of out-of-school instruction each academic year to 5th through 8th grade students known as “scholars” with the ultimate goal of placing students in competitive and selective high schools throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

By aligning their curriculum with DC Public Schools, working closely with the families of each scholar, and providing their own unique programs such as a citywide spelling bee, Higher Achievement “ratchets up the academic culture of excellence” according to CEO Richard Tagle. Using data tracking to hold staff and mentors increasingly accountable to produce scholar outcomes, Higher Achievement provides a “360 degree view of scholars” that has helped the organization to expand its sphere of influence.

Dominique Tucker, a resident of Fort Dupont, graduated from Higher

Achievement’s Ward 7 Center in 2007 and is now entering his senior year at St. Albans High School in NW. This summer he has attended a program at Yale in New Haven, Connecticut before working as a summer instructor at Ward 8.

With after-school instruction on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, Higher Achievement has traditionally utilized area college students and community members to fill the ranks of their mentors who volunteer from 6 p.m – 8 p.m. and lead small groups of scholars in workshops with curriculum that is supplied in advance and online.

“Higher Achievement draws from an intellectually curious group of students making the enrichment of mentoring mutual,” says Rick Stoddard, a past mentor with Ward 6. “We are other adults outside of their parents or teachers who are expressing care and interest in their lives.”

Ward 8 is actively recruiting 50 mentors. Those interested in mentoring can email volunteer@ higherachievement.org or call 202.544.3633 x233. ★

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capitalcommunitynews.com ★ 19

East Washington Life

Solemn, by Ralston Cyrus, mixed media on paper.

S

ong for Anacostia, is one small aspect of Anacostia: Never Far From Home, the current exhibit at The Gallery at Vivid Solutions (2208 Martin Luther King Jr. SE, http://www.vividsolutionsdc.com/). Fred Joiner (fredjoiner.wordpress.com/) is an artist, poet, and a local blogger, who along with Nikki Peele (congressheightsontherise.com/) and David Garber (anacostianow. blogspot.com/), collaboratively use, “text, image, words, and color to illustrate the vibrancy of the Anacostia village we all call home.”, as Fred Joiner says. The show includes a collage of images brought in by the community who is actively building their own story; it is situated across from the work of the local bloggers, and the photographs lent from the Washington Post, the DC historical society, and the Anacostia High School archives.

This visual exploration of Anacostia is a part of a combined effort to present a multitude of Anacostia stories within four individual art exhibitions. The series, “Greetings From East of the River!”, is on view from July 30 to Sept. 10 at The Gallery at Vivid Solutions, The ARCH Training Center (1231 Good Hope Road SE/ http://www.archdc.org/), and The Honfleur Gallery (1241 Good Hope Rd SE/ http://www. honfleurgallery.com/). Their goal is to show “the multifaceted Anacostia community by allowing, local artists [to] explore and react to the

ar r t ANACOSTIA

by Shannon Holloway

20 ★ East of the River

• August 2010

in

capitalcommunitynews.com ★ 21

spiritual, social, environmental and historical issues of this neighborhood encompass[ing] the voices of a range of emerging to established artists and creative minds.”

The ARCH Training Center, the developer of The Gallery at Vivid Solutions and The Honfleur Gallery, is exhibiting TREEts & TREEties: Documenting gifts from nature and examining our agreement with the environment. A show featuring the work of student artists James Holiday, Joseph Roberson, Brittany Jackson, and Audrea Blackwell contains photographs that are, “ecologically-inspired”, ARCH Training Center.

East of the River: 4th Annual Juried Exhibit, is exhibiting on the ground floor of The Honfleur Gallery. Eleven artists from Wards 7 and 8: BK Adams, Nigil Brice, Ralston Cyrus, Melani Douglass, Matthew Mann, Samuel Mercer, Marlon Normon, Luis Peralta, Amanda Stephenson, Deborah Terry and Renee Woodward, span a variety of genres, socially charged themes, and experimental media.

Luis Peralta’s illustration made of watercolor and over/under saturated coffee beans brings the viewers eye into his work and leaves them to examine imagery illustrating his feelings of sadness for the events and the emotional aftermath of 9/11. “One of the things that I wanted to represent were the souls that were lost during this tragedy,” he says. Utilizing the strength and multi-facetted connectivity of the spider web, Luis

Green, by Marlon Normon, digital print

bk.iamART.adams at work in his studio.

Song For Anacostia

22 ★ East of the River

• August 2010

BY

has incorporated a universal face to represent the victims.

On the upstairs level of The Honfleur, Bruce McNeil’s work, Mami Wata: Capturing the Spirit, examines the Anacostia River, using the mythic spirit Mami Wata (an African mermaid) as inspiration. In order to personify the spirit of the river, Bruce overlays portraits of women, including one of his mother, with those of the river. “This series is about the conservation of the Anacostia river…the plight that it’s in today, and what it can be in the future. The main purpose of this exhibition is for me to bring attention to the river and to create dialog among the residents of the surrounding communities…about how to improve it and… [the] education we should bring to the younger generations who will inherit the river,” says Bruce. This show will continue as a traveling exhibition hosted by the Anacostia River Watershed Society, The Sierra Club, Ward 7 Arts Collaborative and is hopeful to gain more venues to maintain its travel through 2011.

These three gallery spaces are enlivening the hearts, spirit, and minds of the community, giving shelter to the work and voices of creative artists, and establishing a positive and interactive presence in the historic neighborhood of Anacostia.

