Hill Rag Magazine – May 2020 by Capital Community News

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IN THIS ISSUE MAY 2020

36 Due to the COVID-19 virus, What’s On Washington, Community Calendar, Kids and Family Notebook, and School Notes, will not be running this month.

capitol streets

Coronavirus Volunteers Serve the Hill: Allison McGill Organizes an Army of 3000 by Elizabeth O’Gorek

In Search of Dandelions: Flower Wine Making Under Lock Down by Michelle LaFrance

CHRS Mother’s Day Scavenger Hunt

What Would it Take to Reopen the District? by Elizabeth O’Gorek

Businesses Adapt to COVID-19 Crisis by Elizabeth O’Gorek

Coronavirus Volunteers Serve the Hill: Allison McGill Organizes an Army of 3000 by Elizabeth O’Gorek

Local Businesses Step Up by Melissa Ashabranner

Capitol Rant: A Random Reflection As You-Know-What Locks Us Down by Maggie Hall

Capitol Hill Community Foundation Gives $50K in Special Grants by Melissa Ashabranner

Women of Ward 6: Emily Edson Briggs (1830-1910) by Marci Hilt

CHRS Mother’s Day Scavenger Hunt by Elizabeth Nelson

The Numbers: Reconsider the Federal “Safety Net” by Doni Crawford & Eliana Golding

Our River: The Anacostia: 10 Ways To Help Our River While Stuck At Home by Bill Matuszeski

April ANC 6A Report by Nick Alberti

April ANC 6B Report by Elizabeth O’Gorek

April ANC 6D Report by Andrew Lightman

Bulletin Board by Kathleen Donner

by Elizabeth Nelson

Turning Out EMT’s: Eastern High’s Emergency Medicine Services Program by Regina McClure

homes and gardens 55

In Search of Dandelions: Flower Wine Making Under Lock Down by Michelle LaFrance

Take the Spring Garden Quiz by Rindy O’Brien

Dear Garden Problem Lady by Wendy Blair

Renting in The Time of COVID by Michael Frias

Changing Hands by Don Denton

arts and dining 67

Artist Christine Vineyard Sells Prints of Iconic DC Businesses to Raise Money For Charity by Elizabeth O’Gorek

At the Movies by Mike Canning

Art and The City by Jim Magner

Literary Hill by Karen Lyon

Poetic Hill by Karen Lyon

The Wine Girl by Elyse Genderson

The Jazz Project by Jean Keith Fagon

family life 81

Turning Out EMT’s: Eastern High’s Emergency Medicine Services Program by Regina McClure

The District Vet: Time to Socialize Your Dog by Dan Teich

88 CLASSIFIEDS 94 CROSSWORD

on the cover: “Hill Rag” by Christine Vineyard www.lidflutters.com @lidflutters See more about Christine and her project to paint portraits of iconic DC businesses to raise funds for the DC Central Kitchen on pg. 67

Next Issue: May 30

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capitol s ree s t

WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO REOPEN THE DISTRICT?

With Benchmarks Identified, An Expert Looks at Data and Testing

by Elizabeth O’Gorek

e’ve all heard the stories, and some of us are living them. People have lost their jobs, local businesses are worried about paying staff and staying solvent. Restaurants are closing, some temporarily and some for good. People are sick, and people have died. As the COVID-19 crisis continues in the District, the question everyone is asking is: when do we turn a corner? And, who will be at the rudder? Scientists are already trying to map a pathway out of the pandemic. On April 17, experts at Johns Hopkins University released guidance for governors on a phased reopening, which Mayor Muriel Bowser said would guide decisions on the reopening of the District. Most experts agree that the return to something approaching what was once called ‘normal’ will be a slow, phased process.

Slow Phases to Reopening Right now, the District and most of the nation are in the first phase described in the John Hopkins report, where we try to slow the spread of the disease by staying away from one another, shutting down non-essential businesses and limiting gatherings. District officials say that while there were fewer confirmed cases than expected in late April, with hospitals running at about 75 percent capacity as of April 20, they are still planning for cases to peak in late June. Most experts agree that the District cannot reach the third phase, when restrictions are completely lifted, until there is a coronavirus vaccine. In early March, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony Fauci said even under these urgent conditions a vaccine could take 12 to 18 months to develop. In between, there is the second and most uncertain phase, a gradual reopening on the

local level. It is an uncertain phase because it is not clear what metrics or data will be used to determine when each jurisdiction is ready to reopen. It is also uncertain because even a gradual lifting of protective measures is likely to eventually trigger a new rise in cases, forcing leaders to reimpose strict measures. Finally, there is question of what will be allowed to reopen and who will be permitted –or compelled— to step outside the restrictions first. If COVID-19 was taking place outside of social and economic concerns, it may be desirable for social restrictions to remain in place until a vaccine was approved. However, even the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledges the real-life conditions that make this impossible. During an April 13th press conference, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus discussed the huge number of people who have lost their jobs and the closure of schools disrupting education for years to come. “This has halted their education, opened some to increased risk of abuse and deprived many children of their primary source of food,” he said.

What to Reopen, and When? Healthcare Systems Engineer Julie Swann agrees. The A. Doug Allison Distinguished Professor of the Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Swann was an advisor at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. She said that the lessening of restrictions is primarily about the financial and social implications. “The disease has had just catastrophic financial impact on households and the economy,” she said, “with estimates of the resulting unemployment rate as high as 30 percent. Is the federal government going to pay for food for all of these people?”

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In the next phase, many people would go back to work and school, under more relaxed restrictions, but Swann said large social gatherings, such as mass sporting events, festivals or concerts, will probably still be forbidden. What will open first will vary from state to state, and should probably be dictated by local conditions, Swann said. “Maybe we’ll focus on businesses where there are fewer vulnerable people, there are small sizes of gatherings or there are financial or other implications for society,” she said. Child-care centers, elementary schools and small restaurants might reopen, each with sufficient distancing. Other businesses that involve close contact between employees and a number of people, such as hair salons, would have to develop appropriate policies to prevent transmission, she said, opening the possibility of a waiver-system for reopening such as Bowser recently created for farmer’s markets in the District. “I think every sector of our society will need to think about what we have in place to reduce infections,” Swann said. The initial timing and length of phase two depends on multiple conditions, she added, such as increased levels of testing, conformity to social distancing and the capacity of the health care system, but she said that if the number of COVID-19 in the District peaks in June as is currently projected, phase two could last for months. Expert consensus so far seems to be that the decision to reopen should be made on the state level, a point made in the John Hopkins Report and an American Enterprise Institute Report on which is it based. On April 16th, the White House presented a threephase plan for reopening to governors, telling them that the states would “call the shots.” On April 27, Mayor Bowser announced that former Secretary of US Homeland Security Michael Chertoff and National US Security Advisor Susan Rice will co-chair a Reopen DC Committee. The committee will provide guidance for a phased reopening with mitigation guidelines for each of 12 different sectors. Bowser said that the committee is expected to issue a report the week of May 11. But both Bowser and DC Health Director Laquandra Nesbitt say that before District restrictions can be loosened, they need to see a consistent downward trend in new cases over a 14-day period. They also want to be sure the medical system can provide appropriate care for everyone who needs it. Following the John Hopkins report, Nesbitt also emphasized a need to test all those with COVID-19 symptoms, 16 H HILLRAG.COM

close contacts and those in essential roles, and the ability to do contact tracing for all new cases.

Challenges to Reopening Bowser has announced that the District is now in the process of hiring contract tracers, building the team from 65 to 200 tracers now, with a goal of around 900 by the time restrictions are loosened in the next phase. Still, there are a few challenges with assessing and maintaining many of those standards. The availability of PPE is one, a problem exacerbated by the fact that many manufacturers are located in countries already hard-hit by the virus, in addition to the reluctance of the White House to release nationally-held

Dr. Julie Swann, Healthcare Systems Engineer and A. Doug Allison Distinguished Professor of the Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. Swann was an advisor at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic response. Courtesy M. Culbertson/Signal Group

supplies or invoke executive powers over industrial production. A similar challenge is the availability of the coronavirus test. While the District has not specifically identified the ability to test all those showing COVID-19 symptoms as a benchmark, it is suggested in the John Hopkins report, which adds testing of close contacts and essential workers. A Harvard University report recommends populations be able to test between two and six percent of their population per day before lifting stay-at-home orders. Based on District population data for 2019, that is between 14,115 and 42,345 people. Bowser said that as of April 23, DC facilities could run just under 3,700 tests each day, with testing at the public health lab expected to double to 1,000-

1,300 per day over the next few weeks. With an insufficient number of tests available, testing is reserved for at-risk cases, meaning that the true prevalence of COVID-19 is unknown. Nesbitt, echoing Mayor Bowser, said she was still concerned about how to get the type and amount of testing that can demonstrate that the community had reached necessary benchmarks.

Local Information, Local Decisions Another problem is that while DC will make its own decisions, it does not exist in isolation. According to the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM), in 2017 there were 141,367 federal employees in DC and 282,666 in the metropolitan area. Whether or not that population will be expected to head to the office is a decision that will be made federally. The governors of Maryland and Virginia joined Bowser in writing a letter April 23 requesting that the OPM Director continue stay-at-home policies as they combat the pandemic. The unity of the three leaders speaks to the jurisdictional concern. While the authors of the John Hopkins Report argue that decisions should be made at the state level, calling for the strengthening of data and surveillance systems, Swann also argues that some decisions should be made at the county level, and that effort should be made to improve local data reporting. Swann explained that knowing what is happening in Prince George’s County would be more useful for District decision-makers than knowing what is happening in the whole state of Maryland. Cases and deaths due to Covid-19 are being tracked at the county level by The New York Times, but the data is built on inadequate testing. Swann said while national data on influenza-like illnesses could point to potential infections, it is poorly reported on the county level. Too poorly, she said, to ensure that local leaders are making good decisions. The professor said she is surprised that DC has not reported higher levels of infection. The District, she said, has all the hallmarks for the spread of disease, including a dense urban population, connectivity with other communities and a local population with health vulnerabilities. “People may go into and out of the community during the day, but then their reporting is attributed to a different state. I think DC may be a hidden hotspot,” Swann said.

Pendulum Swinging Between Phases Most experts indicate that the possibility of a return to

the strict conditions we are currently experiencing should be built into plans, a sort of pendulum swinging between looser and tighter restrictions. The AEI report says triggers for a return include the number of cases increasing over a five-day period; cases that cannot be traced to other known cases; or if hospitals cannot safely treat COVID-19 patients without going back to crisis mode. “We’ll need to get to the point where we can also make local decisions with local interventions, and we’re not close to that yet,” Swann said. While the standards by which jurisdictions like the District have been sketched out, there remain many questions without clear answers. One thing many experts agree on is that the road out of the current crisis will be a lengthy and bumpy one, and the ‘normal’ we return to may look quite different from the lives we lived before COVID-19 hit. Bowser has said that the reopening of the District will be a process, but that she is confident in the District’s ability to recover, but also to take advantage of the opportunity to rebuild and address issues that have long been a part of the city. “As we think about reopening, we also see this as an opportunity not just to go back to the way things were before, but to do and be better than before,” she said. “We have a once in a generation opportunity to reopen our city in a way that builds a more equitable DC, and we should not let this opportunity pass us by.” Learn more about the District efforts to fight COVID-19 by visiting coronavirus.dc.gov. Read the John Hopkins ‘Guidance for Governors’ at https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/our-work/pubs_archive/ pubs-pdfs/2020/200417-reopening-guidance-governors.pdf. u MAY 2020 H 17

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BUSINESSES ADAPT TO COVID-19 CRISIS by Elizabeth O’Gorek

.S. Jenks & Son owner Jerry Seigel always compared a small business to a small boat, said his son, Mike, now the store’s General Manager, likening larger businesses to huge ocean liners like the Titanic. “It’s a lot easier to miss the iceberg when you’re driving around on a 25-foot [boat] than it is when you’re trying to steer a cruise liner,” the younger Seigel said. “It’s a lot easier to turn, depending on the situation.” That ability to make sudden adjustments is important during the current COVID-19 crisis. The situation changes daily, and the stakes are high. “Everything happened so fast,” Seigel said. “It didn’t seem like this was going to be a big deal—and then the next day it was, and we’re all trying to play catch-up and try to figure out what the best way is to operate.” Local businesses are adapting their models to stay afloat through the COVID-19 crisis, working together, expanding their offerings, using technology, offering contactless pick-up and delivery services and finding new and creative ways to meet the needs of their customers.

Going Online For many, moving their key business online is the best way to see the crisis through. Pearl Street Warehouse (33 Pearl St. SW, pearlstreetwarehouse.com), is offering family meals, bar supplies and adult beverages for pick-up and delivery. But founder Nicholas Fontana acknowledges that Pearl Street is probably best known as a music venue. “It’s been a struggle, I guess you might say,” Fontana said. In the first two weeks after closures, customers rallied to order food and gift certificates, but that has slowed to a trickle. That means that he might have to rethink the food service strategy. However, Pearl Street is still offering weekly online concerts through the Pearl Street Live series, featuring many of the artists who had been scheduled to play live 18 H HILLRAG.COM

Acqua al 2 Head Chef Jesus Vara and Beverage Director Dominic Prudente with grocery items outside Acqua al 2 (212 Seventh St. SE). Photo: A. Lightman

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at the venue prior to the outbreak. Programmed by co-owner Bruce Gates, April’s ‘Pearl Street Live’ shows have featured singer-songwriter Jason Ager, and North Carolina’s Sarah Shook and the Disarmers are scheduled for May 22. Many artists perform from their own homes in Nashville or Los Angeles, adding to the intimacy of the event. “Bands are able to put their virtual tip jars out, so it’s been okay for them,” Fontana said. “It gives them an opportunity to play and maybe make a little money. Since he isn’t sure when the venue, which has a capacity of 300, will be able to open its doors again, and what that will look like, online shows are not a profit maker. “It’s basically a way to keep the Pearl Street brand alive,” he said. Entertainment isn’t the only type of business that’s gone virtual. Local pediatric therapy practice Skills on the Hill (1301 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, www.skillsonthehill.com) is reaching out online to offer support to parents as they are consumed with engaging their children who are having their own challenges. The therapy clinic is offering free online developmental consultations, advice on how to handle dayto-day challenges through their online blog, and ideas for stimulating play and movement through their “6 Ways to Play” social media campaign. There’s also a wide variety of classes available online. Fit4Mom, dc.fit4mom.com, is also offering virtual classes for moms and kids and studios like Hot Yoga Capitol Hill (410 H St. NE) are live streaming classes via Zoom. Learn more at hotyogacapitolhill.com.

Restaurants as Grocers Order With Joe’s Coffee App

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When Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) shut down restaurant dining rooms March 16, many of them shuttered. Others offered pick-up and delivery

MAY 2020 H 21

A child shows her Skills on the Hill (SOTH) therapist how many teeth she’s lost since their last TeleTherapy session. The clinic has developed online teletherapy sessions as a way of offering consistent care. Photo: Courtesy SOTH

services. Some, like Acqua Al 2 (212 Seventh St. SE) have expanded their offerings to include prepared food such as Beef Ragu; produce like coffee and bananas; wine and beer; pantry items such as flour and yeast; and janitorial items, like bleach and toilet paper. Orders are placed online and can be delivered or picked up the next day. Gejdenson said the restaurant isn’t making any money right now; all the profits from sales during the public health emergency are going to employees. A skeleton crew of five, including Director of Operations Teija Staples, Beverage Director Dominic Prudente and Head Chef Jesus Vara run the operation. Gejdenson said the goal is twofold: to help the community get items they need, and to help get what he calls the “forgotten workers” paid. The project started when Gejdenson decided to sell off the restaurant’s alcohol inventory to raise mon22 H HILLRAG.COM

ey for an employee relief fund. Staples noticed discussion about a need for flour and yeast on the Mothers on The Hill (MoTH) list serv, so the restaurant started to sell those too. They then realized pantry items could raise money for staff relief and fill a need in the community. “We’re on the front line, so we do feel obligated to help out the grocery stores, some of them having a hard time meeting customer needs, since we can deliver food and supplies safely without interacting face to face,” said Gejdenson. “Anything that we feel can fill a need for the community that we could deliver, I don’t think we’re opposed to doing it right now.” Acqua Al 2 isn’t alone in becoming a neighborhood grocer. Others, including Alibi Pub (237 Second St. NW, thealibidc.com), Joselito Casa De Comidas (660 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, www.joselitodc.com) and Pow Pow (1253 H St. NE, www.eatpowpow.

com), have also expanded to pantry items. Walters Sports Bar (10 N St. SE) created a Walters CSA to connect their local grocery suppliers with retail customers through the COVID-19 crisis. Sign up and learn more at waltersdc.com/walters-csa.