All of the exhibitions are free to the public. *Shannon Holloway is a local artist living in the district. You may reach her via e-mail at holloway. shannon@gmail.com ★

FRED JOINER

The 94 hums up the rough side of Stanton. open windows blare drums in the pocket, the breakdown of the perfect groove.

Washington’s View The 90 salsas across town into the forgotten bottom of DC, a car alarm echo protest on MLK two porch griots wail their pain and pity.

on the corner, two preachers can be heard through the sanctuary walls, one reading scripture, the other raptured in a moan. the smell of lasts night’s first drink poured out in a crooning ballad for the missed and missing a song for a father a song for a mother unchilded

a song for a child playing ahead of the beat, a nursery rhyme for every teddy bear rooted at a street sign. this is the sound of blues breaking the broken, back together; the sound of chaos, organizing; the sounds of breath forming words in vinyl’s backspin these are the sounds gathered in blood, shed for remission of silence in sadness.

capitalcommunitynews.com ★ 23

east washington life

Cooking Live

Good Eats at the Maine Avenue Fish Wharf article by Tessa Moran & Photos by Ben Crosbie

A wharf worker tosses crabs into a basket for a customer who will steam them that night.

“W

e’re cooking live!” Jimmy announces as if he’s a star on the Food Network. He’s got the personality for it, but the penchant for simple Southern cooking in simpler settings. He’s done the restaurant business before, but these days the bald, middle-aged Delaware native can be found at “Jimmy’s,” his shop on the Maine Avenue Fish Wharf where he sells crab balls, fried shrimp and cakes and pies by the dozen. Often, he gives them away by the dozen. Today’s samples, in portions that would satisfy for lunch, were sizzling buttery jumbo shrimp topped with oozing crab. To wash it down, were strawberry lemonades made with freshly squeezed lemons and clumps of glazed strawberries typically reserved for the pies. Those he was giving away too—dozens of slices of a “strawberry cream pie,” with layers of Jello-soaked spongy decadence be-

24 ★ East of the River

• August 2010

tween fresh strawberries topped with a fluffy frosting. It’s pure Americana and it has a distinct taste that reminds you of childhood.

Perhaps it’s the setting that informs this type of culinary experience. Situated under the 395 overpass and along the waters that look out onto Hains Point, the Maine Avenue Fish market, known as the Fish Wharf, is a stretch of parking lot hugged by floating barges that have served as market stands for over 200 years. In operation since 1805, it is the oldest continuously operating fish market in the United States.

Extending the length of these barges are colorful raw bars of mostly Atlantic-water fish, with the main attraction being the Maryland Blue Crab. It’s often hot in the summer, and sticky and smelly. But there’s no better place for this sort of fresh down home southern cooking. Until this year, there was no seating for

passersby stopping in for a quick bite, only a thin wooden waterside ledge on which to juggle plastic plates heaped with fried whiting and shrimp. Now customers of Captain White’s, one of the handful of vendors on the Wharf, have the option of sitting at a covered waterside porch. A sign offers barbecue ribs in addition to their regular seafood and sides.

Crab season started March 15 this year, ten days ahead of schedule, says Ryan Evans, third generation manager of nearby Jessie Taylor Seafood. This year’s supply is expected to be particularly bountiful. Virginia’s 2008 ban on winter crab dredging, a prohibition to protect the female crab, has more than doubled the estuary’s crab population in two years. That means even more bushels for steaming at summer barbecues. Some say the female crabs are the sweetest, especially when filled with eggs, while others prefer the meatier male variety. How to tell the

difference? Check the bellies, where the ladies are marked with a bright blue outline of what looks strikingly like the US Capitol Building.

If you favor a more sophisticated dining experience with less cracking and hammering, look for the softshell crab. It’s the same blue crab variety only these have recently molted, shedding their hard shell. Their soft shell stage is a fleeting period of time at which the crabs are especially vulnerable and must be plucked from the water as soon as thirty minutes after shedding their shell, Evans says. Otherwise it becomes too hard. Fisherman tend to select them in their “peeler” stage, when they show tell-tale signs that they will begin to molt. Once the crabs are out of the water, the hardening process slows to about four days.

That’s plenty of time to purchase your live soft-shell and save it for the evening when you’ll soak it in milk, douse it in cornmeal and fry it in a pool of butter. It can be eaten whole, legs and all. Other local finds include the rockfish, croaker and black bass.

It’s 11 a.m. on a Friday and the lunchtime crowd has yet to fully gather. John Robbins sits beside a spread of already shucked oysters and sliced lemons. They are priced at $11 a dozen. Robbins, who has been working at the Wharf for 32 years, says April marked the last month of local oysters, but he expects them to be available year-round from Texas, barring any major impact from the devastating oil spill in the Gulf.

John Robbins, a 32 year veteran of the wharf rests beside a plate of shucked oysters

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ABOVE: Jimmy smiles inside his counter-window through which he sells fried fish and pies.

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LEFT: Jimmy chats with customers sampling his stuffed shrimp and strawberry lemonade

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Female crabs are distinct by the blur outline of the US capitol on their bellies

Robbins dismisses the commonly stated myth that oysters are best in months that end in â&#x20AC;&#x153;râ&#x20AC;?. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re just as good in the summer,â&#x20AC;? he says. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s softspoken and has a thick accent so you have to bend over the counter of ďŹ sh to hear him.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a sharp contrast to the boisterous Jimmy, whose take-out window is now ďŹ lling with customers anxious to try his samples. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you can say the jingle, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll give you a free Jimmy Delight Sandwich!â&#x20AC;? Winning requires repeating all the components of the sandwich followed by his signature line, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re cooking live!â&#x20AC;? He says the jingle, but no one can repeat it. Only a couple have accomplished the seemingly easy feat in the four years heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been running the shop. No winner today, so he instead slices up the sandwich of fried ďŹ sh and fried shrimp and gives the slivers out as samples. How is he able to continue running his business with all these free samples? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I dunno,â&#x20AC;? he shrugs, taking yet another cake from the display window to slice up and give out.

BIBLE CHALLENGES, MATH, SPELLING BEE, PRIZES, READING & ENGLISH, AWARDS, CERTIFICATES, GAMES, FOOD â&#x20AC;&#x201C; LOTS OF FUN!

HVijgYVn! 6j\jhi &)i] K7H 7>< LG6E JE 8DBBJC>IN 96N

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â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘

Moon Bounce Face Painting Clown â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Balloon Art Cotton Candy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Snow Cones Health Care Screenings Fire trucks, and more

Contact Katherine Robinson or Carolyn Ellis 4161 South Capitol Street, SW Washington, DC 20032 â&#x20AC;˘ (202) 562-2035 Rev. Bernice Parker-Jones, Pastor faith.church@verizon.net Check us out on: www.faithpchurch.org

The Maine Avenue Fish Market, located at 1100 Maine Ave. SW, Washington DC, is open daily from 8 a.m. -9 p.m. 202-484-2722. â&#x2DC;&#x2026; capitalcommunitynews.com â&#x2DC;&#x2026; 25

east washington life

T U S CA N F L AVORS Toscana Café Offers Excellent Italian Fare

by Celeste McCall

I

f Capitol Hill diners and friends fear their neighborhood has suffered from a dearth of good Italian restaurants, they should fret no longer. Now our area claims several top-notch establishments serving the sun-filled cooking of this Mediterranean nation. One such restaurant is Toscana Café, which opened a year ago in a two-story townhouse on the Senate side of the Hill, a few blocks from Union Station at the corner of Second and F streets, NE Toscana Café is the creation of owner/chef Daniele Catalani, 31, who arrived here 20 years ago from his native Tuscany. In 1999, he joined renowned chef Roberto Donna in the now-closed Galileo and Laboratorio (which might reopen downtown on 14th street NW, in the old Butterfield 9 space.) After Galileo closed, Catalani wielded his whisk at Extra Virgin in Shirlington Village (Arlington) and later at Panache, a Mediterranean restaurant/lounge at Tysons Corner.

Toscana Café is always busy, and it’s easy to see why. Midday, the café enjoys a brisk business as employees from the Senate and other government offices queue up for Toscana’s antipasto

26 ★ East of the River

• August 2010

ABOVE: A marvelous asparagus-laced risotto crowned with a generous, perfectly cooked slab of salmon. Photo by Andrew Lightman.

LEFT: Grilled octopus is prepared in a number of delicious ways.

Photo by Andrew Lightman.

salad bar, ciabatta sandwiches, salads, and pizzaby-the-slice.

In Toscana’s cozy upstairs dining room, which seats 30, walls are punctuated by old photos, copper molds and a colorful tapestry depicting Florence, near the medieval town of Pistoia,

Catalani’s birthplace. Tables are topped with cobalt-blue tiles.

But summer weather beckoned us outside, and on our visits we dined al fresco. Rustic picnic tables are surrounded by hanging plants, and a canvas covering wards off Washington’s unpredictable weather. The patio has about a half dozen tables, which Catalani plans to enclose this fall, adding another 40 seats.

We’ve been tempted to overindulge on Toscana’s housebaked bread, dipped into extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. One evening visit produced braised polpio–baby octopus combined with olives and chickpeas in a rich tomato sauce, which we sopped up with the bread. Another time, the tender, cephalopod was grilled with sweet potatoes, figs and drizzled with balsamic vinegar, arranged on a stark white plate. Although the sweet potatoes added a bright splash of orange, we found their sweetness a bit distracting.

Another appetizer charmer consists of five plump figs stuffed with Fontina cheese and swathed with strips of crisp pancetta. The square white plate is then artistically drizzled with a balsamic vinegar reduction, the dramatic effect resembling a Jackson Pollack painting. Another starter option is a dish of tiny calamari and shrimp swimming in a

Community Child Development Center deliciously spicy wine-butter broth, laced with little green peas.

A less tempting beginning course was the zuppa di giorno– a rather bland zucchini soup with orzo (tiny Greek-style pasta). Other soups are corn and shrimp, minestrone and pasta fagiole.

On to the pasta course, which we ordered as entrees. Smoked salmon was tossed with homemade whole grain pasta, enlivened with fresh tomatoes, greens and a smattering of dill pesto.

Pescadora Toscana–a generous plate of noodles–was tossed with slightly rubbery calamari, chewy clams and broccoli rabe. I often order my favorite Italian dish–linguine con vongole–and, I was not disappointed. The dozen mollusks ringed a plate of al dente pasta napped with

matoes, all clustered in a cast-iron oval skillet.

Recently, Catalani has begun serving porchetta (whole roast pig) on the patio on weekends. We’ve had porchetta in Italy, where it is a popular mid-morning snack--and it is truly divine. Snuggled into homemade bread, the moist pork truly melts in your mouth.

From Catalani’s homemade gelato list, Peter chose pistachio; other options are nutella (hazelnut), and mango. The latter tastes like the actual fruit. Created by Maireni Melo (who also assists with the dinner menu) the gelato comes in half-pint cartons, not served on plates. As we were only able to finish half of it, we took the rest home. Among other tempting desserts are tiramisu, carrot cake and chocolate truffle cake.