By Appointment Another tactic is to operate on an appointment basis. Where drop-in visits and walk-in purchases of animal food were once common, many District veterinarians are now asking that their patients schedule a petdrop off time. Clients are not permitted inside Capitol Hill Animal Clinic (1240 Pennsylvania Ave. S), capitolhillanimalclinic.com), during the crisis. Instead, the clinic has implemented a drop-off policy. Clients call to say they are outside the door, or waiting in their cars, and staff will bring pets into the clinic. Consultations will take place between clients and the veterinarian over the phone. The clinic wants to ensure they can continue providing critical care for pets at the same time as ensuring the safety of clients and staff. “We are a small clinic,” wrote clinic co-founder Dr. Dan Murphy. “If one staff member becomes sick, the clinic will have to close for a minimum of two weeks while we all selfquarantine. We are trying to prevent that from happening.” The clinic is still seeing pets for regular appointments, annual exams and Human Rescue Alliance Certification Exams. Dr. Murphy said he and the staff will work with all clients to ensure pets get medications and prescriptions during the crisis. If necessary, these will be delivered to the Capitol Hill, Navy Yard and Southwest communities. The same policy has been adopted at other veterinarians, including District Vet, (240 7th St SE) Union Vet Clinic (609 Second St. MAY 2020 H 23

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with hamburgers and adult beverages. “I immediately said ‘yes’ without hesitation,” said Quillian Helms. “This is a win-win for all of us.” Thinking it a brilliant idea, Quillian Helms approached East City Bookshop (645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, eastcitybookshop.com) and later, Hill’s Kitchen (713 D St. SE, www. hillskitchen.com) to extend the same offer, giving ‘non-essential’ businesses a hand and promoting all four together. “If the customer calls and orders food and drink for delivery [within zip codes 20002 and 20003] from Mr. Henry’s and we have their retail items from the other stores, we’ll deliver those items with the Henry’s order,” the Mr. Henry’s owner added. “Why not? It just makes sense.” The businesses may have been deemed ‘non-essential’ by the order, but their services are clearly in demand. Dan Murphy, DVM and the staff of Capitol Hill Animal Clinic. “Anyone with kids at home knows books and games are vitally important right NE, unionvetclinic.com), and Atlas Vet (1326 H St. now,” laughed Mr. Henry’s General Manager NE, atlasvetdc.com). Cathy Nagy. She said she did not anticipate the volIt is also being used for bicycles at Daily Ridume of books, games and kitchen supplies that are er (600 H St. NE, thedailyriderdc.com). Customnow going out through their patio window. ers call or message to get in line for a repair apLabyrinth’s Donahue said the fact that Mr. pointment. At the time of the appointment, they Henry’s was willing to become a pick-up and delock their bike up outside the shop, placing the key livery point for neighboring businesses was “just in the lockbox and then wait to hear back from resuper, super wonderful. I just think it’s really great pair personnel.

how the community is coming out to support different people through this.” Realtors Jason Martin Group have also united the community, organizing a weekly online trivia night that has already raised thousands of dollars in donations for local businesses, including Labyrinth but also Trusty’s, Maketto, Emilie’s and Bookstore Movers. Online donations from players are donated to the businesses, and players are encouraged to order food in to enhance the atmosphere of pub games. You can play by registering at www.fortheloveoftrivia.com

Curbside Pick-Up and Delivery Neighborhood hardware and gardening store W.S. Jenks & Sons’ Seigel said that the crisis is a huge challenge, but that it is teaching the Jenks team how to be more resourceful as a company. Located in a former car dealership at 910 Bladensburg Rd. NE, W.S. Jenks & Son has taken the unusual step of adapting to the

Working Together When Mayor Bowser shut down non-essential businesses on March 25, Labyrinth Puzzles & Games (645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, www. labyrinthgameshop.com) owner Kathleen Donahue was looking for a way to keep the heartbeat of her business alive. She approached Mary Quillian Helms, owner of Mr. Henry’s Restaurant (601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, mr.henrysdc.com). The restaurant is closed for dine-in, but had arranged a window for customer pick-up, and Donahue wondered if customers could collect the puzzles and games they ordered online or over the phone together 24 H HILLRAG.COM

Carryout meals from Mr. Henry’s and a book from East City Books await pickup at Mr. Henry’s. Photo. Liz O’Gorek

Evan from Labyrinth Puzzles & Games hands the board game ‘Pandemic’, in which players work to keep the world safe from epidemics, to Chris at Mr. Henry’s for final delivery to a cusomter. Courtesy: Mr. Henry’s

COVID-19 crisis by limiting, rather than expanding, their business. Before the COVID-19 crisis, the lion’s share of their sales were commercial accounts, including the DC Convention Center, Pepco and federal government agencies. These have dried up, as has work for the two employees dedicated to Genie lifts sales and maintenance. Seigel knows that W.S. Jenks was fortunate to have established an online ordering system about two-and-a-half years before the COVID-19 crisis hit. Usually, the company ships all over the nation, and even

the world. But the company is no longer taking orders outside of DC. “What inventory we have, it’s more important to us that our local customers have it,” Seigel said. “I’m confident that we’ll be able to get through this, and a lot of it is because of the support of neighbors to come and shop with us. On the community side, this has actually been a positive.” Customers can order online for delivery or pick-up, but he is fielding many orders via email, mobile or text message. “There’s definitely an added value in knowing the person who you’re buying from,” he said. “I’m getting text messages from customers; I’m getting emails from customers –and we’re confirming orders that way.” Seigel believes the crisis is causing people to realize anew the value in having a personal relationship with the people they do business with. Small business owners, he said, can be more responsive and are more familiar with available inventory. “It’s another vital role that small businesses play in the overall structure of the economy.” He said the biggest challenge has been confirming that the items ordered are available on the floor, and confirming the details requested by customers for delivery or pick-up conditions. He said the customers have been very understanding of the strain inventory is under, and the employees are very concerned about keeping everyone safe. “We’re just trying to do everything we can to make the transaction as fast as possible at a rate that the customer will feel comfortable, taking into consideration the needs of our staff,” Seigel said. “I’m very proud of the way that we’ve been able to weather the storm.” u MAY 2020 H 25

.capitol streets.

CORONAVIRUS VOLUNTEERS SERVE THE HILL Allison McGill Organizes an Army of 3000

llison McGill is just getting home from dropping off dinner to an elderly neighbor when I get her on the phone. Unable to leave the house during the COVID-19 outbreak because of her health, the neighbor had been expecting dinner to arrive from a different source. When it did not, the woman’s social worker called McGill. So, McGill and her teenager wiped everything down with sanitizer, put on makeshift masks and brought the woman dinner. McGill is the founder of Food On the Table DC (formerly called the DC Coronavirus Volunteers). On March 12, the day after Mayor Bowser declared a public health emergency in the District,

by Elizabeth O’Gorek McGill tweeted a call asking people who were at risk or vulnerable to the virus to contact her if they needed help. By then, she already begun gathering a list of volunteers willing to assist from the Table Church DC (945 G Street NW), where she is Director of Care. By March 25, after having expanded the search through social media and word of mouth, she had a list of more than 2,500. That list is now over 3,000 strong. There are so many volunteers for Food on the Table that they now have a website, hosted by the Table Church, and are calling for more people in need to reach out to them for help. “I laugh, but it’s actually beautiful,” McGill said of the outpouring of volunteer support. “It’s one of

Allison McGill, Amber Seyler and volunteer Melanie Acuna on a grocery run. The team delivered the items to 24 families, feeding 84 people. Photo: Courtesy Allison McGill.

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those sweet moments. People want to help and that says a lot about our city, and our area.”

A Volunteer Corps “We are in unprecedented times and a lot of Ward 6 neighbors are scared about what the immediate future looks like,” said Councilmember Charles Allen. “Knowing there are people out there like Allison, the 3,000 volunteers working with her, and other groups including the Ward 6 Mutual Aid Network and longstanding nonprofits, gives me so much hope and a full heart to know we will get through this together. We are becoming a stronger community through this pandemic.” Other organizations and even city agencies have reached out to the group for help, said Amber Seyler, the volunteer who spends nearly twelve hours every day managing operations for the group. In addition to individuals in need of assistance, Bread For the City and the Capital Food Bank have all contacted them for help. Seyler was one of the first people to volunteer, offering up her organization skills, which McGill welcomed. Ordinarily employed in television production, Seyer was between jobs and wanted to make a difference. She had suffered through a major health scare four years ago which cost her all her savings. She downplays any present concerns about her own financial future in this time of uncertainty. “I know that feeling, of wondering ‘what am I going to do?’ not figuratively, but really. ‘How am I going to go on after this?’” she said. “I would hate to think there is someone out there I could help, someone who was wondering, ‘how am I going to feed my kids?’” Seyler manages the tasks in two streams: big asks for groups of volunteers, and requests from at-risk or infected individuals for help. Every day, the whole group receives an email newsletter listing places or organizations where help is needed from more than one person. Between 75 and 100 of the volunteers work in the community daily. Meanwhile, Seyler matches individuals with needs to a volunteer who can help that person with

“I reached out to her because I ran out of toilet paper, and she was like, ‘I’ll have a volunteer drop it off,’” Porter said. “I knew she’d bring me TP. Little did I realize she had a small DC army of people who could do it.” Those volunteers picked up prescriptions for Porter and brought groceries, speaking to her through the window when they dropped items off at the door. McGill also set up a plan to ensure that Porter could get to the hospital if necessary. Porter said it was really Allison McGill and Amber Seyler in early March. Toremarkable and comforting gether they work with more than 3000 volunteers. Courtesy: A. McGill to have all the support of a volunteer army behind her. their particular request. Rigorous hy“Sometimes a little thing like giene protocol is enforced, and each leaving things at the door is that imporvolunteer has to have a mask, gloves, tant,” she said. sanitizer, and disinfectant. And sometimes, the help is major. In the course of organizing volunSometimes Leaving Things teers, Seyler met a woman who could at the Door is Important not keep fresh food in her apartment Noelle Porter was one of the first people because she had not had a working reto reach out to McGill for help. In early frigerator in six years. She put a call March, she showed symptoms of COout, and in seven hours neighbors had VID-19 – difficulty breathing, a heavy bought the woman a new one. cough, and fever. Her doctor told her she was presumptively positive. HowWe Have People Happy ever, she was immunocompromised, to Help You so going for testing would have been a I ask McGIll and Seyler: what are greater risk to her than staying home. their biggest needs? First, and foreSo, Porter self-isolated, in the most, says Seyler, they want at-risk strictest sense. She lives alone, so and vulnerable community members there was nobody to task with even to stay home and reach out to them for simple errands. help. “We have people happy to help “You’re so exhausted,” Porter you,” said Seyler. tells me of the effects of the disease. Both Seyler and McGill emphaWe’re speaking over the phone, afsize that people with any kind of need ter she’s emerged from her isolation. can ask them for help–whether they “Talking uses so much lung capacity, need food, prescriptions, someone to and you just don’t have the energy.” get their mail or someone to talk to. Porter met McGill when she Loneliness is a health issue for moved to the District six years ago and the isolated, too, they say. To that end, knew she could ask McGill for help. (Continued on pg. 31) MAY 2020 H 27

.capitol streets.

LOCAL BUSINESSES STEP UP

ven as stores are shuttered, as they wait for their Payment Protection Loans to arrive, as they strategize to face an unknown future, many business owners are also lending a helping hand. Here are some of their efforts.

Labyrinth Donates Games to Kids in Shelter

by Melissa Ashabranner tacted Phelps, offering to acquire games at cost or to use Labyrinth’s Teacher Wishlist Fund, created to supply games to District teachers. After Donahue posted about the need on Labyrinth’s Facebook page, Phelps said, it really exploded. “What was originally going to be sort of small but incredibly meaningful donation from a handful of folks turned into this enormous outpouring of generosity from a group of dedicated customers,” she said. Customers donated more than $1,700, and Donahue used the funds to buy games at cost, stretching it to more than $2,000 retail and bringing three gigantic boxes of activities to Phelps so that she could arrange for DHS to get them.

It’s typical of Kathleen Donahue, owner of Labyrinth Puzzles and Games (645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE), that when she is asked to talk about her efforts to help the community even as her own business suffers, Some of the 150 games donated via Labyrinth to kids in the DHS Shelters. she deflects attention to others. Photo: Anne Phelps She’s grateful to her customers for their concern and continued supthat is immediately moved to action to do someport. She’s grateful to Mr. Henry’s Restaurant, just thing generous for her community.” Community down the street, for acting as a pick-up location for Phelps had learned of the need for activities for The effort was a way to help people support Labpurchases from Labyrinth’s new e-commerce site, the children living in shelters through a colleague yrinth as well as kids in shelter, Phelps said. “The and to the Jason Martin Group, which selected her working at DC Council and shared the need on sogalvanizing nature of Kathleen’s post and people business as a beneficiary for their cial media. Seeing it, Donahue immediately conwanting to help in some way I think Donahue downplays how she it speaks to both the generosity of and Labyrinth are also coming out people,” Phelps said, “but also the to support people, even now while loyalty people feel toward their loher business has been closed and cal businesses.” revenue is down as much as 75 Donahue has been transparpercent. Last weekend, she took an ent about her fears for her busiidea brought to her by her friend ness and her employees on social Anne Phelps and spearheaded an media. “We have 15 employees and effort to gather more than 150 puzI am absolutely terrified. What hapzles and games for children staying pens to them if we can’t make it,” in the District’s family shelter sysshe said. “They mean the world to tem, run by the Department of Hume, and I just can’t let bad things man Services (DHS). happen to them no matter what as long as I can figure out something.” ‘A Story of Kathleen’ You can continue to support “It’s such a story of Kathleen,” said Labyrinth by visiting their new onPhelps. “I’ll tell you that here she is, line store. Items can be picked up so worried about her staff—as she from Mr. Henry’s Restaurant (601 should be—and a business she’s Pennsylvania Ave. SE), which in poured her heart and soul into in After Donahue posted about the need on Labyrinth’s Facebook page donations really addition to offering takeaway food this terrible time, and yet despite all exploded. Photo: Labyrinth Game Shop 28 H HILLRAG.COM

We are in this Together! Join the JLC Team in supporting Little Lights Little Lights is a wonderful, community-based program that supports our friends and neighbors at Potomac Gardens and Hopkins, two public housing communities on Capitol Hill, and Benning Terrace public housing, which is east of the Anacostia River.

Little Lights Partcipates in #GivingTuesdayNow on May 5, 2020. Miss the date? Feel free to donate any day in May! Thank you for being such caring neighbors. —The JLC Team Kathleen Donahue. Photo: Elizabeth Dranitzke/ Photopia

and adult beverages between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. is also a pick-up point for Labyrinth’s neighboring business, East City Bookshop.

Jackie Sink 202.352.5793 jackie.sink@compass.com

Jason Martin Group Trivia Game Raises $1000’s

Libby Clarke

Local business owners, many of them facing their own difficulties, are working together to help one another get to the other side of the pandemic. One such effort spearheaded by the Jason Martin Group, is not just fun and games– but it’s all that, too. The team of real estate agents have raised $13,000 for nine small businesses over three weeks by hosting online trivia. More than 728 people have participated in Virtual Trivia Tuesdays so far. The event has benefited nine small businesses in three weeks, including Hill favorites Trusty’s, Pursuit Wine Bar & Kitchen, East City Book Shop, Maketto, Bookstore Movers, Emilie’s and Barrel. On April 17, the game supported three new Hill favorites, including

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“If this was just me there’s no possible way I could do it,” John Coleman said of the Jason Martin Group Team, which works to put the online trivia game together weekly to raise money to help support area businesses. Photo: Courtesy JMG

Hill’s Kitchen, Labyrinth Puzzles and Games and the Eastern Wine Bar. “We’re all looking for something to do. I mean, you can only watch so much ‘Tiger King’,” John Coleman of JMG said. “But it’s also a great way to offer support. People are looking for creative ways to give someone like Trusty’s money. This is a fun way where you can come in, contribute, have a fun time and then leave some money at the end. It’s a positive way to do it.” Coleman said the event was originally just going to be a one-time deal, a way for his friends and neighbors to stay sane and connected while obeying the shelter-in-place order. However, after Jason Martin Group decided to use the event to support local business, it evolved into an outpouring of community support. Proceeds from Trivia Night have allowed businesses to keep some staff working and offer addi30 H HILLRAG.COM

tional services to their patrons. “Jason Martin Group has been an amazing partner for the community,” said Adam Kelinsky, of The Pursuit Wine Bar & Kitchen. “They’ve figured out a way to bring folks together at a time when people need connectivity and unification. It reminds us of the good times for a moment and offers a distraction from what’s going on around us.” Now the project is hosted on gaming platform Twitch, allowing the team to integrate video, slides and music. Players sign up on Eventbrite throughout the week. On Tuesday morning, players get an email listing the partners and suggesting they enhance the pub-night atmosphere with takeout from partnering restaurants. About an hour before the game, they are sent a link to the stream for computer, fire stick or smart TVs. They also get a link to the answers form, which is filled out online as the quiz is happening and graded in real time.

Coleman said that putting the trivia event together is time-consuming, but it gives the team something to rally around, and a reason to keep moving now, while work has slowed for them as well. “If this was just me there’s no possible way I could do it,” he said. He said members of the Jason Martin Group Team, especially Tim Holt and Mariah Henlsey are “the backbone in making it happen each week. I’m just the guy who gets to drink a beer in front of the camera and read the questions,” he said. The Jason Martin Group plans to host weekly Virtual Trivia every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. as long as the players keep coming out. For more information or to sign up, visit www.fortheloveoftrivia.com. Watch the promotional video at https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5EhX4sTekE&feat ure=youtu.be u

(Continued from pg. 27) McGill said, cards have been made available on the group’s website to help make connections and facilitate support. You can download, print and fill out your name and contact information. The cards can then be distributed down your street or hallway, to let neighbors at-risk know that you are willing to help. “The biggest way to help is to know our neighbors,” she said. “People are more likely to call a neighbor than someone they heard about on the news or a complete stranger.” McGill says community members can donate items to the Ward 6 hub for DC Mutual Aid at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW, 545 Seventh St. SE). The Ward 6 group is spearheaded by Serve Your City (SYC) DC, with whom McGill’s group is partnering. Needed items include technology for students who need to learn from home, household supplies and food. Financial donations can be made to the volunteer group through the Table Church. Funds will be used to ensure that those needing supplies, medication, or a meal can receive them whether they have money or not. McGill said she is empowered by how a small act has turned into something so incredibly big. “It’s amazing how a small drop can turn into a wave,” she said. “I guess we can all do something big by doing a little.” Learn more, request assistance, donate or volunteer to help by visiting https://thetablechurchdc.org/coronavirus-assistance or by emailing dc.coronovirus.volunteers@ gmail.com. u MAY 2020 H 31

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CAPITOL RANT

A Random Reflection As You-Know-What Locks Us Down by Maggie Hall

lease, please, stop calling it by its official name. We don’t need it spelled out, spoken out, in every article, broadcast, conversation in full. Let’s just call it “It”. Or how about a simple “C-V.” When I suggested that to a friend he shot back, “But people will get it con- fused with a resume.” I shot back, “Better than calling it its proper name and screwing-up global beer sales.” And what’s with the “19”? What happened to “18,” never mind “1”? As for the “novel” bit, if they want to give it a literary reference, let’s go with “horror.” For me the “novelty” wore off quickly. At first the challenge of doing as told, doing one’s bit to save one’s neighborhood of being ravaged by youknow-what, had adrenalin-pumping purpose. But that all stopped the day the pubs were closed! That date— Monday, March 16th—is my benchmark for when life in the era of C-V changed. For the first time in all my years of propping up bars, I had a dry St. Patrick’s Day. Dry? Yes, because for some unfathomable reason I don’t drink at home on my own. Never have done. And over the last month or so, as I sit alone surrounded by every type of liquor and a stack of wine that resembles a “cellar,” have tried. Cajoled myself into pouring a glass of Three Buck Chuck. But it goes untouched. Of course, that’s good. Because if I ever manage to switch my bingeswilling, vodka-soda ways from the bar to my sofa, I will be in deep do-dah. Though the biggest change has been something I’ve never suffered from: inertia. An all-consuming “doing nothing.” While others bang-on about their “lockedin” achievements—clearing out filing cabinets, all those thousands of photos sorted, how they can hardly move at home because, while their closets are now free of all those clothes they

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never wear, the place is littered with bags and boxes of unwanted gear waiting for Goodwill to be allowed to open again— my “to do” list is untouched. But I’m eating well! As someone who, is classed as “vulnerable” (age plus an auto-immune condition), lives alone, eats out a lot and only really cooks when entertaining, I’m rising to the challenge of existing on pantry items (though I am sick of seeing yet another food article telling you how to do it—with ingredients that most peo-

ple don’t have casually on hand, like miso, walnut oil and coconut flour). My favorite go-to is Spam (which I’ve always stocked ready for Armageddon), “roasted” in the oven so it gets

crispy on all sides, a can of any beans, dressed-up with every herb and spice on hand (even the ones way past their sell-by date); and a fried egg. Don’t dare knock it. You know, given a chance you too would scarf it. But like most disasters, there is a silver-lining. For me it’s hugs. For a long time, I’ve railed against the hugging brigade. I’ve tried to avoid being hugged by people, particularly those I don’t know as I’m just being introduced to them. Not to mention that unwanted hug that’s offered when you run into a someone you do know. Then again as you part company. Among my pals I’m known as a “non-hugger” —which they will yell out as someone I’m meeting for the first time lunges towards me. For me, hugs are for those you love, when you see them after a long time apart, or are bidding au-revoir (i.e. as in, ‘til we meet again, not see you tomorrow). Happily, as normal life starts-up, I have a feeling hugs will be off the agenda for quite a while. As for “zooming,” don’t invite me. Not to a happy-hour, the book-group, or a trivia-game bonanza. Having people seeing me lounging in my pit, picking-mynose (am only half-joking) is a nogo. And I’m tired of being asked, what are you reading? The answer is: if you mean am I reading my favorite door-stop, War and Peace, the answer is no. And so far, have resisted signing-up for Netflix. Regular telly, with some basic cable, meets my needs. And have to admit (and this is in the same shameful category as my Spam confession), I’ve discovered the reality delights of Say Yes to the Dress and 90 Day Fiancé. At least they keep my inertia intact. But by far my top-watch

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CHCF GIVES $50K IN COVID GRANTS

by Melissa Ashabranner

he Capitol Hill Community FoundaFunding Particularly Welcome tion announced last month that it apMaurice Cook, Director of Serve Your City DC, said proved $50,000 in emergency grants to that the funds will be divided into thirds. One-third four local organizations which are helpwill go towards providing food, essential supplies and ing to mitigate the effects of the CoronaPPE to underserved residents. Another third will provirus pandemic on the community. The Foundation vide devices and internet access to students in order to has stepped in as a conduit for community support before when Capitol Hill institutions have faced extraordinary challenges such as the fires that destroyed Eastern Market, Frager’s Hardware, and the Capper Senior Residence. Nonprofit Everyone Home DC, which works with District residents to find housing solutions will receive a $15,000 grant for their services to homeless individuals in the community. Little Lights Urban Ministry, which empowers under-served youth and families, received $15,000 for their programs, particularly those for children at Potomac Gardens and Hopkins Housing. “We are so thankful to be recipients of the Capitol Hill Community Foundation grants in response to the COVID-19 crisis,” said Little Lights Executive Director Steve Park. The organization has been working with residents of the complexes for more than a decade, providing tutoring services, meals and youth programming. Park said the urban ministry will use the funds to hire residents of the two housing complexes to assist in distribution of resources such as groceries, diapers and donated masks. They will also use funds Little Lights volto provide computer equipment and high unteers distribute speed internet in homes of those students masks and lunch to residents. Courwho do not have access to in-home high tesy: Little Lights speed wifi, facilitating their academic programming via video conferencing. Two awards of $10,000 were also granted. The first, to nonprofit Serve Your City DC, facilitate online learning. The final portion will go to a helps them expand their work creating opportunities public health campaign among underserved commufor at-risk D.C. students to help in the distribution of nities, spreading information about COVID-19 and food and supplies for Ward 6 residents needing asthe challenges these communities are expected to face sistance through the Ward 6 Mutual Aid Network. in the future.

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The funding is particularly welcome, Cook said, because although city agencies and officials are referring residents to the Ward 6 Mutual Aid hotline, the city has not provided any financial support. Similarly, Park said Little Lights had been ineligible for the city’s Microgrant Program, which has provided funds to businesses and nonprofits, because of their status as a religious organization. Local Chamber of Commerce the Capitol Hill Association of Merchants and Professionals (CHAMPS) received funding to help maintain infrastructure for advocacy and communications throughout our local business community. CHCF President Nicky Cymrot said that CHCF was particularly concerned about the potential damage to local restaurants and small retailers and the grant would help CHAMPS keep businesses up-to-date on resources available to them. “This is a situation where every member of the community is affected, but we want to do what we can to support those who are working to assist our most vulnerable citizens,” said Cymrot. The Foundation also announced that it has doubled the size of its grants to community nonprofits this spring, recognizing that many are being asked to do more in this pandemic situation, and that some have had to cancel fundraising events. The Capitol Hill Community Foundation has made over $9 million in grants to schools and community organizations over the past 30 years from funds donated almost entirely by local residents and businesses. If you wish to contribute during this time of great need, please go to the website Capitol HillCommunityFoundation.org or send a check to the Foundation at 419 East Capitol St. SE, Washington DC, 20003. All contributions are tax deductible. u

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WOMEN OF WARD 6 Emily Edson Briggs (1830-1910) by Marci Hilt

ay’s Woman of Ward 6 is Emily Edson Briggs, who won renown by writing a colorfully irreverent newspaper column in the mid to late 1880’s under the pen name Olivia, in which she presented the capital’s political scene as social entertainment. Briggs was the first, and one of the best known, in a long line of Washington society reporters. She was one of the first women to acquire a national reputation in the field of journalism as a newspaper correspondent in Washington, D.C. Nineteenth century women faced major obstacles in their efforts to break into journalism. Briggs was given access to the halls of Congress during the mid-1800’s, which allowed her to describe the people and events there, becoming the first society reporter as a social commentator. She was born in Burton, Ohio in 1830; married John Briggs in 1853; and moved to Washington, DC, in 1861, when her husband was hired as an assistant clerk for the U.S. House of Representatives. She developed a knack for observing and commenting on the political scene. A letter she sent to the Washington Chronicle, using the pen name Olivia, defending the efficiency of women in government employment, caught the eye of the paper’s owner John W. Forney. Her letter expressed her displeasure at the criticism being received by women working at the U.S. Treasury–and defended their right to work for the government. Forney, who owned both the Washington Chronicle and the Philadelphia Press, hired her to write a daily column for both papers. She wrote under her pseudonym for more than 20 years. Her columns were fashioned as letters to the paper. While they touched upon society and fashion, they also contained political and social insights that set her apart from other women journalists of the day. During the Lincoln administration, Briggs became the first woman to report directly from the White House, and later she was among the first to be admitted to the congressional press gallery.

However, she restricted herself primarily to society news and issues affecting women. As a woman she felt she should not – or could not – compete with men. In a column on Charles Sumner, she said: “This article is not written with the attempt to portray that which makes Charles Sumner the central figure of the American Senate. No woman possesses the gift to explore his mind …” Although she wrote under her pseudonym of Olivia, she made no attempt to hide her true identi-

ty. Leaving the narration of actual events to male correspondents, Briggs said her aim was to “depict the delicate life currents and details.” She composed “pen pictures” of leading political figures, made up lists of those “matrimonial eligible” among Capital bachelors and covered White House festivities. Equivocal on woman suffrage, Briggs nevertheless covered suffrage conventions in minute – if not always flattering – detail. Although she was one

of the first women offered admittance to the congressional press gallery, she did not make use of the privilege. She felt that, as a woman, she was not really welcome there, and she gained news from her social contacts with political figures. She covered everything from lavish society dinner to the impending battle for President Andrew Johnson’s impeachment. She described the suffragists who testified before a congressional committee almost 50 years before the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote in 1920. Briggs gave up journalism to become a wellknown Washington hostess. In her old age, she collected her favorite columns into a book, The Olivia Letters, which was published in 1906, four years before her death. Valuable as a source of social history, The Olivia Letters contain reprints of columns on personalities involved in the Johnson impeachment trial and gossipy portrayals of other notables. Her writing suffers from typical Victorian failings – gushy sentiment and flowery metaphors. But it is valuable as a set of observations from the first society reporter. The Olivia Letters is available from East City Books, 645 Pennsylvania Ave., SE. In the latter part of her life, Briggs lived at The Maples, the grand old home at 630 South Carolina Ave., SE, that eventually became Friendship House and, in 2015, a multi-unit residential development. The Women of Ward 6 Initiative is a non-partisan recognition of Ward 6’s women. In partnership with the National Woman’s Party, Capitol Hill Restoration Society and the Hill Rag, the Ward 6 Dems initiative will culminate this year, which is the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. Marci Hilt grew up on a small-scale grain, poultry and dairy farm in Northwest Ohio. She is a retired communications coordinator and press secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. She currently writs and edits EMMCA MATTERS and is treasurer of the Ward 6 Democrats. u

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CHRS MOTHER’S DAY SCAVENGER HUNT

by Elizabeth Nelson

lthough the 2020 House & Garden Tour has been postponed due to Covid-19, the Capitol Hill Restoration Society (CHRS) honors this 63-year-old tradition with a Photo Scavenger Hunt. This free, family-friendly, “socially distant” outdoor activity debuts on May 8 at www.chrs.org. Photos of 48 “critters,” including a few humanoids, from across The Hill are included. Some are iconic and immediately recognizable, others more ob-

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scure, providing an excuse to check out nooks and crannies not often visited. Or be an armchair traveler and enjoy the sights from the comfort of home. A map and downloadable handout will be available on the website and here. Have fun exploring the whimsy of Capitol Hill! If you find other treasures, event organizers would love to see them. Email to HouseTourCHRS@gmail. com with a note of the street address. ◆

Scavenger Hunt 2020 Addresses Northeast Addresses:

Northeast Critters:

232 7th St NE 516 3rd St. NE 409 D St. NE 616 5th St. NE 421 6th St. NE 600 E St. NE 668 G St. NE (2 dots) (matc 900 Maryland Ave NE h the pairs) 904 Maryland Ave NE 1022 Maryland Ave NE 1230 Maryland Ave NE 323 13th St. NE 915 Constitution Ave NE 116 11th St. NE 239 11th St. NE 200 blk 13th St. NE (intersection with TN Ave) 1436 North Carolina Ave NE 1500 North Carolina Ave NE 718 East Capitol St. NE 1001 Massachusetts Ave NE 1308 North Carolina Ave NE

Balance Bear in the woods Butterfly Chinese Lion-dogs Cow Cranes Deer Dragon Flamingos Frog with a mug Ganesha (elephant god) Giraffe browsing Gnome on horseback Gnome with Lantern Griffin Lumberjack Owl Peacock Pink Elephant Robot Stegosaurus Yellow Giraffe

Southeast Addresses:

Southeast Critters:

100 F St. SE 223 5th St SE 317 South Carolina Ave SE (2 dots) 304 12th St SE 525 2nd St. SE (2 dots) 217 5th St. SE 519 G St. SE 638 G St. SE 7th & G Sts. SE 719 North Carolina Ave SE 601 North Carolina Ave SE 1018 7th St. SE North Carolina Ave & D St. SE North Carolina Ave & C St. SE 300 9th St SE (2 dots) 500 13th St. SE 254 10th St. SE 224 12th St. SE 1364 Independence Ave SE 1350 Massachusetts Ave SE 1011 East Capitol St. SE 633 A St. SE 520 14th St. SE

Brass Hog Buddha Capitalsaurus Chicken Dog with a basket Demon Eggs Flying Dog Goat Grasshopper Knight Lion Moai (Eastern Island heads) Narwhals Newspaper Elephant Piggies Plump Frog Sea Serpent Shy Giraffe Sousa Stag Striped Bear Tiki Idol Treestump Owl Turtle Woman (Olive Seward)

900 Maryland Ave NE

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/ The Numbers /

RECONSIDER THE FEDERAL “SAFETY NET” by Doni Crawford and Eliana Golding

he COVID-19 pandemic is devastating families and businesses in the District. In just six weeks, over 72,000 people have filed for unemployment insurance and many businesses have been forced to close their doors. This economic downturn is unprecedented and different from prior recessions because the government is intentionally shutting down parts of the economy to keep us alive. The result is that the nation has lost more jobs in March than during the entire Great Recession. Federal policymakers have been more willing to quickly work together to enact immediate (yet, inadequate and almost entirely temporary) economic relief because this pandemic affects us all—though not equally. Due to racism, inequitable social determinants of health, and medical bias, Black residents disproportionately make up over 75 percent of virus-related deaths and the majority of positive coronavirus cases in the District. In the wake of this crisis, we have a moral obligation to reexamine the structures by which people in America access essential programs. The devastating fallout of COVID-19 has exposed gaping holes in our social “safety net” that, by design, allows millions to fall through. Perhaps the largest flaw in the “safety net” is that it is considered a “safety net” at all. We have come to believe that the federal government’s role is to intervene only in times of crisis, whether that crisis is personal (like the sudden loss of a job) or widespread (like the nationwide economic shutdown). This choice has led to a dangerously inadequate system that leaves many behind. But it did not have to be this way. Federal officials’ rapid response shows us that government has always had the tools to protect us from economic hardship. What was made to seem impossible—direct, unqualified cash payments with no arduous application processes, mandatory paid sick leave, higher unemploy-

38 H HILLRAG.COM

ment benefits, etc.—is now reality. What was lacking was not the ability to create real economic security programs, but the political will. The lesson from this pandemic should be that Congress must thoroughly invest in infrastructure and programs to promote wellbeing and economic vitality in all communities.

The Burden is on State Governments The system has failed an enormous share of our workforce and it is by design. For decades, the federal government has abandoned its responsibility to provide for the well-being of its constituents by steadily eroding an already flimsy “safety net” with stringent eligibility criteria and insufficient benefits. Inadequate financial support in the form of block grants has made it nearly impossible to massively expand programs in times of crisis. This disinvestment has had a devastating impact on states and residents as they attempt to grapple with the economic fallout of COVID-19. As states face a looming recession, they are left struggling to pick up the tab, a task made even more daunting because they cannot run deficits like the federal government. States’ revenues are plummeting, so they must look to the federal government for assistance, which to date has been substantial, but remains insufficient. In DC, our unique position as a non-state has made this reality even more challenging. The last approved federal emergency package significantly shortchanges DC by giving us less than half of the fiscal aid it provides to other states to address massive, immediate budget problems due to COVID-19. DC is receiving $495 million from the Coronavi-

rus Relief Fund for calendar year 2020, while each of the 50 states is receiving at least $1.25 billion. This is deeply misguided as DC is typically treated as a state in federal programs. Our District—like other states, territories, and tribal nations—is incurring huge new costs as we seek to contain and treat COVID-19. Less federal aid means that DC will have to rely more heavily on our reserves to stay afloat in the near future.

Opportunities to Make it Right What would this pandemic look like if we had robust social programs that did not just meet the need in times of crisis, but were structured to reduce the number of people who are especially vulnerable to crises? And going forward, what responsibility does the federal government have to alleviate the pressure on states to provide equitable access to these programs without the flawed focus on personal responsibility and productivity?

Protections for Workers While many cities have passed their own version of a

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paid sick leave law, the United States remains one of very few countries in the world without universal, mandatory paid sick leave. Before the pandemic hit, four out of five food service workers and three out of four childcare providers did not have access to paid sick leave. The ability to stay home when sick should not be a right reserved for high-earning, salaried workers. The fact that the US waited to be hit by a pandemic to implement temporary federal paid leave demonstrates the devastating shortfalls in federal worker protections. While DC will soon be implementing its own universal paid family and medical leave program, it too has incorporated overly prescriptive rules that will exclude tens of thousands of workers from accessing those benefits.

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COVID-19 has led to an unprecedented spike in joblessness. While many of those who have lost their jobs are able to apply for traditional unemployment insurance, entire classes of workers, including the millions who work in the gig economy, are excluded from this vital economic relief. Seeing the desperate need for financial relief and the limitations of the current UI program, Congress expanded UI benefits and created the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. While these actions will blunt some of COVID’s economic harm, they are short-term fixes, as many of the protections are temporary and most of the federal UI expansions expire by the end of the year. They also exclude undocumented workers. The traditional unemployment insurance system is outdated and does not reflect the needs of workers in a rapidly evolving economy. It will continue to leave millions without financial recourse if it is left unreformed. Unemployment programs must also address the systemic inequities that have privileged some forms of work over others. This crisis reminds that not everyone can work or is expected to work—and that wages are too low for many households to be financially secure. Perhaps we should be looking toward an expansion of direct cash payments to people in need without intentionally burdensome work requirements and time limits, as a way to ensure that all residents are able to meet their basic needs, in times of crisis or otherwise.

Housing As millions are unable to make rent, housing security is a challenge looming in the minds of ten-

ants and lawmakers alike. The CARES Act created a federal moratorium on evictions and foreclosures for covered properties, which some jurisdictions, including DC, have expanded on. However, this moratorium is temporary, and does nothing to assist tenants facing financial hardship and eventual eviction if they are unable to make rent. The federal government has the mechanisms to support low-income residents, including through the Housing Choice Voucher Program. Unfortunately, this program is deeply underfunded, meaning that only one in five households who qualify for a voucher will actually receive one. Federal lawmakers have steadily disinvested in public housing infrastructure for decades, resulting in crumbling housing stock and living conditions that are so hazardous that residents are worried about the safety of quarantining in their units. Millions of people were facing housing insecurity pre-COVID-19 and the pandemic has further exacerbated it. The federal government must reassess its chronic underfunding of housing programs and invest in widespread housing stability. Going forward, temporary emergency fiscal relief is not enough. The federal government must reconsider its decades-long disinvestment in collective wellbeing by implementing structural changes that reduce the number of people who are one paycheck away from economic crisis.