Next time we’ll save room.

Service at Toscana Café is helpful, cheery and fairly efficient. Twice we have been assisted

by Marta, a pleasant young woman who comes from Gdansk, Poland.

At a recent dinner, she warned us that things might be a bit slow because of the large gathering upstairs. We told her “no problem,” and LEFT TO RIGHT: Owner chef Daniele Catalani enjoys a bite of house-made geloto. Photo by greatly appreciAndrew Lightman. ated the heads up.

On Saturdays only, porchetta (roast pig) is served on the patio. Photo by Andrew Lightman.

But the best news of all, pergarlicky white wine sauce. haps, is Toscana’s affordable prices. Most entrees Each evening, chef Catalani offers a “sea- are in the high teens to mid-20s. Wines are also sonal” risotto. This evening the selection was sensibly priced with modest markups. A glass is a marvelous asparagus-laced risotto crowned $7 to $9. A bottle of Pinot Grigio costs $24, and with a generous, perfectly cooked slab of salm- a robust, Borgoforte Super Tuscan (a blend of on. Made with imported arborio rice, the risotto Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese) requires a 20-minute wait, a small price to pay is only $26. Dinner for four–with two bottles for this excellent dish. of vino--came to $189 including tax and tip.

From the brief entree listing, a fellow guest More good news: Catalani plans to hold Italian chose pollo Milanese--a breaded chicken breast cooking classes this fall at Casa Italiana downescorted by chopped fennel, apples, goat cheese, town at 593 Third St. NW and in the beautiful and anointed with green olive caper aioli. Oth- kitchen at Poltrona Frau in Georgetown. er main courses are baby back ribs with salsa Toscana Café, which offers carryout and a verde, piccata, a breaded veal cutlet sauced with catering service, is located at 601 Second St. NE, lemon, capers and sun-dried tomatoes, and top- a few blocks east of the Union Station Metro ping Toscana’s reasonable price list, a grass-fed, (Red Line). There is limited street parking. For Florentine-bone steak. Serving two, the steak is reservations (highly recommended, especially a modest $45. on weekends), call 202-525-2693 or go to www.

One night Peter ordered the pesce all gri- toscanacafedc.com. Open for lunch Sunday-Satglia–grilled catch of the day–which was trout. urday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; dinner served The moist, flaky fish was presented with a gar- Sunday-Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. ★ den of sauteed mushrooms, asparagus and to-

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east washington life

When Blog Imitates Life article & photos by Nicky Peele

Blog author Nicky Peele

O

ften I am asked, “how do I come up with my post topics?” Finding inspiration in writing a neighborhood blog about where you live is simple…the hard part is knowing (and even accepting) where to draw a line in what you are willing to talk about. For my blog, I find my inspiration in the streets, at the grocery store, in the ANC meetings (insert laughter and groans) and yes, the infamous gas stations.

They say there are two sides to every story, “yours…mine…, and the truth” and the truth— your personal truth as a citizen journalist—is the tricky part. Writing the post is easy, deciding how involved to let your personal feelings get in the post is hard. Sometimes blog posts are uplifting, outrageous, and sometimes scary as hell. I tried to explain to someone who was trying to understand why I write my blog the way that I do considering it is sometimes considered “controversial”.

I shrugged and said, “For me, it’s impossible to write dispassionately about something you are passionate about.”

Blogging and blogging in East of the River especially is not easy. Not one bit. Sometimes telling “your truth” comes at a high cost. Not everyone appreciates his or her actions or misdeeds highlighted online. Sometimes they agree with what you say they just don’t like how you said it. Other times some readers want you to write your blog

28 ★ East of the River

• August 2010

for them as they would write it and I don’t know how feasible that is even if I wanted to do that. As a blogger, at least one that comes willingly or is forced “out of the closet”, you lose your anonymity and your ability just to blend into the background.

On the positive side (and I think this is the fuel for almost anyone who blogs), good things have come through blogging. Parks have been cleaned up; sub-par and sometimes illegal businesses had to straighten up and fly right; residents have been introduced (and sometimes reintroduced) to their local community organizations and have been encouraged to ask questions and get involved. Potential residents who had never seriously considered a move to “the other side” see not only the promise of what is to come but the special things that are already here.

Many “good” things have come out of blogging but I think the best thing that has probably come out of blogging is the feeling that anyone – regardless of length of residency or race or socio-economic status can contribute positively to their community in their own way.

People east of the River don’t’ just want to “read” about their neighborhood they want to “dialogue” and nothing gets them more animated and empowered like good post subjects that get to the heart of their quality of life or the quality of life for their families. From

my readers I see an increased desire for transparency, efficiency, and morality in the actions of their neighbors and their public officials. For all the wonderful things that are so right about living in River East there are some things that are so wrong and people want to not only talk about them and expose them, but also solve them. Never before have I seen so many talented, fearless, and genuine people all in one place. I see them on and off-line, in the community meetings, in the streets and in the grocery store. They are working hard to reclaim their community from the crime, violence, government mismanagement and yes, the dreaded poverty pimps. There are community warriors on every street, and every block of East of the River and sometimes you can feel their approval and sometimes their judgment in their comments or guest posts.