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/ Our River: The Anacostia /

10 WAYS TO HELP OUR RIVER WHILE STUCK AT HOME article and photos by Bill Matuszeski

e are living in strange times—tied to our homes to escape the pandemic and not sure how safe it is to go out or how safe it will be anytime soon. But that does not say we cannot do good for our community. In fact, many of us are taking advantage of the early and spectacular spring to get out to our gardens and our yards to do things we have only thought about for

and rainfall, thus avoiding the need for additional watering and associated runoff. They also need less in the way of chemical treatments and fertilizers than non-natives. And since they use less water added by hoses from our drinking water system, they avoid putting chemicals added for our health that may not necessarily be good for plants or the river.

years. And it so happens that many of those things can be of great benefit to the Anacostia River if we take a little time to discover how. Here are ten ways that our gardening and related outside activities can help Our River:

1. Plant Trees And Ground Covers To Control Erosion. Much of the Anacostia suffers from too much sediment entering it from the surrounding lands and sewer lines. One way you can help reduce erosion and sediment runoff is to plant trees and replace lawns and bare soil with groundcovers. Try to avoid invasive and non-native groundcovers like English ivy. Trees develop extensive root systems to hold the soil and moderate temperatures with shade to help other plants.

2. Use Native Plants In Gardens Native plants help Our River by sending down roots accustomed to our soils 42 H HILLRAG.COM

6. Don’t Wash Yard Waste, Chemicals, Oil or Grease Down The Storm Drains.

There are safer and more naturefriendly alternatives on the market that do just as well and often do not cost more. And you can replace some of the fertilizer and other soil benefits with a compost pile of natural material from your garden.

This is especially important in the areas with separate stormwater and waste-water sewer systems, since the storm sewers empty directly into the river and its tributaries with no treatment. This includes most of Anacostia and the areas west of the river above Benning Road. The rest of the city, including Capitol Hill, downtown and beyond and the commercial area of Anacostia along MLK Avenue, is on the combined system with the new tunnels, but even they can overflow into the river at times. And when they do they bring all the sewage as well.

4. Properly Dispose of Yard, Hazardous and Pet Wastes.

7. Don’t Litter or Dispose of Trash Into Storm Drains.

3. Avoid Chemical Fertilizers, CopperContaining Fungicides And Synthetic Pesticides on Your Property.

Ground cover at work helping to prevent sediment runoff.

serving energy and using public transit, biking or walking.

Some of the yard waste can safely be added to your compost pile. The rest should be treated or disposed of safely in the trash. The main thing is to keep them from being washed into the storm sewer system where they can end up in the river and affect water quality.

5. Limit Car Use To Reduce Airborne Pollution Deposition. We do not often think about automobile use as having a negative effect on Our River, but the deposition of airborne pollutants is a major source of toxics to urban rivers like the Anacostia. So we can all do our part by con-

Some people still think that the way to deal with litter and trash is to sweep it into the storm drain. For a large part of our watershed, that simply means that in a few minutes that cup will be happily floating down the Anacostia and into the Potomac, the Chesapeake and the Atlantic. Even the combined sewers will occasionally add their debris to the river during a storm. Far better to bag it and send it with the trash pick-up.

8. Install Rain Barrels. Rain barrels can be readily installed at your downspouts from the roof, serving as a source of free, fresh water without the additives to our drinking

ways, patios and even driveways can be replaced with permeable pavers, hard materials like bricks that can have spaces between them where the water seeps into the ground and is absorbed on-site. The result is more water for nearby plants and reduced runoff to sewers and the river. Information and partial funding for many of the above improvements is available from the DC Government through a program called Riversmart Homes. It is a joint effort by the DC Permeable pavers allow water to seep into the ground. Department of Energy and Environment water that help humans but not nec(DOEE) and the non-profit Alliance essarily plants. It is the best source for the Chesapeake Bay. They have of water for plants, but it needs to be various programs that help homeapplied with care to prevent erosion owners understand the options and and runoff of sediment. cover the cost of rain barrels, rain gardens, permeable pavers and oth9. Install Rain Gardens. er landscape improvements to help Rain gardens are another great addiOur River. Check out the following: tion to your property, often also using roof downspouts run out from the house as a source. This can reduce wetness and overflow into basements, as well as provide a place to add a beautiful garden of water-tolerant native plants. And by holding the rainwater on-site, you are reducing the runoff to the Anacostia in a storm.

10. Install Permeable Pavers. Much of the runoff from your property can come from paved areas where the water cannot be absorbed and simply runs into other areas, often adding to the flow off the property. Many of these areas, including walk-

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April ANC6A Report by Nick Alberti Present: Commissioners Amber Gove (Chair), Mike Soderman, Ruth Ann Hudson, Brian Alcorn and Stephanie Zimny. Commissioner Phil Toomajian, Marie-Claire Brown and Sondra Philips-Gilbert were absent.

Councilmember Charles Allen Updates on DC Corona Virus Response Speaking to the ANC via a remote conferencing application, Councilmember Charles Allen shared some updates and data regarding how the District is managing the current health crisis. As of the time of the ANC meeting, 56,000 DC residents had applied for unemployment benefits. This sudden and dramatic increase has strained the existing antiquated system, slowing down the processing of each applica-

tion. Managing the inclusion of the additional $600 per week from the Federal Government has only added to this strain. The DC government is working to update these systems and process unemployment applications as quickly as is possible. Fortunately, DC already had a healthy unemployment trust fund so those in immediate need will have access to funds, but this level of unemployment assistance is not sustainable if the area is facing long-term unemployment increases. Over time the DC government has a been able to set up a “rainy-day” fund equivalent to approximately 60 days of government spending. This additional money can be used to bolster government functions hit hardest by the decrease in revenue. However, these funds will not last indefinitely and, according to Councilmember Allen, Washington DC is receiving Federal assistance as a territory and not that equivalent to the other states meaning DC may potentially miss out on $750 million in Federal assistance. Similarly, Washington DC has received less than half of 1% of the personal protective equipment (PPE) requested from the federal stockpile. The DC government has been able to offer some assistance, though, such as establishing a $25 million micro grant fund for small businesses and nonprofits and temporarily easing some regulations allowing restaurants to offer to-go alcoholic drinks to encourage continued patronage and implementing an eviction moratorium for the period of the emergency. There is also an on-going push to add corona virus testing sites across the city. Ultimately, Councilmember Allen explained, this health crisis will likely lead to long-lasting economic constraints as the Mayor’s budget, which typically would have already been released, is expected to show a $600 million reduction this year alone when announced sometime in May. He urged residents to stay in as much as they can, obey CDC guidelines and to stay safe. Contact Councilmember Allen at callen@dccouncil.us.

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Director Jeff Marootian Director Marootian shared that 2019 for DDOT was a banner year having paved over 100 miles of roads and restriped over 1500 crosswalks. He believes DDOT is still on track for a similar performance in 2020 as DOOT will be continuing much of the infrastructure and safety improvement work already scheduled. However, the department is now transitioning to planning for the unknown future needs of the city after this emergency has waned. In response to a concern about budget cuts, Director Marootian explained that DDOT receives funding from a variety of sources and is always comparing projects to available funding. On-going projects like C Street NE and Maryland Avenue NE and improvements on Florida and New York Avenues are expected to progress as scheduled. 44 H HILLRAG.COM

ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION 6A AMBER GOVE, CHAIR, AMBERANC6A@GMAIL.COM Serving the Near Northeast, North Lincoln Park, Rosedale, and H Street communities ANC 6A generally meets the second Thursday of the month, at Miner Elementary School, 601 15th Street, NE.

www.anc6a.org ALL ARE WELCOME. Unanimous Motions 1. The Commissioners voted, unanimously, to a letter to the Zoning Administrator requesting expedited review for a revised permit for Eliot-Hine Middle School that reduces on-site parking in exchange for building athletic fields that allow for on-site hosting of sport activities. 2. The Commissioners voted, unanimously, to send a letter of support to the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) for Councilmember Charles Allen’s proposal requesting COVID-19 related street closures to allow for safe use by pedestrians and cyclists. 3. The Commissioners voted, unanimously, to support the application for a new Retailer’s Class “C” Restaurant License for Mozzeria DC LLC, d/b/a Mozzeria (1300 H Street NE) and approve the Settlement Agreement between ANC 6A and Mozzeria. The Commissioners all expressed gratitude for those that have been assisting neighbors and helping their local communities. They encouraged all residents to do what they can to help decrease the strain of the current situation on others be it donate to a food pantry, pick up groceries for an elderly neighbor or simply patronizing a local business but above all, keep yourself safe and healthy. u

The Next meeting is 2nd Thursday, May 14th, 7:00 p.m. Due to the current COVID - 19 Pandemic ANC6A will be hosting the May ANC Meeting virtually via WEBEX. Please check our website for further details www.ANC6A.org. The committee meetings will be held Via WebEx as Time Sensitive items arise. Please check our website to verify if a meeting is scheduled and to obtain the WebEx information for that specific meeting. Transportation & Public Space Committee meeting 3rd Monday May 18th 7pm. Alcohol Beverage Licensing Committee meeting 3rd Tuesday May 19th 7pm. Economic Development and Zoning Committee meeting 3rd Wednesday May 20th 7pm. Community Outreach Committee meeting 4th Monday May 25th 7pm We appreciate your understanding and until we know that the emergency has subsided but please check our website www.ANC6A.org for additional information and updates.

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6C

April ANC6B Report

P.O. Box 77876 • Washington, D.C. 20013-7787 www.anc6c.org • (202) 547-7168

by Elizabeth O’Gorek

ard 6 Councilmember Charles Allen (D) spoke at the April 14th meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6B. He discussed the impact of COVID-19 on the District, warning attendees at the meeting that a situation similar to what we are currently experiencing was likely to be the new normal for a long time. Allen said that there is no scenario in which ‘a switch is flipped’ and things go back to the way they were before COVID-19 appeared in the District. He said that recovery, even to the point the District was at in the first week of March, was likely to take years. The Councilmember summarized the focus of the two pieces of legislation passed during the Public Health Emergency. He said the legislation focuses on how to help neighbors who have lost jobs or wages, noting that 56,000 people had applied for Unemployment Insurance in the preceding month. Allen said that constituents have been reporting that they were on hold with the Department of Employment Services (DOES) for long periods, but said that as of Friday, April 20, 51 additional operators had been hired. He added that DC Council wants to extend Unemployment Insurance eligibility to undocumented immigrants, but first needs to determine a source those funds. Allen said that 6,000 businesses had applied for grants available through the $25 million DC Small Business Microgrant program. Results are expected to be announced at the end of April. Allen said that it was important to help keep the heartbeat of the economy alive to make sure businesses can survive in some fashion. Describing the Coronavirus as ‘a wrecking ball’ through the economy, Allen said the District was nowhere near the apex of infection and cautioned that it was possible that many well-loved small businesses might not make it through the crisis. In terms of upcoming elections, Allen said that the DC Board of Elections (DCBOE) was focused on the June 2 primary. The District is using the ability of

Check our website for meeting information. May 13 by teleconference.

ANC 6C COMMISSIONERS ANC 6C01 Christine Healey 6C01@anc.dc.gov

ANC 6C04 Mark Eckenwiler 6C04@anc.dc.gov

ANC 6C02 Karen Wirt 6C02@anc.dc.gov

ANC 6C05 Joel Kelty 6C05@anc.dc.gov

ANC 6C03 Jay Adelstein 6C03@anc.dc.gov

ANC 6C06 Drew Courtney drewcourtney.anc @gmail.com

ANC usually meets the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00 pm, 214 Massachusetts Ave, N.E. Please check the ANC 6C website for dates.

ANC 6C COMMITTEES Alcoholic Beverage Licensing First Monday, 7 pm Contact: anc6c.abl.committee@gmail.com Grants Last Thursday, 7 pm Contact: torylord@gmail.com Twitter: @ANC_6C_Grants Environment, Parks, and Events First Tuesday, 7 pm Contact: jgmccann@gmail.com

Transportation and Public Space First Thursday, 7 pm Contact: anc6c.tps@gmail.com Planning, Zoning, and Economic Development First Wednesday, 6:30 pm Contact: 6C04@anc.dc.gov Twitter: @6C_PZE

MAY 2020 H 45

.capitol streets.

Southeast perspective, showing retail view of proposed PUD for 1333 M St. SE supported by ANC 6B at their April 14th meeting. Screenshot: Webex. Image: Felice Development Group

voters to request absentee ballots as a vote by mail option, as DC does not have the ability to simply mail a ballot to every voter in 60 days without potential errors. The push to vote by mail appears to be successful so far, he added, as 14,000 requests for ballots had come to DCBOE in the 10 days preceding the meeting. Allen said that the November General Directions might look similar to the primary elections, with a big push get people to vote by mail and only 20 polls out of the usual 144 open. Allen said DCBOE was working on issues related to elections and human interaction, including how to collect signatures on petitions necessary for candidates to be placed on the ballot. Allen said he was working with DCBOE to find mechanisms for the virtual collection of signatures. Allen was originally on the agenda to discuss the District’s budget. The first piece of COVID-19 Emergency Legislation deferred the date the Mayor is required to submit the budget to May 6. Allen said that Council was still determining how to hold budget hearings, do oversight and get public feedback.

Support for PUD 1333 M Street SE ANC6B voted 6-0-2 to support a consolidated Planned Unit Development (PUD) and a Zoning Map Amendment for a project at 1333 M St. SE, on the triangle between M and Water Streets with the Virginia Avenue SE right-of-way. Developers Felice Develop46 H HILLRAG.COM

ment Group (FDG) seek a Zoning Map amendment from PDR-4, or high-density commercial, to a mixed use commercial and residential MU-9 zone. The applicant needs the approvals to develop the project into a 791,063 square foot mixeduse project, containing 900 residential units and 45,419 square feet retail. The project is made up of three buildings, two connected by a bridge at the second level and is planned in three phases of construction. Planning and Zoning Committee Chair Corey Holman said that the ANC would appoint a working group to follow and discuss the project as it moves forward. While the commission voted in support of the application, Holman raised concerns with landscaping along a proposed recreational trail to the north of the site, as well as with the effect of the structure on views from Anacostia Park. Holman asked for additional renderings of the view from L Street, on the river and from Anacostia Park, including a shadow study.

Other Business The commission voted to support: • A request for substantial changes to the liquor licenses from three establishments, including Finn McCools (713 Eighth St. SE), Lola’s (711 Eighth St. SE) and The Brig (1007 Eighth St. SE), to allow installation of up to three ‘Dragon’s Ascent’ games at each. The motion was

supported by a vote of 5-0-3. A similar application from Trusty’s Bar (1420 Pennsylvania Ave. SE) was supported at the March meeting. • Two temporary Restaurant Pick Up Drop-Off (PUDO) Zones at 501 Eighth St. SE and 655 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. The zones are designed to allow residents and commercial drivers easy access to restaurants and eateries that are still offering delivery or carry-out service and will be in effect through the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. • A District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Notice of Intent to install advisory bike lanes on E Street SE between 12th and 17th Street SE. Advisory lanes are an alternative to road-markings such as sharrows, because they indicate how roads should be shared with cyclists, creating visual lanes for bicycles on either side of the street between traffic and parking lanes. • A Traffic Services Administration (TSA) Request to install a speed hump on 600 block of D St SE. • A letter to DDOT requesting traffic calming measures at 11th Street SE at the junction with I-395. Pedestrian traffic has increased as people access the new Virginia Park and the adjacent trails. Due to COVID-19 safety concerns, ANC 6B held the April meeting of the full commission on Tuesday, April 14th via Webex with a quorum of eight commissioners. Appearing were Commissioners Jennifer Samolyk (6B01), Gerald Sroufe (6B02, Secretary), Brian Ready (6B03, Chair), Kirsten Oldenburg (6B04), Steve Holtzman (6B05), Corey Holman (6B06, Treasurer), Kelly Waud (6B07, Parliamentarian), Chander Jayaraman (6B08, Vice-Chair). Denise Krepp (6B10) was absent due to illness. ANC 6B09 is currently vacant. The next meeting of ANC 6B is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 12. In the wake of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, DC Council passed emergency legislation March 17 making it possible for ANCs to meet virtually. For the most up-to-date information on meetings and how to join a virtual meeting, visit anc6b.org. ANC 6B has been working to update its website. You can visit the new site, learn about Commissioners and committees, and subscribe to the newsletter by visiting anc6b.org or connect with the commission via email at 6b@anc.dc.gov or find @ANC6B on Twitter. u

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April ANC 6D Report No to 24-Hour Construction by Andrew Lightman Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6D met on April 13 over WebEx. Commissioners Gail Fast (6D01), Anna Forgie (6D02), Andy Litsky (6D04) and Fredrica (Rikki) Kramer (6D05), Rhonda N. Hamilton (6D06) and Edward Daniels (6D07) were in attendance. Commissioner Litsky presided. Ronald Collins (6D03) was absent.

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ing Velocity Condo, Commissioner Forgie stated, had signed a petition against it. Condemning the request in unambiguous terms, she said, “Residents are surrounded by construction all day long. They need to be able to sleep in peace at night.” Several Velocity residents echoed her concerns. The commission voted with one abstention to oppose the after hours waiver.

Allen replied. “They have these financial obligations that continue when they are ordered to close their doors, yet have no cash flow,” he pointed out. Moreover, online sales are crushing local retail. “Your local business is on life support and is hard hit. Everyone one should buy local whenever possible to keep them alive,” Allen stated.

1900 Half Street

Councilmember Allen Visits Virtually Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen (D) virtually visited with commissioners to address the COVID crisis. Addressing its economic impact, he stated, “There are a lot of local businesses that are not going to survive.” Allen is focused on keeping a “heartbeat” going at these firms and also at small nonprofits. The latter are under threat as traditional sources of philanthropy dry up. In his role as Judiciary Committee Chair, Allen has also been monitoring the health situation at the DC Jail. One inmate had died from COVID, he stated. Access to the jail has been severely curtailed to defend against further infection. Other public safety agencies have also taken safety measures, stated Allen. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has moved its roll calls outdoors. Fire and Emergency Medical Services have more difficult challenges due to their shared quarters. Court services have been significantly paired back. Allen believes the June 2 election will have to be significantly reengineered for safety. The DC Board of Elections (BOE) is urging residents to vote by mail. There will be only 20 voting stations citywide for inperson voting. This is a significant decrease from the usual number of precincts. The issue of ballot petitions remains to be solved, he added. Allen noted that unemployment claims are being held up by antiquated systems at the DC Office of Employment Services. Allen acknowledged the enormous racial disparity in COVID infections and deaths. African-Americans are disproportionally impacted. “We have a lot of work to do,” he stated. The schools would likely remain closed through remainder of the academic year, Allen posited. “We need to be very aggressive in having an “academic re48 H HILLRAG.COM

A Rendering of RiverPoint

covery plan,”” he added. Commissioners asked Allen about the impact of COVID on the homeless. Allen warned of a significant increase in homeless encampments because people are scared that the shelters are not safe. Measures are being taken to ensure these institutions maintain social distance and cleanliness. Commissioner Kramer raised concerns about social distance and supermarket operations. The Mayor’s Order needs amendment, Allen stated, to ensure consistency. “Part of this requires common sense and allow us to accommodate these new shopping patterns.” There will be enforcement, Allen warned. Asked about the city’s micro-grant program, Allen stated that he expected awards to go out the door by the end of April. There were over 6,000 applications, more than the available funds. When would the city see a significant increase in testing, asked several commissioners? About 10,000 people have been tested. Currently, both the DC State lab and private companies are performing the tests, mainly LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics. A new hotline has been established to help connect folks with tests, he stated. The public lab can test 500 people a day. All testing is being focused on first responders and at-risk individuals, Allen stated. A drive-through testing center has been established at United Medical Center in Ward 8. The problem is that many of those impacted do not own cars. One commissioner asked Allen why small business faced so many challenges reopening. Restaurants and retailers have thin margins and high fixed costs,

Representatives of Douglass Development and Eagle Academy support adding a 24,000 square foot charter school to the RiverPoint development at 1900 Half St. SW at the end of Buzzard Point. Currently zoned for retail, any change in use requires Zoning Commission (ZC) approval under the terms of the Capitol Gateway Overlay District. Eagles new campus would accommodate pre-K to Third grade classes. Douglass asked the commission to support a waiver so that the ZC could consider the change as a matter of “consequence” rather than one of “significance.” Unlike the former, the latter designation requires full consideration by the sitting ZC, which would significantly expedite the project. In a very confusing exchange, Commissioner Kramer, whose district includes RiverPoint, tried to frame a motion on the fly that would have required the developer to insert language into its commercial lease with the charter school requiring both public enrollment reporting, formal recruitment cooperation with neighboring public schools and a return of the space to commercial use in the event of the school’s failure. Eagle’s use of the space was controversial. The commission was not opposed to the school, which has earned solid support for its existing southeast campus. Rather, commission and developer had had earlier disagreements about the use of ground and mezzanine space at RiverPoint. Commissioners had been adamant about Douglass finding a retail tenant such as a small grocer or pharmacy. Due to technical difficulties with Commissioner Kramer’s WebEx connection, it was impossible for the other commissioners to understand her motion. Chair Fast paused the process to address other matters, while Kramer produced a written version to post on the WebEx blackboard. When the commission returned to the matter, the motion failed to garner enough support. Kramer than reframed her mo-

tion, dropping all the requirements. The second motion passed with four commissioners in support and two abstentions. While Eagle’s project proved controversial, a request by DC Central Kitchen to locate its headquarters at neighboring RiverPoint, 2121 First St. SW, earned unanimous support from the commission. The nonprofit plans to combine 20,000 square feet of the project’s ground floor space with another 15,000 square feet of on the building’s mezzanine.

Other Matters Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Captain Michael Pulliam briefed the commission on public safety. Citing the recent crowds at the Southwest Fish Market as an example of what not to do, the captain urged listeners to “Please stay home.” The health crisis has a resulted in a 30 percent fall in property crimes, he continued. Asked about the recent homicide at the Fourth Street Safeway, the captain stated that it was a result of an argument between acquaintances in the store that spilled over onto the street. The police have suspects in mind. Other the other hand, there has been no progress in solving the shooting in Capitol Quarter on the 300 block of K Street SW. More cameras were being deployed on the 1300 of First Street, he added. The commission voted to: • support the Army 10 Miler on Oct. 11; • support the Prevent Cancer Foundation 5K on Nov. 1; • support the new Providence Diagnostic Center; • support the Southwest Arts Festival on July 11 (Subsequently canceled.); • encourage residents to participate in the 2020 Census; • support Jose Andreas World Kitchen at Nationals Park; • approve a liquor license and coop-

erative agreement for La Famosa, 1300 Fourth St. SE; • approve a liquor license and cooperative agreement for Colada, 10 Pearl St. SW; • support the set of public easements necessary for the Randall School Project, 820 Half St. SW; • send a letter to the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) requesting the agency tighten its COVID, work safety guidance on the construction industry; • support a change in use allowing a residents-only rooftop bar at 950 South Capitol St.; • authorized Commissioner Kramer to testify before the ZC regarding a text amendment to Subtitle K, Special Purpose Zones; • send a letter to the DC Department of Transportation (DDOT) requesting the agency alter its rules for after hours utility work to ensure the commission’s input and display permits; • send at letter to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) protesting Metro buses illegally idling particularly at night; • send a letter to the DC City Administrator protesting the fivemonth closure of the Unity Health Clinic; • send a letter DDOT’s Committee on Public Space reminding them that the commission’s approval is required for all sidewalk café permits; • support after hours construction for the removal of a crane at 250 M St. SE limited to one Saturday and the following Monday with no late night work; • approved the first quarter FY20 Treasure’s report. ANC 6D’s next meeting will be held on May 11 at 7 p.m. at a place to be determined. Visit www.anc6d.org/ for more information. u MAY 2020 H 49

.capitol streets.

Curbside Pickup at Eastern Market

BULLETIN BOARD

centers will be expanded from 15 to 20. Massive lines and delays are expected. The BOE is developing safety protocols to protect voters and election workers. The safest option is to mail in a ballot. Request a mail-in ballot at dcboe.org/Request-Your-Ballotby-Mail.

Eastern Market’s South Hall merchants are now offering customers curbside pickup. Call ahead and place an order over the phone. Then pull put behind the Market in the parking lot on its western side. Call the merchant and the order will be delivered to your car. Phone numbers for the South Hall merchants can be found at easternmarket-dc. org/our-indoor-merchants.

Library of Congress Cancels Public Events The Library of Congress has canceled all scheduled public events until July 1 due to COVID-19. Whenever possible, the Library will reschedule the public programs that have been canceled. loc.gov.

Ward 6 Mutual Aid Food and Supply Drive The Ward Six Mutual Aid Network and Christ United Methodist Church are hosting a Community Food and Supply Drive to help neighbors in meeting the challenges of COVID-19. Donations are collected at Christ United Methodist Church, 900 Fourth St. SW, on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 2 p.m. They seek donations of food, personal care items, cleaning supplies, children’s books and art supplies, mask-making fabric and money. Email Karen at karenlmcmanus@gmail.com for SW-specific questions. Contact Julee at juleeliz@ gmail.com to sew masks. Contact the Mutual Aid Network at ward6mutualaid@gmail.com for other questions. If you or someone you know has a critical need, call the Mutual Aid Hotline at 202683-9962. The Waterfront Church, 1000 New Jersey Avenue SE, has opened a contact-free drop-off station for donations of all sealed perishable and non-perishable food, toiletries and cleaning supplies. No clothing or furniture. This collection center is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon and from 5 to 7 p.m. The collection center accepts Need assistance? Contact the Ward 6 Mutual Aid hotline at 202-683-9962.

Little Lights Needs Your Help Little Lights needs non-perishable food, soap, toilet paper, paper towels, gloves, cleaning products and masks. Contact Mary Park at mary@littlelights.org to drop off time on the front porch of 760 Seventh St. 50 H HILLRAG.COM

CHRS Photo Scavenger Hunt

Adelaide, Australia – Artist Liza Merkalova worked for over a year for the exhibition Apperceptions that was originally to be held at Gallery M and feature 30 of her works.

Visit The Social Distancing Festival The Social Distancing Festival is an online artists’ community celebrating the work of those who no longer have a showcase. It offers daily live-streamed events, archived video and original content from art exhibitions in Paris to the new fulllength work. The site’s regularly updated calendar is a feast for international culture lovers of all kinds. socialdistancingfestival.com. SE between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays. Make a financial contribution to support Light Lights staff at littlelights.org/give.

Vote Safe DC In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the DC Board of Elections (BOE) is closing District of Columbia’s 144 voting precincts on June 2 and June 16, the dates of the Democratic primary and special election in Ward 2. IN stead, the number of early voting

Although the House & Garden Tour has been postponed to the fall, the Capitol Hill Restoration Society is holding a Photo Scavenger Hunt. This free, family-friendly outdoor activity debuts May 8 at www.chrs.org. Other “socially-distant” ways to explore the history and culture of Capitol Hill are also posted. Have questions? Contact CapHRS420@gmail.com.

Learn from Home With The AWS The Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) is launching a “Learning from Home” portal at anacostiaws.org/what-we-do/education. Keep kids learning about their local watershed. Start a Naturalist Notebook and enter the AWS competition. anacostiaws.org.

Join Mosaic’s Virtual Book Club Once a month, Mosaic’s Virtual Book Club will gather to discuss a specific book relating to the plays from Season 6. Upcoming Book Club events are on June 1, 4 p.m., “The Lemon Tree” by Sandy Tolan; June 29, 4 p.m., “The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands” by Mary Seacole; July 27, 4 p.m., “Selections from United States Essays: 19521992” by Gore Vidal. Participants should purchase an electronic or hard copy in advance of the class.

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FRESHFARM Markets Open FRESHMFARM’s markets are open for spring. In an effort to keep shoppers, vendors and market managers as safe as possible, shoppers are encouraged to keep visits simple and short; leave dogs, children and senior family members at home; wash their hands; maintain a distance of at least six feet. In addition, there is no browsing or lingering at market tents. Try to attend the market later in the day. Stay home if anyone in the family is sick. Do not eat at the market. Wash purchased produce at home. Nearby FRESHFARM markets are H Street NE, 800 13th Street NE, Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Capital Riverfront, 200 M Street SE, Sundays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. freshfarm.org. Courtesy of FRESHFARM Markets

The group will gather virtually to discuss the reading. Books can also be acquired at dclibrary.org/godigital. All Mosaic virtual programming is held via Zoom. Visit zoom.us to sign-up for a free account. RSVP for the Book Club at virtual@mosaictheater.org.

Stay Safe While Shopping Here are some simple COVID shopping rules. Stay home if sick. Order ahead. Make a shopping list. Wash reusable bags before leaving. Always take a mask, gloves and hand sanitizer. Limit household shopping to one person. Wipe down shopping carts or baskets. Maintain six feet of distance. Do not touch food at farmers markets. Use hand sanitizer. Pay with credit cards. After shopping: discard masks and wash hands. Sanitize groceries. Discard plastic bags. Wash hands again after putting groceries away. dcgreens.org.

Free Groceries The District has ten school locations that distribute free groceries to residents in need each week. For Ward Six residents, the distribution location is Eastern High School, 1700 E. Capitol St. NE. Open mondays from 12:30 to 2 p.m. coronavirus.dc.gov. 52 H HILLRAG.COM

COVID Tenants’ Rights

Both the US Congress and the DC Council have passed emergency legislation that impacts DC tenants’ rights. During the public health emergency, landlords may not increase rents or charge late fees. DC Landlord and Tenant Court is closed until May 15. All evictions are prohibited. Contact DCRA at 202-442-9557, ext. 6 or 311 to request a virtual inspection if a landlord has not made a critical repair. To obtain information about Emergency Rental Assistance Program appointments, call 202-667-7339 or email erap@housingetc.org. Live in HUD-subsidized housing, public housing or have a Housing Choice (Section 8) Voucher or live in a LIHTC building? No eviction proceedings may be brought for nonpayment of rent until August 2020 and only after 30-day notice. No subsidy can be terminated during the public emergency. All deadlines related to Tenant Opportunity to Purchase ACT are on pause. All gas, water and electricity shutoffs are prohibited by law. If water is shut-off, contact DC Water at 202-354-3750 or restore@dcwater.com. To discuss restoring electricity call PEPCO at 202-833-7500. Have any tenants’ rights-related questions? Leave a message at 202667-7426 or tenants@housingetc.org.

Capital Fringe Festival Cancelled The Capital Fringe Festival in SW this July has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the festival is months away, it was clear to festival organizers that not only will it not be safe to produce the Festival in the manner in which they have for numerous years in July, it will certainly not be comfortable for artists or audiences. capitalfringe.org.

Kennedy Couch Concerts The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts offers free, live digital performances, “Couch Concerts” These events bring performing arts from the homes of artists into DC homes. For 23 years, Millennium Stage has brought free performances to audiences in person at the Center and virtually through a

livestream. Now, they will be streamed concerts direct from artists’ homes. Visit kennedy-center.org/whatson/millennium-stage/couch-concerts, at 4 p.m., Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

DC Shorts Free Film Festival DC Shorts presents over 375 films online. Sort through the genres and click to watch. All films may be watched full-screen and many are in HD. More films are added all the time archive.dcshorts.com.

Star Wars or Spy Wars On Star Wars Day, May 4, 6:30 p.m., join Spy Museum Historian Dr. Vince for an exploration of the intelligence operations in the world of Star Wars. Which side learned from the past and who let history repeat itself in a galaxy far, far away? For an expert on intelligence, the series yields some interesting uses of deception, distraction and covert ops. It raises questions about who really used failure as the greatest teacher and hackers versus droids. Join Houghton for his latest dissection of intergalactic espionage. Visit spymuseum.org/calendar/detail/star-wars-orspy-wars/2020-05-04/ for tickets.

Try On Washington’s Boots Step into the boots of George Washington. Confront the very challenges that he faced during the Revolutionary War and as our first President. Select SINGLE PLAYER, HOST A GAME or JOIN A GAME. Then pick a scenario: 1777 Second Battle of Trenton; 1783 Newburg Conspiracy; 1793 Genet Affair; or 1794 Whiskey Rebellion. play.bewashington.org. Take the new virtual tour of the Mount Vernon mansion and grounds at virtualtour.mountvernon.org.

Environmental Film Festival Online Enjoy over 300 past Festival selections, many for free, including over 60 from the 2020 online DC Environmental Film Festival. dceff.org.

Flatten the Curve Fitness Exercise is still one of the most effective ways to reduce anxiety and stay healthy. #FITDC provides free, adult, senior and family-friendly workouts. flattenthecurvefitness.spashthat.com.

Get Your Baseball Fix Watch the last two years of Major League action on MLB.TV for free. Archives of the 2018 and 2019 seasons are open and accessible for all with more than 4,800 games are available to stream blackout-free for

a limited time. Postseason is included. Visit mlb.com/live-stream-games/subscribe. Watch all the playoff games from last year on facebook.com/Nationals.

Virtual Shabbat Sixth & I offers a virtual Shabbat experience Friday nights on facebook.com/ sixthandi. Follow the links at sixthandi. org/jewish-life/shabbat-music/ to listen to audio files for each prayer and download the transliteration.

DC Palestinian Festival Call for Entries The DC Palestinian Film & Arts Festival (DCPFAF) is looking for film entries from Palestinian directors, producers and writers for this October’s festival. Feature films, documentaries, shorts, animation and experimental works are all eligible. The DCPFAF showcases the diverse and creative work of Palestinian filmmakers and artists across the globe. They want to catalyze productive conversations about film, culture and the diaspora, utilizing the lens of Palestinian artists as an entry point. Submission deadline is June 1. Read more and submit entries at dcpfaf.org.

Delivery and Pickup for DC Medical Cannabis District-registered Cannabis dispensaries are now allowed to provide medical marijuana to District residents registered as qualifying patients through delivery, curbside pickup and at-the-door pickup options. The rules can be found at coronavirus.dc.gov/medicalmarijuana. Under Mayor’s Order 2020-053, medical marijuana dispensaries are considered essential businesses as healthcare and public health operators.

DC PSC Moves To Renewable Energy The DC Public Service Commission (PSC) now requires DC’s electric utility to purchase renewable en-

ergy through new long-term contracts. These contracts, also referred to as power purchase agreements (PPAs), provide critical long-term income streams to renewable energy companies, enabling them to build new solar and wind farms. These contracts will move DC closer to its commitment of cutting carbon emissions in half by 2032 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. sierraclub.org.

NPS Approves Potomac River Tunnel The National Park Service (NPS) has approved DC Water’s proposal to move forward with construction of The Potomac River Tunnel. The proposed project, primarily on NPS land in northwest DC, will improve water quality and reduce combined sewer overflows to the Potomac River. The Potomac River Tunnel is part of DC Water’s Clean Rivers Project. For more information about the project, contact DC Clean Rivers Project Public Outreach at 202-787-4142 or email dccleanrivers@dcwater.com.