Blogging to fill the gap of mainstream media Blogging is a very personal thing, especially blogging about a place that you live. Often bloggers find themselves as the online ambassadors, tour guides and occasionally the whistleblowers for

readers unfamiliar with neighborhoods East of the River. Where the bulk (and sometimes the only) news about their community is in the violence and crime highlighted on the evening news. Says Miss V of “Life in the Village”, “My blog is a view of my neighborhood through my eyes. My posts tend to include my analysis.”

Many of us River East bloggers will point to the inability of most (nonEast of the River) to correctly identify neighborhoods East of the River. Says, Braveheart, blogger for River East Idealist, a blog focused on the Washington Highlands neighborhood of Ward 8, “I started my blog to highlight happenings in the Washington Highlands community. Many people think Anacostia is the only neighborhood east of the river. I wanted people to know that there’s a growing middle class in Washington Highlands and we have an interesting perspective on community development.” Other bloggers are much more blunt in their assessment of where traditional media outlets have failed to report and report accurately East of the River life. Says, John Muller, blogger and editor of The Washington Syndicate (www.thewashingtonsyndicate.wordpress.com), a blog often times highlighting the political and social struggle of life in East Washington. “…there is a lack of accurate representation of East Washington. As the

5th Street SE in Congress Heights

Assistant Chief Diane Groomes talks to residents of Savoy Court about crime prevention

delivery of news and information has evolved, the source of information has evolved. Blogging allows citizen journalists to present an unfiltered look at their communities and the become the new trusted sources of information. With all of the activity happening in East Washington -- development, civic organizations, schools, politics, etc. -- the emergence of blogs demonstrates the interest the community has keeping itself informed from within. “ -- JMuller, The Washington Syndicate

As I am fond of saying on my blog, “the revolution may not be televised but it will be blogged.”

Nikki Peele is a proud Ward 8 resident, community activist, and blogger for Congress Heights on the Rise (www.congressheightsontherise.com) and River East DC Blogs (www.redcblogs.com).

When she is not busy blogging about all things East of the River, Ms. Peele spends her time as the founder and principal of reSPIN Public Relations, a boutique public relations and social media firm focused on the River East community. You can reach Nikki at nikki@respindc.com. ★

capitalcommunitynews.com capitalcommunitynews.com ★ 29

east washington life

Mechanics at Fort Davis Exxon (3825 Alabama Ave SE) do a great job at a good price and they are right nearby.

Living Local, Viva Local Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

by Veronica O. Davis

T

here are several methods to breaking up. There is the “disappear” method where you change your number and move to an undisclosed location. There is the “avoidance” method where you don’t answer calls, you delete emails, and ignore Facebook messages. Then there are the less passive aggressive methods, like the “direct” method, where you just come out and say, “it’s over” or the “angry” method where you pick a fight and let the other person end it. Regardless of the method you choose, breaking up is one of the hardest things in the world to do.

Why? I think it’s because you don’t know how the other person is going to react. Will they get mad or worse, desperate?

I recently broke up with someone very important to me — my auto mechanic in Alexandria, Virginia. For nine years he’s been

30 ★ East of the River

• August 2010

changing my oil, tuning my engine, and rotating my tires. He was there with me during the bad times, like when my clutch burned out on the George Washington Parkway. He was there for me during emergencies like when I needed a new headlight installed before a trip out of town.

Despite how good he was to my car he was wreaking havoc on my time and money. As someone who is selfemployed both of those resources are precious and endangered.

I have been avoiding this breakup like the plague, but at the same time I knew I had to move on. In July, I was overdue for an oil change and my brakes were holding on for dear life. It was inevitable that I was going to have to get them fixed and soon.

In my craze to live local I decided to search out for a new mechanic East of the River. My search took me a stones throw away to the Fort Davis Exxon (3825 Alabama Ave SE).

I called them up and told them what I needed. Jeff Holton, the Manager, told me I could bring over the car any time. I drove my car across the street to the Fort Davis Exxon, left my keys, and walked the 1.5 blocks home. Two hours later I get a call that my car is done.

I walked the 1.5 blocks back to the Exxon to get my car. I was pleasantly surprised that an oil change, new front brakes, new front rotators and rear brake adjustment only came to $300.

I know it’s never good to compare your past loves with your new love, but I can’t help it. The trip to Fort Davis Exxon is a one minute by car and a four minute walk roundtrip versus a 40 minute round trip to Alexandria. The wait time for both is about the same, but the difference is waiting in a room full of strangers watching CNN, while drinking nasty coffee in Alexandria versus

going home and doing whatever chores or work I need to do. Time saved by going to Fort Davis Exxon is 2 hours and 35 minutes.

I was so shocked by the price, that I went through my old files to see how much I paid the last time I got new brakes. My mechanic in Alexandria charged me $500 for new front brakes, new rotators and an oil change in 2005, which would be approximately $567 today. I saved $267 and I gained a rear brake adjustment by going to Fort Davis Exxon.

It’s amazing what you can find when you look for it. Fort Davis Exxon is my new mechanic of choice. If you want good local service contact Jeff at 202-581-5701.

I hope that our relationship continues to bring me happiness, time savings, and a less depleted bank account. Now if someone can hook me up with a hairdresser who can cut and style natural hair, I would break up with my hairdresser in Lanham, MD too.

Veronica O. Davis is a resident of Ward 7 and manages the blog, Life in the Village (http://fairfaxvillage. blogspot.com) ★

Public Programs at the Anacostia Community Museum August 7 Create a Mixed-media Doll, 11a.m. Doll maker Sherry Burton Ways combines history with traditional doll making techniques. Participants will create their own doll.* August 10 Family Across the Sea, 10:30 a.m. A 56 min. film on how Dr. Turner’s research connected Gullah people with the people of Sierra Leone.

August 14 Curator’s Talk, 1 p.m. Alcione Amos, curator of the exhibition Word, Shout, Song, offers a gallery tour and gives insight into the work of Dr. Lorenzo Dow Turner.* August 15 Experience Afro-Brazilian Dance, 1 p.m. Gniviri Turner invites you to step up your dance game by learning Afro-Brazilian dance movements. Fun for individuals, groups, and families.* August 17 Doll Making Workshop Series, 10:30 a.m. Join doll artist Francine Haskins in the creation of an art doll.

Fee Required.

August 20 Negro League Baseball Reception, 5 p.m. Meet-and-greet reception for Negro League baseball players and today’s students of the game. Also present will be members of the Washington Black Sox. August 21 Gullah Tales, 11 a.m. Storyteller and actor Dylan Pritchett will enchant children and adults alike with a delightful afternoon of interactive Gullah tales from the South Carolina Low Country.* August 22 Afro-Brazilian Musical Workshop, 1 p.m. Come and learn as you play special Brazilian percussion instruments.* August 25 The Gullah Legacy, 7 p.m. Alphonso Brown offers an overview of the exciting community found in South Carolina and Georgia.

August 28 Gullah Art, 11 a.m. Come journey through the art, music, and religion of the Gullah people. James Stephen Terrell will discuss this distinctive culture and lead an art workshop.* August 29 Afro-Brazilian Musical Workshop, 1 p.m. Come and learn as you play special Brazilian percussion instruments.* September 4 The Language You Cry In, 10:30 a.m. The 52 minute-film bridges hundreds of years and thousands of miles between the present-day Gullah people of Georgia, the people of Senehun Ngola, Sierra Lione and the ancestors of both, through a song passed down generationally.* Reservation required, call 202.633.4844 *Take SHUTTLE ANACOSTIA offering free weekend roundtrip transportation service from the Mall to the Anacostia Community Museum through Labor Day Monday. Stops include several Mall museums, the Anacostia Metro and the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. Visit Anacostia. si.edu/shuttle for schedule.

1901 Fort Pl. SE, Open 10am-5pm daily except Dec. 25. 202.633.4820 anacostia.si.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

FREE SEMINARS Presented by the…

Washington Area Community Investment Fund, Inc. (WACIF)

Small Business Loan Day Meet with a panel of community small business lenders to discuss your financing needs.

August 14, 2010 • 11:00-1:00pm – 1150 Varnum Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017

Preparing for a Loan How to get you and your business ready for financing!

August 17, 2010 • 6:30-8:30pm – 1150 Varnum Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017

Starting your Small Business A Legal Perspective August 25, 2010 • 6:30pm-8:30pm – 1150 Varnum Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017

For more information Call WACIF to RSVP: (202) 529-5505 Additional WACIF information can be found at www.wacif.org Interpretation services and accommodations for persons with disabilities are available. Contact WACIF one week prior to event for any special assistance needs.

Support for WACIF’s programs and services is provided by the DC Dept. of Housing & Community Development, DC Dept. of Human Services – Early Care & Education Admin., Prince George’s Co. Dept. of Housing & Community Development, MD Dept. of Housing & Community Development, US Small Business Administration, US Dept. of Health & Human Services, Economic Development and Training Institute, Inc., National Capital/RLA Revitalization Corporation, Capital One, Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation, Cafritz Foundation, Wachovia Bank and other individual and corporate donors and investors.

capitalcommunitynews.com ★ 31

Homes & Gardens

“My First Sale” HGTV Features an Anacostia Property by: John Muller

F Property located at 1214 U Street SE. Photos courtesy of Anacostia River Realty.

32 ★ East of the River

• August 2010

orget the Salahis. 1214 U Street SE will be crashing its own episode of “My First Sale,” a reality-based show on the cable station Home and Garden Television (HGTV ).

“My First Sale” chronicles a firsttime home seller and their real estate agent as they go through the process of selling a home.

The two-story single family home at 1214 U Street SE was originally built in 1905. In 2009. David Garber, a designer and renovator living in Anacostia, purchased the boarded up home for less than $90,000.

With a brand new interior and restored exterior, a new roof, hardwood floors, a large gourmet kitchen with stainless steel appliances, an office, three bedrooms, and two full bathrooms on the second story, the home has been priced to sell at $289,800. Convenient access to the city, along with its investment prospect, is a selling point of the home with the Anacostia metro station a short seven-minute walk away and downtown and Capitol Hill a ten minute car ride.

A contract requirement for Garber’s purchase was that the home

had to have approval from the Historic Preservation Review Board.

With sensitivity to the history of the home and its neighborhood, Garber, who grew up watching “This Old House,” went to great lengths to preserve such details as the gold house numbers.

“Too many renovations in ‘up and coming’ neighborhoods are done by people who don’t really care how the house relates to the neighborhood or how the building materials will age. I might spend a little more money up front, but the end product lifts the neighborhood higher than the average flip,” said Garber in an interview with Urban Turf, a local blog focusing on DC real estate.

Filming in its second year, the 2011 season of “My First Sale” will feature 26 episodes, 13 focusing on the DC metropolitan area according to Samantha Hartman, Casting Producer for the DC area.

“My First Place”, another popular show on HGTV, was in DC for six months last year. Hartman says DC has been getting a lot of attention from other reality-based TV shows such as the Real Housewives of DC and MTV’s Real World, which has helped to make DC an attractive location to film.