Volunteer for Shopping Angels Shopping Angels DC (SADC) is part of an international volunteer program designed to provide services to people deemed especially at-risk for COVID-19. Volunteer to deliver groceries or other shopping necessities to those who should stay home. Service is available to typically high-risk individuals, including senior citizens, parents of infants, and individuals with heart, lung, or immune conditions. SADC delivers to individuals with COVID-19. Volunteers must complete a form at facebook.com/shoppingangelsinc. For more information, call 202-630-7556 or email shoppingangelsdc@gmail.com. Have an item for the Bulletin Board? Email the information to bulletinboard@ hillrag.com. u

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home and garden In Search of

DANDELIONS Flower Wine Making Under Lock Down

by Michelle LaFrance turopaths and herbalists of today note the immunostimulatory, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anticoagulant, and antioxidant properties of the dandelion. There’s no shortage of online sources or recipes to harness the dandelion’s “healing” power. The origin of dandelion wine is often ceded to the ancient Celts and Anglo Saxons, though the Greek naturalist Theophratus prescribed a “dandelion tonic” to treat freckles and liver spots. Northern Europeans historically drank the wine and derivative liqueurs to prevent scurvy and as a diuretic and laxative. Folklorists have collected dandelion wine recipes from homebrewers across Ireland, the UK, and Northern Europe, and subsequently in many US-locations where the Gaels and other Northern Europeans settled—an inexpensive and useful spring brew.

t’s the first day of the stay-at-home order, but I’m in a field in Northern Virginia, fifteen miles from my home, bowing to finger through the speedwell, cleavers, purple deadnettle, purslane, chickweed, and clover. I’m collecting a plastic grocery sack full of fat, wideopen dandelions. My thumbnail is grimed with the gooey black sludge of lush stems. My fingers and palm are coated with a thick yellow paste—dandelion pollen. The world feels like it’s in a scary freefall; but in this moment I’ve found a meditative rhythm. Peace of breath and motion amidst the furor. I brew flower wines. Dandelion wine is one of my favorites to make. Every spring, I am out somewhere in the DMV, collecting dandelion heads, so that I can stew the flowers with sugar, citrus fruit, and spices, then ferment the mix into a golden-yellow wine. A year and a few months later, the taste mellows into a smooth and ginger-sweet beverage. It’s been my spring ritual for five years now, but the process has taken on special significance this year, the year of Coronavirus.

The Value of Small (and Common) Things Most people think of the dandelion as a spring nuisance. They are remarked upon for their weed-y tenacity—their fierce yellow heads and scalloped leaves take root in a crack in the pavement and in disturbed soils where little else would choose to grow. Found around the world, dandelion is known by a number of names that reference its bitter taste, golden and mature flowers, and its ubiquity: bitterwort, cankerwort, clockflower, common dandelion, blow-ball, puffball, Irish daisy, piss-in-bed, pissinlit, priest’s crown, swine’s snout, telltime, and yellow gowan. Its English name is said to be derivative of the French dent-de-lion or lion’s tooth. The plant itself is remarkable for its resilient bioengineering. Its tap root reaches deep into the dirt and

This Work of My Hands

Only wide-open ﬂowers will do

will re-grow a whole new plant if broken off. What we see as a single yellow flower is, in fact, a head of unique florets, each with its own seed. These will dry into the highly recognizable puff ball and scatter on the winds in its later stages of growth. For wine making, you want to pick only the flower. The greens—the involucral bract, receptacle pedicel (or stem), any small trace of grass leaf or stray deadhead--will turn the wine bitter. Some sources claim that dandelion was brought to the US with early European colonists who planted medicinal herb gardens, thus seeding the North American continent. Its medical uses are extensive and the dandelion has been used around the globe— in Arabian, Native American, Chinese and Ayurvedic medicinal practices—to treat a range of ailments. Na-

My forays for dandelions this spring have all been edged with a sense of audacity and purpose—an act of resistance in a time when leaving the house carries any number of social implications. And yet, I couldn’t shake the need; I had to make wine this year. I needed the brush with normalcy after all the other cancellations, plan b’s and setbacks of the previous months. I craved the comforts of a detailed and time-consuming project. Gathering enough dandelions is the first and the hardest step in making dandelion wine. The trick is to find a field or lawn that has not been treated with fertilizers or weed killers. I prefer to gather away from busy roads and areas that have been or may be polluted with exhaust or other run off. I also avoid the “pee zone,” which often coincides with dandelion hot spots, such as busy corners and walk ways where dogs habitually mark. Planning for and strategizing collection typically begins in mid-March as I case potential sources. Some years, when I lived in a rental house outside the city, MAY 2020 H 55

. home and garden .

My forays for dandelions this spring have all been edged with a sense of audacity and purpose—an act of resistance in a time when leaving the house carries any number of social implications. And yet, I couldn’t shake the need; I had to make wine this year. I was able to collect in my yard and from neighbors. Another year, a friend invited me to collect on his aunt’s farm in Maryland. In other years, I have haunted the fence edges and abandoned plots of community gardens. This year, my first in the city proper, I’m sharing a 900-square foot condo in SW with my partner, so I can only turn to shared The stew is called “must.” spaces—the spaces that are increasingly forbidden—for what can be collected. Parks and facilities have closed. Hains Point and the Tidal Basin are completely cordoned off. People are wearing masks and bandanas when they do venture outdoors. I’ve seen people recoil from the proximity of others—even when outside on a broad path in a city park—to maintain six feet of distance. Finding a source for dandelions in the city-limits initially daunted me. The constellations of flowers I saw in many closed parks, in the church yard just down the street from my grocery store, and beside the closed schools down the street—all—were simply out of bounds. I couldn’t be sure they hadn’t been sprayed or graced by dog or human by-products. As the weather warmed the flowers became more assertive, appearing defiant and gleeful in every patch of grass and on every corner. But none of these spots provided the right place to pick. I was anxious and preoccupied for a few days. I paced the fenced line of a vacant, overgrown lot that awaits construction, calculating whether I could jump over or shimmy under or squeeze through. Through the gaps in the landscaping fabric zip tied to the chain link, I could see plenty of clusters of dandelions waving in the wind. Over dinner, I ruminated on whether I’d be arrested if I was caught in the field. I texted friends for recommendations—one suggested a closed park in Ward 7. Others shrugged—who paid attention to dandelions? I finally made three trips to one of my usual suburban picking grounds, coming home with two good bags full of flowerheads. But these were not enough for my preferred recipe—so we 56 H HILLRAG.COM

in comparison to a trip to the grocery store or going took to our bikes on a scouting expedition. about many aspects of daily business as usual. There’s The fields along the Anacostia bike little risk of infecting others when out alone (or with a path offered all the dandelions I still needpartner) in an empty field. But neither is going among ed, the stretches of overgrown boundarythe weeds sheltering in place. Or giving in to fear beturf hadn’t been mowed, there were no cause we still cannot know what will be irrevocably signs of spray, and the walkways had lighter changed by our global pandemic. dog and pedestrian traffic than usual due to The weeks of lock down and social distancing the city’s closures. My partner and I picked have brought my relationality and interdependence together for an hour, him impatiently askinto much higher visibility. I have been forced to reing me if we had enough yet—did we have enough now, is this enough now, how about flect on what goods and services I take for granted, now? Even once we had enough, I couldn’t the supply chain that sustains me, and the patterns of break my habit of scanning the greens we employment and movement that sustain my friends passed, riding up from the Nationals Staand family. None of us are able to comfortably esdium, over the cape questions about how Benning Road bridge and we share quarters and pubbehind Congressional Cemlic spaces with our neighetery, and back through the bors, friends, and family. We Navy Yard. have yet to see the enduring There’s a method to impact this experience will it, I’ve discovered, after so have upon our communities many years of picking. Rifle and our daily-relations gothrough the other weeds and ing forward. pull the flower free of other I’m reminded then, that leaves and greens. Grasp the flower wine making—and flower just under the head so too our crafting, making, with pointer and ring finbaking, singing, and sharger, pull the stalk taut. Sluice ing—are how many of us the head from the stem with hold hope, if not optimism, your thumb nail. If you simclosely. We imagine a future ply pull up, the stem will of many promises. stretch and snap off closer A year from now, the to the leaves. You will then flavors of 2020’s flowhave to pair off that little bit ers will have blended with of stem—which you do not lemon zest and spices. The yeast will have fermentwant in the must. ed and died off. The wine After our trip up and will have been bottled. It down the Anacostia, I tucked three plastic grocery Dandelion ﬂowers stewed with citrus and ginger will settle, clear, and mature. I will uncork a bottle bags full of dandelion heads and think back to this time in a similar spirit, gratein the freezer so that I could begin to brew the next ful that our difficulties are behind us. day. I could breathe again. There was going to be wine this year.

A Forager’s Meditation Collecting dandelions, their yellow heads a different sort of corona, in the age of global pandemic is low risk

Michelle LaFrance is a writer and poet, living in SW. An English professor at George Mason University, Michelle teaches writers to love every stage of the composing process. She loves a good homebrew, misses live music shows, and still can’t stop looking for dandelions to pick. u

MAY 2020 H 57

. home and garden .

TAKE THE SPRING GARDEN QUIZ

mid all of the extraordinary challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, nature still has the ability to brighten our spirits. We may have missed our annual cherry blossom trip to the Tidal Basin and crowds of gardeners at spring flower shows, but beautiful spring flowers are still there to brighten up even the most casual stroll through our Capitol Hill neighborhood. And spring has come early this year. Early blooming daffodils, crocuses, and snowdrops came and went and April found azaleas and peonies coming into bloom, even though they normally don’t bud until Mother’s Day. We all need some distractions these days. So, we thought you might enjoy a chance to test your spring flower identification skills. For seasoned gardeners and flower enthusiasts, it’s a chance to make sure your skills are still as sharp as ever. And for the rest of you, it’s an opportunity to learn more about the flowers that you’ve long enjoyed, but may not be able to name. The list also might be fun to use as a scavenger hunt with your children. All of the photographs were taken on the same day in late April on Capitol Hill. Each flower featured was seen on at least five different blocks of the Hill. Interestingly, almost all these spring flowers require full sun for best growth, a reason that they are early bloomers. Most are perennials, meaning they come back year after year, although a few like the pansies, are annuals that you plant each season. Once you’ve finished the quiz, look for the answers on page XX and see how you did. Then, get outside and find them around your neighborhood. Also, you might think about what strikes you as lovely, and look into planting the flower in your own front or back yard. Clearly, these plants do well in our climate, soil, and gardens.

58 H HILLRAG.COM

Article and Photographs by Rindy O’Brien

Twelve Spring Flowers

see answers on pg. 61

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Answers and Background: Azaleas are technically Rhododendrons, a flowering shrub that actually is shade tolerant. It has clusters of bright fragrant flowers that bloom mid-spring, and symbolizes femininity and softness. It’s closed right now, but the US National Arboretum has a major collection of azaleas on display, and is a great resource to learn more about the shrub. Camellias bloom both in the winter and in the spring. They tend to grow to be taller than many other shrubs, getting as tall as 25 feet for some varieties. This flowering shrub is originally from Asia. There are over 3,000 different hybrids and they come in many different colors. Clematis is the vining flower you often see on Capitol Hill fences. The flower is part of the buttercup family and is one that will produce each year, especially if you prune the woody stems in early March. This is another Asian transplant and comes in 300 different kinds. This is a plant that likes full sun but can adapt to semi-shade.

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Irises come in many different colors from the deep purples and yellows to new hybrids that are multicolored. The flower derives its name from the Greek Goddess Iris who rode rainbows. It is a sun-loving plant that likes acidic soils, and is known for its hardiness. It holds up well as a cut flower. Lilacs are an old-fashioned spring favorite, loved for their shimmering appearance and fragrance. This is a shrub that definitely wants sun and will grow to be fifteen feet tall, so give it the space it deserves. Too much water and the plant withers. There are 12 different kinds and colors. In the right

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The Capitol Hill Garden Club Presents

Dear Garden Problem Lady, by Wendy Blair It’s time to start planting some of my outdoor pots. My sister always starts with fresh soil. I always re-use last year’s soil. We both have good results. Is there anything wrong with reusing potting soil? Annuals are big feeders. They deplete soil. Your best bet would be to replace some of last year’s lost nutrients. Add some bone meal or composted manure.

When is the best time to transplant Lenten Roses? I have a fully-grown one that I must try to weed out from an Azalea, and another is fighting a Yucca. Also a few have had babies (good) but some of the new babies have come up underneath a Holly bush (bad). One is told that Lenten Rose (the Latin name is Helleborus) hates to be disturbed. Also, the best time for transplanting them, if at all, is My gardening guru Jim Shein the fall. Count on the fact lar told me planting pots is that your fully-grown Helleeasy if you remember this manbores probably will not surtra: Plant a “thriller”, a “fillvive transplanting, but you er” and a “spiller – just three must remove them anyway. elements will make a gorgeous Using a large garden fork, pot arrangement. I can’t think tenderly and gingerly press of what a spiller might be. How the fork tines beside the Helabout some ideas for all three? leborus to discover how its THRILLERS are stars, a roots are formed, and try to tall centerpiece, such as Yucdig up the whole plant while ca, Canna, or one of the draincorporating as much earth matic grasses, or any tall flowaround the root ball as you er that blooms a long time. can. The large fat roots must FILLERS weave through not be severed. Gently lift the the thriller, adding mass, conplant and transport it on a trast and texture, such as Colarge piece of plastic, to a new, leus, Begonias, Dusty miller, already-prepared hole. Apply Heliotrope, Lantana, Pentas, composted manure and water Canna Petunia, Salvia. well. The babies might make SPILLERS sprawl over the side of the container, it. Dig down and get the entire root, with as much soil softening its edges -- like Bacopas, Nasturtium, Creeparound it as possible. Some of the little plants may be coning Jenny, Sweet Potato vine, Licorice plant, Verbena. nected to a mother plant, so take a healthy amount of that root, cut cleanly with a sharp knife. What would be a good companion plant for my lonely Feeling beset by gardening problems? Your problem might Nandina? prove instructive to others, and help them feel superior to you. She might like Boxwood -- it’s evergreen! Or a lemSend to the Problem Lady c/o dearproblemlady@gmail.com. on yellow Bayberry called “Sunjoy” would go well with Complete anonymity is assured. Nandina. Or you could get another Nandina – one called “Obsession” has brilliant fire engine red leaves; one called Please consult our website for information about when meetings will resume: capitolhillgardenclub.org. u “Lemon and Lime” has brilliant chartreuse leaves.

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Pansies produce a strong pop of color in our gardens from December to the end of May. This flower is planted each year giving you a chance to switch up colors each season. Pansies like sun but they do well in afternoon shadows. It is a very affordable plant. Peonies scream spring. It is a popular flower and comes in a tree version or a bush variety. The flower is scented and is often used in bouquets. Peonies need sun and are picky about the soil and where it resides in the garden. You should do your homework when planting these flowers that symbolize romance. Phlox is one of the most popular ground type coverings used in Hill gardens and produces cascades of purple and white flowers. One of the earlier plants to bloom each Spring, it comes in 67 varieties from creeping to standing plants. The good thing is there a phlox that will work in almost any kind of light and soil. A little mulch in the spring and your plant will be very happy. Pinks are the common name for Dianthus that is a genus of about 300 species of flowering plants. The flower is also known as carnation or Sweet William. Modern varieties will typically bloom from May to October. It is a small plant that needs at least six hours of sun a day and well-drained soil. Tulips are one of the most common spring bulb flowers. It comes in 75 species dating back to 1055 in Istanbul. The tulip’s name actually derives from the word “turban.” The bulbs can be left season to season, but often they are treated as an annual

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plant. The plants are put into the ground in November or December. Due to intense breeding programs, there are thousands of different shapes and colors. Vinca is a flowering plant commonly called periwinkle. The plant is a trailing one that can spread quickly, which explains why there are so many around the Hill. This spring blue flower is often mistaken for phlox. It is one of the spring flowers that actually do well in drought conditions. It is great ground cover year round. Wisteria is the beautiful vining plant you see climbing up trellis and front doors around the hill. It grows very quickly and can get up to 30 feet long. Pruning is a must. It can take a couple of years after planting before the cascade of blue and purple flowers appear. It is a mildly poisonous plant, mainly for cats and dogs. The plant is hardy once established and will be a showstopper for years to Come. Rindy O’Brien’s garden flower quiz comes from years of gardening and double checking the plants on INaturalist app. Let her know your score at rindyobrien@gmail.com u

Answers: (From top left to bottom right) Iris Pinks Azaleas Lilac Clematis Tulips Vianca Camilia Peonies Wisteria Pansies phlox

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RENTING IN THE TIME OF COVID

he spring real estate rental market has arrived. Or has it? Residential rental values seem to be holding firm – but for how long? Are vacancies renting? How does one find a new home while conforming to the current stay-at-home orders? We have all been holding our breaths to see what the effects of the current pandemic are going to be. While most of us are anxiously waiting to see what the future will bring, there are those who need to move or need to find tenant to fill a vacant rental unit, and there may not be time to wait. Typically, the best time to fill a vacant residential rental unit on Capitol Hill is during the late spring/early summer market. This has been the case in each of the 25 years that I have been listing and renting apartments and houses on the Hill. More units come on the market during this time of year

62 H HILLRAG.COM

by Michael Frias providing tenants with more options. More tenants move during late spring and early summer than any other time, so landlords are usually able to place tenants more quickly. This trend lends some predictability to the rental market on which landlords and tenants have come to rely. So, what happens now during the COVID-19 crisis? Are tenants still moving? During this time of heightened anxiety and social distancing, how are they going to be able to safely find new homes to rent? Are landlords going to be able to fill vacancies while the city is under stay-at-home orders? Are rental rates going to rise or drop? Should decisions to move be postponed? Unfortunately, it is still a little too early to discern any new trends in the market that will shed much light on these questions. Nonetheless, if you are a landlord hoping to fill a vacant unit or a renter hoping to move, you will have to make decisions on what information is available. Luckily, there are some resources to help. Housing is a crucial industry to any municipality, and the mayor has deemed real estate agents as “essential” employees. As such, agents are permitted to market and show properties provided that the manner in which they do so conforms with COVID-19 best practices and social distancing requirements. That means that agents should be showing only vacant properties and should make video and self-guided tours available to potential tenants. Renters looking for a new home should inquire if these options are available before scheduling an appointment to view a home. Also included as “essential” employees are construction workers, landscapers and cleaners. Therefore, landlords should still be able to find contractors who can prep their rental units for turnover. Contractors who may be uneasy about working during the stay-at-home orders should

be more comfortable working in vacant units. The most frequent questions I field from landlords are: are there tenants who are currently looking to move right now? Are rental rates dropping? How long will it take to find a tenant for my vacant rental unit? I have been carefully reading discussion boards on professional associations and monitoring websites such as Rent Café, Zillow and Zumper to get a sense of how the local market is reacting to the pandemic. However, while one can find information about this year’s first quarter, reliable data lags by at least a month – and we have only been feeling the dramatic effects of the pandemic locally for 6-7 weeks at the time of this writing. Based on the volume of calls received by my office and from what I glean from discussion boards, tenants are still moving, though at a slower pace than in the preceding spring markets. In my office, rentals were down about 40 percent in April over the preceding year, and I expect that this will continue through May. This projection is based on the volume of responses my agents are receiving in response to their advertising, new applications, and move-out notices. Since mid-April, we have been seeing a slight increase in the number of move-out notices from our tenants. Move-out notices provide a slight advance notice of market activity. An increase in move-out notices usually means that we are about to experience an increase in market activity. This recent increase is consistent with the trend that we typically see at this time of year, though we are still receiving fewer notices than usual at this time of year. I interpret this to mean that while the market remains slower than usual, we are still about to experience at least a slight increase in rental activity. If you are hoping to move within the next few months and are uncertain if it is safe to proceed, or if you are a landlord anxious because you have a coming vacancy, it might be useful to know that there is still a market to accommodate you. I recommend contacting a professional familiar with industry best practices. And, of course, stay safe and healthy! Michael Frias is the principle of Tiber Realty Group, LLC., firm has been managing Capitol Hill properties for over two decades. Visit tiberrealtygroup.com to find out more. u