“I had to fight hard for the [Anacostia] story, because it was a flip property. When I saw the before and after photos, I thought this story was compelling in that it was helping to change the neighborhood,” confides Hartman.

Cameras have already visited and gathered footage at the Honfleur Gallery on Good Hope Road, the Big Chair on Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, and the Savoy Court Condominiums on Oakwood Street SE in Congress Heights.

Anacostia River Realty (www. anacostiariverrealty.com), opened in January of 2009, the agent for 1214 U Street, is a full service realty company in Anacostia specializing in fine homes in East Washington, as well as rental units, according to broker/ owner Darrin Davis. With six agents, Davis said the company has seen a maturing interest in East Washington properties over the past year.

With new single family homes and luxury condominiums, as well

as renovated historic homes, real estate in East Washington is attracting a large number of young professionals, says Davis.

“HGTV brings a lot of attention to the neighborhood and the positive transitions happening here,” says Davis who has marketed his company and its properties through Facebook and other forms of social media.

To hit the ground running and get involved with their community, the new homeowner at 1214 U Street could become a member of the Historic Anacostia Block Association (HABA). Started in 2006, HABA is dedicated to preserving and revitalizing the historic integrity of Anacostia.

“HGTV coming into our neighborhood to highlight some of the new development is rewarding after the four years of hard work and time all the members of HABA have put into uplifting the community. Within our community we know how great our neighborhood is. It’s great to see this recognition now coming from the outside of our neighborhood as well,” says Charles Wilson, Co-Founder of HABA. HABA members have been active in the development of an Anacostia Heritage Trail, organized Christmas Caroling, and frequently field media and event requests.

Wilson will be representing HABA at the Citywide Preservation Conference held in September to speak about his experiences working with the Office of Planning and their Historic Housing Grant Program which has competitively awarded more than a $1 million dollars in grants to cover certified rehabilitation work.

HABA meetings are held the second Thursday or Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the United Planning Organization at 1649 Good Hope Road SE. For more information visit www.habadc.org. ★

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homes & gardens >> changing hands Changing hands is a list of most residential sales in the District of Columbia from the previous month. A feature of every issue, this list, based on the MRIS, is provided courtesy of Don Denton, manager of the Coldwell Banker office on Capitol Hill. The list includes address, sales price and number of bedrooms.

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BR

FEE SIMPLE ANACOSTIA 2235 14TH ST SE 1612 S ST SE 1617 W ST SE 2344 GREEN ST SE 2320 PAYNE TER SE

$293,000 $195,000 $120,000 $92,000 $71,500

4 3 6 3 4

$325,000 $270,000 $200,000 $190,000

3 3 3 4

$239,999 $239,900 $235,000 $205,000 $201,000 $200,000 $199,000 $149,328 $145,000 $85,000 $75,000 $70,100 $63,300

3 3 6 4 3 3 4 2 3 3 3 3 2

CHILLUM 5408 1ST ST NE 244 VAN BUREN ST NW 31 MILMARSON PL NW 237 LONGFELLOW ST NW

CONGRESS HEIGHTS 27 HALLEY PL SE 800 HR DR SE 3016 5TH ST SE 806 HR DR SE 913 BARNABY ST SE 625 DARRINGTON ST SE 4601 6TH ST SE 408 BRANDYWINE ST SE 423 VALLEY AVE SE 532 OAKWOOD ST SE 342 RALEIGH ST SE 916 SAVANNAH ST SE 133 FORRESTER ST SW

34 ★ East of the River

• August 2010

DEANWOOD 5532 JAY ST NE 4016 BLAINE ST NE 4232 GAULT PL NE 804 44TH ST NE 5049 JAY ST NE 818 51ST ST NE 123 50TH ST NE 234 56TH ST NE 4228 EDSON PL NE 5006 EAST CAPITOL ST NE 4111 GAULT PL NE 732 50TH ST NE 5220 BLAINE ST NE 718 56TH PL NE 1013 47TH ST NE 4257 GAULT PL NE 5094 JUST ST NE 4329-4331 HUNT PL NE 4519 EADS PL NE 4913 SHERIFF RD NE 5902 EADS ST NE

$320,000 $233,000 $200,000 $199,900 $199,000 $199,000 $195,000 $175,000 $159,900 $150,000 $117,600 $107,000 $81,278 $75,000 $73,000 $70,000 $70,000 $64,000 $59,900 $54,755 $46,000

6 3 3 3 4 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 3 3 2 2 3 2 2 2 3

$260,000 $215,000 $190,000 $125,000 $85,000

3 3 3 2 2

$350,000

3

FORT DUPONT PARK 704 ADRIAN ST SE 5011 BENNING RD SE 742 RIDGE RD SE 1682 FORT DUPONT SE 1549 FORT DAVIS ST SE

HILL CREST 2341 34TH ST SE

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1526 28TH ST SE 2917 NELSON PL SE

$235,000 $222,000

4 4

$210,000 $189,900 $98,500

3 2 2

$205,900 $160,000

3 3

MARSHALL HEIGHTS 5112 HANNA PL SE 4702 BASS PL SE 5551 CENTRAL AVE SE

RANDLE HEIGHTS 2013 ALABAMA AVE SE 1421 ALABAMA AVE SE

BARRY FARMS $166,000 $50,000

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$45,000

1

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1

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FORT DUPONT PARK 3935 S ST SE #104

HILL CREST 2106 38TH ST SE #102

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PLEASE RECYCLE THIS PAPER 36 ★ East of the River

• August 2010

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PLEASE RECYCLE THIS PAPER capitalcommunitynews.com ★ 37

the nose

>> august 2010

the NOSE

Man on a Mission vs. Bulletproof

by Anonymous

M

an on a Mission vs.