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CHANGING HANDS Changing Hands is a list of residential sales in Capitol Hill and contiguous neighborhoods 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. NEIGHBORHOOD

PRICE BR

1301 20th St NW #517 1330 New Hampshire Ave NW #314 1514 17th St NW #203 1526 17th St NW #304 1545 18th St NW #206 1601 18th St NW #905 1624 Corcoran St NW #D 1701 16th St NW #448 1725 P St NW #302 1728 New Hampshire Ave NW #301 1735 Seaton St NW 1775 Church St NW #4

14TH STREET CORRIDOR 2125 14th St NW #405

ADAMS MORGAN 1719 Euclid St NW #3 1839 Kalorama Rd NW #3 2633 Adams Mill Rd NW #304

ANACOSTIA 1432 V St SE 2201 Hunter Pl SE #302

ATLAS DISTRICT 1234 Linden Pl NE

BARRY FARMS 1353 Talbert Ter SE 2323 Pomeroy Rd SE

BLOOMINGDALE 1718 1st St NW #8

BRENTWOOD 1362 W St NE

CAPITOL HILL 1205 I St SE 1206 G St SE 1391 Pennsylvania SE #418 23 4th St NE #4 300 8th St NE #107 305 C St NE #209 401 13th St NE #105 418 7 SE #302 420 4th St SE 435 2nd St SE #3 5 Terrace Ct NE 626 Independence SE #101 637 3rd St NE #B4

$439,000

$610,000 $620,000 $430,000

2 2 1

$305,000 $189,000

3 2

$740,000

$330,000 $365,000

2 2

$415,000

$660,000

$679,000 $554,500 $423,500 $359,000 $579,900 $385,000 $499,000 $505,000 $762,000 $415,900 $685,000 $410,000 $230,000

2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 0

CENTRAL

1830 Jefferson Pl NW #19

1 2 2 1 2 2 1 1 2

$500,000

64 H HILLRAG.COM

$300,000 $730,900 $492,500 $455,000 $287,623 $520,000 $381,100 $514,500 $525,000 $399,900

1306 44th Pl SE 1575 41st St SE 3308 B St SE 3312 D St SE 3952 Burns Pl SE 4261 Hildreth St SE

$185,000 $304,000

1 1

1 3 1 2 1 2 1 2 2 1

$499,000 $424,000 $240,000 $250,000 $375,000 $430,000

H STREET CORRIDOR 1009a I St NE 1644 L St NE 301 H St NE #403 646 H St NE #502

HILL CREST 3016 M Pl SE

KINGMAN PARK 1917 D St NE 440 20th St NE

LILY PONDS 3313 Clay Pl NE 4240 Meade St NE

LOGAN CIRCLE

$345,000 $505,000 $457,500 $375,000 $460,000 $535,000 $385,000 $390,000 $475,000

COLUMBIA HEIGHTS 1020 Fairmont St NW #9 1058 Quebec Pl NW 1104 Euclid St NW #2 1300 Park Rd NW #1 1372 Randolph St NW #106 1401 Columbia Rd NW #402 1441 Euclid St NW #B1 1450 Fairmont St NW #A 2617 University Pl NW #3 2656 15th St NW #104

1831 2nd St NE #304 1831 2nd St NE #507

0 2 0 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 3 1

FORT DUPONT PARK

CAPITOL HILL EAST 1331 K St SE #001 1331 K St SE #102 1331 K St SE #103 1331 K St SE #201 1331 K St SE #202 1331 K St SE #203 1331 K St SE #301 1331 K St SE #401 1331 K St SE #402

ECKINGTON

$282,000 $555,000 $255,000 $398,000 $399,999 $449,000 $715,000 $399,999 $499,900 $584,500 $940,000 $418,900

1101 L St NW #703 1211 13th St NW #805 1736 13th St NW #2 1239 Vermont Ave NW #907 1550 11th St NW #105 1715 15th St NW #202

$720,000 $489,000 $429,900 $549,900

2 2 1 1

$430,000

$620,000 $595,000

3 2

$246,000 $475,000

2 3

$337,000 $661,500 $625,000 $390,000 $374,900 $486,300

1 1 2 1 1 1

MARSHALL HEIGHTS 5022 Bass Pl SE 3318 Sherman Ave NW #103 3515 Hertford Pl NW #22 757 Kenyon St NW 764 Irving St NW 780 Lamont St NW 785 Fairmont St NW 113 Forrester St SW

2 1 2 2 2 3 3

4221 Clay St NE 4929 Foote St NE #3 5321 Gay St NE 6004 Clay St NE

$226,500 $165,000

2 2

DUPONT CIRCLE

$389,999

$470,000 $353,150 $665,000 $687,500 $500,000 $725,191 $380,000

CONGRESS HEIGHTS 1147 Bellevue St SE 705 Brandywine St SE #101

DEANWOOD 4009 Blaine St NE

DOWNTOWN

1314 Massachusetts Ave NW #304 400 Massachusetts Ave NW #909 1615 Q St NW #611 1745 N St NW #102 1816 New Hampshire #808 1907 S St NW #B

$439,000 $119,000 $350,000 $245,000

3 2 3 3

$390,000 $500,000

1 1

$395,000 $560,000 $442,000 $741,000

1 1 1 2

$260,000

MT VERNON SQUARE 475 K St NW #421 440 L St NW #1013 555 Massachusetts NW #409 811 4th St NW #715

NAVY YARD 1025 1st SE #1203 1025 1st St SE #814 1300 4th St SE #714

NOMA

24 Florida Ave NE #201 50 Florida Ave NE #222

3 4 3 2 3 3

$616,000 $520,000 $480,000 $479,000

2 2 1 1

$525,000 $530,000 $485,000

1 1 1

$389,900 $485,500

1 1

MAY WE HELP YOU FIND YOUR DREAM HOME? OLD CITY #1 13 10th St SE 308 18th Pl NE #2 500 25th Pl NE #202 637 3rd St NE #103

$1,088,000 $355,000 $345,000 $242,000

OLD CITY #2 1390 V St NW #214 1425 11th St NW #103 1615 Q St NW #801 1731 Willard St NW #505 475 K St NW #906 555 Massachusetts Ave NW #808

$560,000 $415,000 $422,500 $433,000 $599,000 $483,000

RANDLE HEIGHTS 1909 T Pl SE 3024 Stanton Rd SE 3101 Naylor Rd SE #B

$364,300 $300,000 $90,000

RLA (SW) 300 M St SW #N315 560 N St SW #N406

$449,000 $190,000

3 2 1 0

3 2 1 2 0

$530,000 $899,900 $550,000 $599,000 $542,500

SOUTH WEST 700 7th St SW #520

$335,000

SW WATERFRONT 240 M St SW #E613 530 N St SW #S708 560 N St SW #N614

$247,500 $349,900 $315,000 $300,000 $660,000 $478,000

TRUXTON CIRCLE 433 Warner St NW

$730,000 $163,000 $550,000 $469,500 $483,000 $500,000

WATERFRONT 490 M St SW #W200 395 O St SW 40 G St SW 1101 3rd St SW #403 510 N St SW #N520 723 3rd St SW #414

$310,000 $540,000 $845,000 $330,000 $299,500 $699,000

WEST END 2425 L St NW #335 u

$585,000

G IN ! M N O O C O S

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615 Elliott NE 3 BR / 1.5 BA $795,000 VICTORIAN CLASSIC ON SERENE ONE-WAY BLOCK! Modern updates to this classic row home with smart layout! Lovely entry foyer and central fireplace, living room w/ LARGE bay front windows, spacious rear kitchen and walkout to rear private patio; Sky lit upper level features GRAND front owner’s bedroom and two add’l BR in rear. Access to everything, including H Street Corridor and Atlas district.

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arts ining d and

T N I R P A B U Y TO SUPPORT D C C K !

Artist Christine Vineyard Sells Prints of Iconic DC Businesses to Raise Money For Charity

by Elizabeth O’Gorek

ill-based artist Christine Vineyard is using her work to promote local business and raise money for the DC Central Kitchen (DCCK). Vineyard, who publishes on social media as Lidflutters, wants to use her work to make a difference for families during this difficult time. She’s selling prints depicting iconic local businesses to benefit the nonprofit. DC Central Kitchen (DCCK) combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation. In response to COVID-19, DCCK is serving more than 40,000 emergency meals each week at dozens of sites across the city, keeping healthy food on the shelves of corner stores, and supporting Culinary Job Training students whose training and careers have been disrupted by this crisis. Their efforts make a difference to the kids she misses, Vineyard said. A trained artist and educator, Vineyard usually spends her days teaching at McKinley Middle School (150 T St. NE). The school is a “homeless status” school, Vineyard said, meaning that many students do not have permanent addresses. Many live in shelters, the hotels retained by the Department Local teacher and artist Christine Vineyard, of Human Services (DHS) aka Lidﬂutters, wanted to use her work to along New York Avenue, in make a diﬀerence. Courtesy the artist foster care or even in cars. She said DC Central Kitchen is great because it helps everyone. “I know I’m not necessarily helping my kids directly,” she said of the project, “but if my efforts help students and families who are in need across the District, then I’m happy to do it.” Her students aren’t doing their best learning right now, either, Vineyard said. DC Public Schools (DCPS) has provided schools and students

Labyrinth Puzzles & Games (645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE) in a depiction by Lidﬂutters. Courtesy the artist

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with devices. However, many do not have access to Wi-Fi or electricity, or where they do, they often lack the skills necessary to connect all three. That’s a national issue, she said. “They’ve given out devices, but there needs to be a follow-up.” She’s worried about the students at her school. So, about a month ago, with her workload shifted after the closure of school buildings, Vineyard was able to focus some of her attention on her other skillset, art. Vineyard has produced prints depicting 62 different iconic District. She started her work by capturing Capitol Hill Books (657 C St. SE), followed by others such as the Hill Center (921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE), where Vineyard sometimes teaches an art class and Labyrinth Puzzles and Games (645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE). She also has depicted businesses in the wider District, such as Kramerbooks (1517 Connecticut Ave. NW), Call Your Mother (3301 Georgia Ave. NW) and Ben’s Chili Bowl (1213 U St. NW), posting them online to her Instagram and Twitter accounts. People started noticing, and she started getting requests from current and former residents to do their favorite

Christine Vineyard has taught at The Hill Center, here depicted behind its iconic gate. Courtesy the artist

businesses. Some businesses reached out to her directly, and it just snowballed from there, she said (look out for Trusty’s, coming out in art soon). She has a queue of 50 requests right now. “Now this is a thing,” she said she realized, “I need to do something with it.” Starting Friday, April 24, Vineyard is selling the prints online in the ‘local’ section of her Etsy store and at her website, www.lidflutters.com. She’ll keep enough to cover the cost of production (about 40 percent, or $9.50), with the remainder of profits going straight to DCCK. Prospective buyers who wish to increase their purchase price or who want a larger format can contact Vineyard and she will try to accommodate requests. Increased profits will be increased donations, she said. If her efforts really take off, Vineyard said, she will also contribute profits to Sasha Capitol Hill Books (657 C St. SE) was the first of the District businesses depicted by local artist Christine Vineyard as part of a collection being sold to profit the work of DC Central Kitchen during the COVID-19 crisis. Courtesy the artist

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Bruce Youthwork. Vineyard has donated her work to each business depicted to do as they wish with the images and has received consent from each for the use of their images in the campaign. You can see and purchase Vineyard’s work at www.lidflutters.com or by following @lidflutters on Instagram and Twitter. Reach her with questions, orders or requests via email at lidflutters@gmail.com u

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AT THE MOVIES Inspiring Docs: True Stories of Terrific Kid’s Competitions

ith movie houses still closed at the time of this writing, the Hill Rag offers readers another selection of recent movies to watch while sequestered at home. The theme of this month’s mini-reviews is “Inspiring Docs,” an collection of heart-warming documentary films from the last 20 years that were lit-

by Mike Canning kids portrayed are utterly charming in eight different ways, and we learn much about them and their varying family contexts. The last third of the movie concentrates on the final bee at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in downtown DC, where clever editing gives us the built-in drama of the competition, contestant after contestant struggling with their words, their parents agonizing, the never-changing baritone drone

Competing science students entering International Science and Engineering Fair at the Los Angeles Convention Center (National Geographic)

are the inspiration—patiently guiding their novice charges as they learn a range of dances, from ballroom to tango. It all leads up to the big finale danceoff in a Manhattan park. This is a movie where you end up rooting for everybody!

The Heart of the Game (2005) An inspirational story set in the world of girls’ high school basketball. Darnellia Russell is a gifted player from the poor part of Seattle who elects to play at middle class Roosevelt High under the tutelage of firebrand coach Bill Resler. Their journey takes them through racial sensitivities, hard work, and tough decisions (young Russell leaves school at one point to have a child) only to lead up to a Washington state girls’ basketball championship. These two contrasting figures become part of an unpretentious epic that took director Ward Serrill seven years to make and which ends in a thrilling fairy tale finish.

War/Dance (2007)

tle seen upon release but will give you a feel-good break from the grimness of the moment. Even better, they all cover actual kid’s competitions, giving you a rooting interest and bolstering our hope for a better world that hath such kids in it. Readers can find these titles on disc (rental or purchase) or on selected streaming services. So, grab your popcorn and try out these stirring flicks.

Spellbound (2002) This is—dare I say—a spell-binding documentary that covers the 1999 National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC, told in mosaic form by following eight finalists from different regions of the country. The 70 H HILLRAG.COM

of the word reader, as, one after another, the kids slowly drop away. This finale itself contains more true tension than most other “dramatic” films released in recent years.

Mad Hot Ballroom (2005) A sweet and heartening film about a kids’ competition, with much of the flavor of “Spellbound” (see above). Here the contest is a city-wide ballroom dancing challenge among fifth-graders in the New York City public schools. The girls are uniformly sweet and eager to learn and compete, while the boys are somewhat embarrassed and reluctant to participate. It is their teachers and instructors who

A moving documentary which shows the transformation of a group of poor, war-damaged Ugandan orphans into a joyous music and dance team ready to compete in a national music festival. The film, made by documentarians Sean Fine and Andrea Nix, focuses on several individual Ugandan kids—all charmers and each with a story more heartbreaking than the last—who live in a northern refugee camp where they are given training in traditional African music and dance. They then travel to the country’s capital, Kampala, to compete in the National Music Festival. A heart-stirrer.

Step (2017) A compelling true story about an African-American step-dancing troupe in a small private school in Baltimore. The film highlights three senior girls who look to “step” to learn discipline and teamwork and to foster creativity and camaraderie—all of which they achieve. Just as important to their success (all three, of modest means, go on to higher education) are their step teacher, their academic counselor, and their varied families. You ache for

The three dancing stars of the rousing documentary â&#x20AC;&#x153;Step.â&#x20AC;? Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

them when they encounter obstacles, then root for them as they gear up for a major step dance competition. Not to mention the vigor and pulse of the dancing itself: a stomping jamboree!

Science Fair (2018) A wonderful true-life Revenge of the Nerds. The film follows nine high school students from around the world as they compete in an international science competition, an annual event that attracts some 1,700 of the brightest (and quirkiest) teenage scholars. The kids the filmmakers highlight are a varied and fascinating batch, from a lively math genius from West Virginia to a self-effacing Muslim girl from South Dakota to a lanky German trying to revive single-wing aircraft. Co-directors and co-writers of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Science Fair,â&#x20AC;? Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster, have pulled off a true winner in their first documentary feature. And for something completely different but just as moving, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take a look at another documentary which has the same kick from the other end of life.

Young @ Heart (2007) A buoyant and upbeat motion picture depicting the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Young at Heart Chorusâ&#x20AC;? from Northampton, Massachusetts, told through several key members of the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;whose average age is 81â&#x20AC;&#x201D;and their dedicated music director Bob Climan. This seniors group specializes in up-tempo pop standardsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; even some hip-hopâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and performs for delighted audiences anywhere from prisons to packed auditoriums. As American as this story is, it took a couple of Brits, Stephen Walker and Sally George, to get it made. Much more than a movie simply about â&#x20AC;&#x153;cute old peopleâ&#x20AC;? (although many of those are featured), it highlights how the human spirit can be uplifted through song and community. Hill resident Mike Canning has written on movies for the Hill Rag since 1993 and is a member of the Washington Area Film Critics Association. He is the author of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hollywood on the Potomac: How the Movies View Washington, DC.â&#x20AC;? His reviews and writings on film can be found online at www.mikesflix.com. u

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ARTandtheCITY by Jim Magner, photos: Michael Francis

ARTIST PORTRAIT: MICHAEL FRANCIS

ometimes it’s the world you don’t really see when you’re scurrying along. The painting can be a sketchy suggestion of an actual place— like “Iceland #2.” Colors swim on the canvas like

Institute College of Art in Baltimore. He received a MFA at George Washington University. He has taught art at virtually every college in the region and “under the auspices” of institutions from all over the world. He taught at GW for 20 years, and now teaches at the Art League. The paintings of Mike Francis encompass the world and the world of painting. But they do more than that. They reach into the canvas

ington— you can see the changes, feel the changes… taste them…smell them. There is a built-in nostalgia. You can point to buildings no longer there—replaced by new ones that will shortly be old. Even the rivers seem to age and sometimes groan with the demands of ferries and barges, oily runoff and oily developers. But the skies! They smile—sing… Or bear down—touch the ground—sit on the city with weight, pressing it flat, encasing it in time. In his happy paintings, the clouds are like the bodies and souls of another era— like Esther Williams and Tarzan doing the sidestroke together through eternity. Or maybe they’re the free-drifting ideas of creation itself. You would think all painters would glory in the vast and splendorous heavens above. But skim through a book of the all-time masterpieces and you won’t find much until the cumulus melodramatic wonders of John Constable. No clear blue skies in a Constable. And then… JMW Turner! It’s like God conducting a symphony. Kettledrums and cymbals, bassoons and trumpets…and strings: violins and cellos that float above the thunder.