Bulletproof. No, Dear Readers, these are not insipid summer blockbusters. These are our choices for DC Council Chairman. The Nose himself isn’t quite sure which lever to pull.

In The Nose’s fantasy universe where “W” lost his second election and the Tooth Fairy still left surprises under one’s pillow, former Ward 3 Council member Kathy “Saint” Patterson would have jumped off her well-paid perch at the Pew Trust to save the day. Alas, there is more chance of a resurrected Jesus campaigning door-to-door for Mayor Blackberry, then that long lost voice of sanity rejoining DC’s fractious Council.

Sadly, Dear Readers, The Nose vowed to his Maker not to write-in.

A tough decision remains.

The Orange Crush: Positives The “Man on a Mission” is Vincent “VO” Orange, who represented Ward 5 for eight years on the DC Council and produced a documentary video of that title for his failed 2006 mayoral bid.

Arguably, VO’s biggest political accomplishment was convincing Home Depot to build a store at the Brentwood Shopping Center in Ward 5.

Yes, Dear Readers, the Home Depot’s sea-of-parking-lot design is dreadful from an urban planner’s perspective. There’s no customer service, and its economies of scale have had a negative impact on the Brookland True Value Hardware. But, the big box store does employ folks, lots of them.

VO also has some academic cred.

He’s got a law degree from Howard University and an advanced degree in

38 ★ East of the River

• August 2010

taxation from Georgetown. Perhaps this might help with that annual exercise in arcane calculus known as the DC budget.

As chairman of the government operations committee, VO did help usher through living wage legislation, which requires those receiving public subsidies to pay workers at least $11.75 an hour with an unfortunate exemption for retailers.

VO is fun. He’s got a sense of flare. He sings at campaign events.

He thinks thematically. His name is Orange. His ties are orange, his house is decorated in orange. Home Depot: orange.

The Orange Crush: Negatives The Nose puts a lot of stock in the company candidates keep. For VO, that list includes: former at-large councilmember and slots lobbyist John L. Ray; slots proponent and businessman Pedro Alfonso; and the mysterious contributors to his 2006 mayoral exploratory committee who retracted their contributions rather than risking the disclosure of their names.

VO cites the rebuilding of McKinley Tech as an accomplishment. The Nose is dubious. The city spent millions and millions on the school to make it state-of-the-art facility. Does anyone today mention McKinley in the same sentence as Banneker or Wilson? On the subject of poor investments, VO also was a solid supporter of the Nationals stadium deal.

VO came out strongly against gay marriage when he ran for mayor in 2006. Now he has flip-flopped on the issue. Perhaps David “Can’tStandya” Catania calling it “marriage equality” made it sound less gay.

Bulletproof: Positives Kwame Brown would definitely raise the fashion bar in the chairman’s office. After we suffered through years of Linda Cropp’s St. John’s knits, Bulletproof would set a new standard.

He would make Stacy and Clinton of What Not To Wear—as well as Carol Schwartz and the DC government gay mafia—proud.

Bulletproof is friendly. He asks about your spouse. He kisses babies.

He remembers your dog’s name. He plows your street. He picks up your trash. He waves at you from the “Kwamemobile.” Didn’t anyone on his staff remember to tell him that he actually won his last two elections?

Just like the Energizer Bunny, he keeps going and going.

Bulletproof talks a lot about the need for vocational training in this city. He is the legislative champion of Phelps, the first public vocational high school in DC in over a decade.

This, The Nose believes, is a good thing to focus on given a 28 percent unemployment rate in Ward 8.

Bulletproof has also been a solid advocate for small businesses, particularly those that are minority-owned.

He is an unwavering supporter of the city’s “Main Streets” and “Great Streets” initiatives. Bulletproof authored the bill that created the Department of Small and Local Business Development, as well as recent legislation that provided tax credits to businesses responsible for the creation of 10 or more new jobs in the District.

Bulletproof supported marriage equality in the face of opposition from neighbors in Ward 7. On the Council, he has emerged as one of the Mayor Blackberry’s most consistent critics

demanding accountability on matters relating to “Fraternity-gate” and minority hiring.

Bulletproof: Negatives Bulletproof tends to make statements that are less than bulletproof.

He has the reputation among both advocates and his colleagues to say that he is with them, and then he will vote against them. Sometimes he won’t take a position at all. More than once, Bulletproof has voted “present” on important matters of public policy—such as the confirmation vote for BlackBerry Consigliere Peter Nickles.

Moreover,The Nose is hard pressed to think of a specific piece of recent legislation that Bulletproof authored himself on the level of importance of the Bag Bill or Marriage Equality. On the Council, he seems more of a supporting actor rather than a lead.

Then there’s Bulletproof ’s academic cred. When Bulletproof first ran at-large, his campaign materials said he attended the Tuck School of Business at Ivy League Dartmouth.

Actually, Bulletproof spent a week up in New Hampshire at a Tuck executive business program.

Stretching things is a bit of a pattern for this ambitious at-large councilmember. Indeed, Bulletproof stretched his finances so much that three credit card companies have sued him for payment. What did Bulletproof think? Chase and Citibank would give up? Forget?

Dear Readers, good luck in choosing. The Nose plans to spend some time on the Eastern Shore staring into the water, lighting incense for Saint Kathleen. ★