“DC View”, Michael Francis, 5’x18’, Oil on Canvas

koi in a pond while shapes shimmy and make suggestions. It’s that visual dissimilarity you experience—things seen but not seen. But give it a minute and it comes together in a reality you know and understand. Or like “DC View,” it can be the studied overview of the Capital, perhaps seen as you take off or descend—a huge chessboard of boxy structures advancing in a never-ending assault on the horizon. Some of Mike’s cityscapes, like “Erv’s View,” can look like a giant cave with an enclosing sky while the skyscrapers, the emblems of enterprise, rise out of the floor like stalagmites jutting skyward, reaching ever closer to the heavens. Mike grew up around here. He took classes at the Corcoran and earned a BFA at the Maryland 72 H HILLRAG.COM

or paper and grip the idea of the place and the changes that fly by moment by moment. Not monuments. Moments. It can be a panorama or an inconspicuous fragment of something unnoticed by others. It can be rooted in our temporary sense of reality and then soar into the timeless spaces—the skies that encompass human vision at its loftiest. www.michaelfrancispainter.com

Jim Magner’s Thoughts on Art In the grand city paintings of Mike Francis—New York, Baltimore, Wash-

“Iceland #2”, Michael Francis, Oil on Canvas

Then sleep and dream in the moonlight of Albert Pinkham Ryder, enveloped by night skies that light up like lanterns and glow the goldest gold. And finally, Charles Burchfield, and conversations among the firmaments and fields, stars and streams—where the Milky Way reaches down to the Sphinx and crickets become clouds in the poetry of place. Yes, we and our cities are changing— changes you can feel, touch and taste. Espe-

be seen at: www.hillcenterdc.org/artist/2020regional-juried-exhibition. American Painting Fine Art 5125 MacArthur Blvd. NW #17 –May 31. (By appointment) “Bountiful Treasures” is the extended members show. It can be accessed at, classicamericanpainting.com. Foundry Gallery 2118 - 8th S.t, NW –May 31. (By Appointment) foundrygallery.org Barbara Pliskin paints fantasies. In her “Sun Series,” forms roll through the emptiness of space or become reflections through a transparency. Always intense and always on the move. barbarapliskin.com

“Fishing Village”, Michael Francis, Oil on Canvas

cially now. But look up. It is there throughout our eternity: the cumulus wonders of Constable, the rumbling tumbling soaring symphonies of Turner, the golden dreams of Ryder and the ringing laughing poetry of Burchfield. And the free drifting ideas of creation itself where Mike Francis is taking a ride.

At the Galleries Hill Center 921 Pennsylvania Ave., SE –June 12 This is the annual Regional Juried Exhibition. The Hill Center Gallery may not be open in May, but a wonderful work from each artist can

“Beginnings” Capitol Hill Art League 545 7th St, SE Through May “Beginnings” is an online art exhibit featuring CHAL members/artists Karen Zens, Karen Cohen, Mary Elizabeth Gosselink, Nan Raphael, Tara Hamilton, Anne Albright, Rindy O’Brien, and Ann Pickett. To view the exhibit: www.caphillartleague.org A Capitol Hill artist and writer, Jim can be reached at Artandthecity05@aol.com u

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the LITERARY HILL A Compendium of Readers, Writers, Books, & Events by Karen Lyon

oin us on Sunday, May 3 for the first-ever VIRTUAL Literary Hill BookFest! From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., we’ll be presenting live discussions with your favorite local authors and video readings of poetry, fiction, history, and children’s stories on our website at www.literaryhillbookfest.org. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with our Hill literary community. But if you can’t make it live, never fear; we’ll be leaving it all up for you and your kids to enjoy for months to come.

Duke of the Hill Who wouldn’t love a dog like Duke? Sadly, somebody didn’t. At one time, he was “a nameless puppy who wasn’t treated very well,” lying in the dirt wondering when he’d get his next meal… or even a drink of water. He longed for “a home with a family that would take of me and that I could take care of.” It’s not giving anything away to reveal that Duke gets his wish. It’s right there in the subtitle of a delightful picture book by Allison McGill: “The Adventures of Duke, the Therapy Dog: Duke Finds a Home.” The sweet (and true!) story of how he’s rescued and finds his loving family is simply and movingly told by McGill, and the illustrations by John Paul Snead provide a heartwarming accompaniment. Rendered in soft pastels, they capture the

eager couple who adopted the dog as well as the many moods of Duke himself, from his dejected beginnings to his contented end, asleep and dreaming of bones with his tongue hanging out. “The Adventures of Duke, the Therapy Dog” is not only a charming book to read to children but it also helps support dogs like Duke, with 20 percent of its profits going to the Atlanta Boxer Rescue. Allison McGill is the founder of Lola & Pear Publishing (www.lolaandpear.com). Her hilarious second book, “Mommy Didn’t Say That…,” co-written with Charla Everhart and illustrated once again by John Paul Snead, will be coming out this spring. She has also been busy organizing volunteers to go grocery shopping and run errands for our at-risk neighbors during the Covid-19 crisis. If you want to help, email her at alli@thetabledc.org.

On the Trail of the Takhi

“Hello, Emergency Service for the Rescue of Endangered Species,” announces Stowe. With her cousin Wheaton listening in on speakerphone, she hears the director of a wildlife preservation project in Mongolian asking for their help. It seems a harem of endangered horses known as takhi has strayed out of the national park where they are part of a breeding and reintroduction program. If they’re not found, it would mean that their valuable genes could be lost forever. Sounds like a job for ResQ! “ResQ Takes on the Takhi” is the second in a series of novels for middle schoolers by Eva J. Pell that follows the adventures of pre-teens Stowe and Wheaton and their grandmother, wildlife photographer Ariella. Together they form ResQ, an organization committed to saving animals being threatened with extinction. The first book, “ResQ and the Baby Orangutan,” found the trio in the jungles of Borneo, battling illegal loggers A neglected boxer gets his longed-for family and animal traffickers in pursuit of baby Buddy, in “The Adventures who got lost after his mother was shot. of Duke, the Therapy Dog” by Allison McGill. This time around, the rescuers contend with

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A pair of precocious pre-teens and their grandmother help locate a harem of endangered Mongolian horses in Eva Pell’s “ResQ Takes on the Takhi.”

a blinding Mongolian snowstorm as well as wolves and frigid temperatures to locate and herd the endangered horses back to the preserve. Happily, they’re aided in their mission by a local teen who’s not only a crack horsewoman but is also happy to share her expertise on the terrain, weather, and plant and animal life of her native country. Stowe shares her newfound knowledge with readers via her logs, which touch upon everything from the dynamics of extinction to the food, culture, and language of Mongolia. Meanwhile, genius Wheaton’s improvisational engineering skills, along with his amazing inventions—including the Dynochute, which transported them there, and the Finder, which acts as a scent-seeking drone—provide an intriguing sci-fi element (and frequently save the day). All told, as Wheaton admits, “ResQ’s pretty good at finding missing animals.” To which Stowe adds her rallying cry: “Every animal counts!” Eva Pell is the former Under Secretary for Science at the Smithsonian Institution. www.evapell.com

Love, War, and Golems Poor Jason is in a bad way. Once the savior of his people, he has lost his leadership position, his mag-

THE POETIC HILL

“Sparks” is the fourth book in E.J. Wenstrom’s award-winning “Chronicles of the Third Realm War” sci-fi fantasy series.

ical powers, and his lover. Now his childhood friend, a golem named Adem, has fled Haven at the behest of his maker and it’s up to Jason to venture out into the Wasteland to save him. And all this in the midst of an explosively destructive war. “I have never felt smaller,” Jason thinks. “The realm has never felt angrier, like it has been set on fire.” “Sparks” is the fourth in E.J. Wenstrom’s “Chronicles of the Third Realm War,” a sci-fi fantasy series that, as she explains, “features a mashup of Greek mythology, Judeo-Christian folklore, and an extra dash of my own special brand of chaos.” In “Sparks,” she delivers it all in spades. Filled with fierce battles and passionate personal struggles, the story follows Jason and his companions as they journey to the Host, where they hope the Gods will grant them the means to set Adem free. Their quest is not an easy one. Along the way, they fight off vicious winged creatures with sharp biting teeth, a three-headed beast, and a whole army of golems. When they unwittingly unleash the plagues foretold in the Texts, their torments take an even grimmer turn. Will they ever find the Gods and, if they do, will their wish be granted? Will they be able to rescue Adem in time to save the realm from the rebel forces? More importantly, will the forces of good triumph? And will Jason and his fellow warriors survive to “become sparks of fire to consume the darkness”? As he chillingly observes, “being impossible has hardly stopped terrible things from reaching us.” In the Third Realm, perils await, but anything is possible—and readers who venture there will find a rewarding escape into a very creative and fully imagined world. E. J. Wenstrom’s debut book, “Mud,” won the Royal Palm Literary Award Book of the Year, and was followed by “Tides,” and a prequel, “Rain.” www.ejwenstrom.com. u

by Karen Lyon

erena Agusto-Cox, a Suffolk University alum, writes more vigorously now than she did in her college poetry seminars. Her day job continues to feed the starving artist, and her poems can be read in Dime Show Review, Baseball Bard, Mothers Always Write, Bourgeon, Beginnings Magazine, LYNX, Muse Apprentice Guild, The Harrow, Poems Niederngasse, Avocet, Pedestal Magazine, and other journals. An essay also appears in H.L. Hix’s Made Priceless, three poems in the Love_Is_Love: An Anthology for LGBTQIA+ Teens, and a Q&A on book marketing through blogs in Midge Raymond’s Everyday Book Marketing. She also runs the book review blog, Savvy Verse & Wit, and founded Poetic Book Tours to help poets market their books. ‘Out, damned spot’ You pull the trigger. One time, One round. Rifle bumped. Pumped spraying golden arcs of Cain Toppled, faceless mannequins, Breathless. But you can’t escape residue marks your hands You’re no longer in darkness chasing demons across typed pages You’re in the light, Lady Macbeth Eyes wide we cannot unsee, splayed on the screen an agenda unfurled a red carpet of spectators

If you would like to have your poem considered for publication, please send it to klyon@literaryhillbookfest.org. (There is no remuneration.) u

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/ The Wine Girl /

ROSE SEASON

Your Guide to Pink Wines from Across the Globe

by Elyse Genderson

armer weather means many things, but most importantly – pink wine! Rosé wine has seen an explosion in popularity in recent years. The trend does not seem to be stopping. In the U.S. we’ve seen sales growing in excess of 40% per year. As we continue to live at the recommended social distance from each other, rosé is an easy, carefree wine to turn to for reminiscing about picnicking, sitting poolside, or vacations at the beach. Today, it’s perfect for family dinners outside on the patio, and it brightens up spring foods. People love the simplicity, fun-loving character, and unpretentiousness of rosé wine. Not only delicious, the color is gorgeous and looks amazing on Instagram! But, what is rosé? Simply put, it’s a wine that does not finish fermenting on the skins. Orange wine, on the other hand, is a white wine that does finish fermenting on the grape skins. It may look pink-orange colored, like Ramato Pinot Grigio from Italy, but it is not a rosé.

Rosé is made either by short maceration or direct press techniques. A short maceration – contact of skin and juice can last from a few hours up to several days. The longer the maceration time, the more color, tannin, and flavor is extracted. The juice is then drained from the skins and pressed. After that, it’s fermented like a white wine. This technique produces rosé wines with a deeper, richer color. The method is used in traditional Spanish rosato styles and the rosés of Tavel in the Southern Rhone Valley. These wines are dry and offer pronounced flavors of strawberries, raspberries, and herbs. Direct pressing, on the other hand, makes some of the palest-colored rosés and is most commonly found in Provence. Black grapes, like Grenache, are gently pressed while using inert gas to suppress oxygen exposure, thus preserving the fruity character and elegant pale color. Provence is the iconic home of rosé wines. This region has become synonymous with salmon-colored rosé made from Cinsaut and Grenache grapes. It’s a fresh style of wine that is emulated all around the world. Since Provence is seen as the benchmark and has done a such a great job in their marketing and quality efforts, other classic French rosé regions are starting to mimic the style. Tavel traditionally produces a darkercolored rosé, and some producers have started to make pale Provençal styles to help boost sales. Tavel rosé was once considered the best pink wine in the world and is very well suited for food pairing. Rosé from around the world should be explored and enjoyed year-round, not just in the warmer months. Discover these hand-pick selections of the most stunning and delightful pink wines from across the color spectrum.

2017 Sierra Cantabria Rosado Rioja, Spain ($12.99) Sierra Cantabria Rosé is a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Viura. It is clean and bright with aromas of fresh strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, and pomegranate. Hints of watermelon on the finish make this an ideal pairing with marinated watermelon salad with feta cheese and mint.

2019 Terre de Mistral Rosalie Provence Rose ($23.99) This stunning rosé is perfumed with hints of red ber76 H HILLRAG.COM

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ries, rosé petal, and violet. It has juicy, refreshing acidity with a smooth texture. Pair with salty potato chips, chicken fingers, or anything fried.

2018 Arrocal Rosa, Ribera del Duero, Spain ($16.99): Intense red currant, raspberry, cherry and rosé petal aromas are followed by a palate of candied citrus flavors. The racy, juicy acidity will make your mouth water. Voluptuous and full-bodied, this Spanish rosato is great for pairing with a roasted beet salad coated with creamy goat cheese and topped with crunchy walnuts.

La Tordera Cuvee di Gabry Spumante Extra Dry Rosato, Veneto, Italy ($14.99): A blend of Merlot and Incrocio Manzoni, an indigenous grape from the region, this is a delightful sparkler from the Veneto. Offering bold, tropical fruit flavors, it has a lovely, slightly off-dry finish, with a hint of lemon and clementine citrus. Pair with strawberry sorbet.

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Montaudon Grand Rose Brut, Champagne, France ($39.99): Go ahead and splurge a little on pink Champagne. Delicate with pronounced aromas of red berries, dragon fruit, rhubarb, and toasted brioche. A hint of savory spice and cinnamon on the finish. Discover springtime pink wines and more by ordering online at cellar.com. Elyse is the Vice President of Schneider’s. Call her at 202-543-9300 or visit cellar.com to schedule a curbside pick-up or a safe no-contact home delivery. u

MAY 2020 H 77

Photo by Gayle Krughoff

Read her story at CapitolHillHistory.org Longtime real estate agent Helen Carey started renovating Capitol Hill townhouses in the early 1960s and became deeply involved in the evolution of the neighborhood. Her oral history interview is one of many you’ll find on our website.

P ROJECT by Jean-Keith Fagon

AN INITIATIVE OF THE CAPITOL HILL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION.

It’s Time •••

Tracye Eileen, vocalist

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This new album from Tracye Eileen, with producer-songwriter Kendall Duffie, delivers a sophisticated blend of soothing soul and sensual R&B grooves. “I cowrote the new songs with Kendall, and I think the music composition flowed well with the sentiment of each song,” Ms. Eileen explained. Cruising on a midtempo groove with a soulful sax caress from Donald Hayes, “Now That We’re Here” is about committing to the relationship. Ms. Eileen’s jazz vocal roots are evident on the rousing “Sweeter With Time,” a tune about how love grows, anchored by a deft drum and bass rhythm track played by Terry Baker and Simeon Baker respectively. The album closes with two versions – including a house mix - of the first song the artist ever wrote, “Why Did I Say Yes,” the title cut of her 2018 album.

XX •••

Brian Culbertson Instrumentalist, Producer and Performer The latest album from R&B/jazz/ funk multi-instrumentalist Brian Culbertson is a bit of everything he has done throughout his versatile career. “I just want to give people a total mix of everything that I do – funky instrumentals, jazz, R&B slow jams, gospel, pop and straight-up funk” said Mr. Culbertson. “XX” features a prominent assortment of artists: Bootsy Collins, Ray Parker Jr., Avery* Sunshine, Maze’s Jubu Smith, Everette Harp, Marcus Anderson, DW3, Byron “Mr. Talkbox” Chambers, Noel Gourdin and Patches Stew78 H HILLRAG.COM

art. Filling up the tracks is an accomplished array of musicians including Paul Jackson Jr., Nicholas Cole, Eric Marienthal, Ricky Peterson, Alex Al, Michael Thompson, Khari Parker, Lenny Castro, Gerey Johnson, Chance Howard, Ouiwey Collins, Candice Cheatham and Derek “D.O.A.” Allen. Vocalist Micaela Haley (aka Michelle Culbertson, Mr. Culbertson’s wife) and a gospel choir add celestial and soul luster to a couple of tracks. In addition to playing piano, keyboards, Minimoog, Wurlitzer, Hammond B3 organ, Fender Rhodes, clavinet, bass, synth bass, drum programming, vocals, string machine and percussion, Mr. Culbertson picks up his trombone to form a powerhouse horn section with Marqueal Jordan and Michael Stever. Something different on “XX” is that two songs – “The Hangout” and “Keep Movin’”were conceived during soundcheck while Mr. Culbertson was on tour with his band One of the album’s centerpiece tracks is “More Than Thankful,” a big-scale production on which Mr. Sunshine shines and the gospel choir graces. Other standout numbers are the sensual “It’s A Love Thing,” which has a mesmerizing Zen vibe; “Time Flies” that takes flight via its blossoming chorus and Mr. Haley’s layered angelic ahhh’s; “Sexy Love” on which Mr. Culbertson sings on the chorus; and a reunion with R&B crooner Mr. Gourdin on the old-school soul ballad “The Truth.” The album closes with “Looking Back,” which starts out with a poignant jazz-oriented solo piano intro with lots of deep chord changes before breaking into a neo-soul groove that Mr. Stewart’s muted trumpet illumines. u