APRIL 2021
CONTENTS
NEXT ISSUE: May 8
APRIL 2021
14
31
32 Lessons From Ward 8: Helping The Healing With Nature by Bill Matuszeski
35 Letting the Sunshine In: New Programs to Cover Upfront Costs of Solar Energy by Catherine Plume
ON THE COVER:
04 what’s on washington out and about 10 Insatiable • Celeste McCall
16
Photo: Prescription Chicken owners Taryn Pellicone and Valerie Zweig. Photo by Pleasant Mann courtesy Shaw Main Streets.
14 MidCity Business Briefs • Sarah Payne
your neighborhood 16 Federal Control Complicates DC Justice • Gavrielle Jacobovitz 22 Shaw Streets • Pleasant Mann 24 ANC 6E • Pleasant Mann 26 Bulletin Board • Kathleen Donner
at home 36 Changing Hands • Don Denton
kids and family
26
37 Notebook • Kathleen Donner
42 classifieds Capital Community News, Inc. Publisher of:
Capital Community News, Inc. PO Box 15477, Washington, DC 20003 202.543.8300 www.capitalcommunitynews.com • www.hillrag.com
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EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Melissa Ashabranner • melissa.ashabranner@gmail.com MANAGING EDITOR: Andrew Lightman • andrew.hillrag@gmail.com PUBLISHER: Jean-Keith Fagon • fagon@hillrag.com Copyright © 2021 by Capital Community News. All Rights Reserved.
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ARTECHOUSE’S RENEWAL 2121
WHAT’S ON WASHINGTON
Through Sept. 6, ARTECHOUSE DC, 1238 Maryland Ave. SW, presents its cherry blossom inspired installation, Renewal 2121. This original ARTECHOUSE production utilizes the power of creative technology to transport visitors into an imagined future 100 years from now where nature’s resilience takes center stage among an overdeveloped metropolis, empowering visitors to interact to help the blooms of our future continue to renew. Renewal 2121 is open to all ages, daily, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Admission for adults, $24; kids, four to fourteen, $17; students, military and seniors, $20. After 7 p.m., adult price, but all ages. artechouse.com.
A SPRING WALK ON THEODORE ROOSEVELT ISLAND
ANACOSTIA WATERSHED SOCIETY’S EARTH DAY CLEANUP
Registration has opened for the Saturday, April 24, Anacostia Watershed Society Earth Day Cleanup--AWS’s largest annual volunteer event. Typically, on the Saturday following Earth Day, thousands of volunteers come out to dozens of different sites around the watershed to pick-up trash, serve their communities, and enjoy the Anacostia. AWS’s mission is to protect and restore the Anacostia River by bringing partners and communities together to achieve a clean and safe Anacostia River for the benefit of all living in its watershed and for future generations. anacostiaws.org. Photo: Courtesy of the Anacostia Watershed Society
On April 21, 22 or 23, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., enjoy a sociallydistanced, easy-to-moderate walk on a natural oasis in the Potomac with Melanie Choukas-Bradley, the author of the new book Finding Solace at Theodore Roosevelt Island. The nearly two-mile path follows the island’s shore and moves deep into the swamp and tidal inlet along the boardwalk where willows, bald cypresses, and cattails frame views of Washington, DC. She shares an overview of landscape’s fascinating mix of trees, wildflowers, birds, and other wildlife and highlights the island’s history and the legacy of the naturalist and conservationist president it memorializes. The morning also includes pauses for moments of guided forest bathing to quietly soak up the beauty of this wild island. $75. smithsonianassociates.org.
DC FRESHFARM MARKETS OPENING FOR SEASON
DC Freshfarm Markets that are open now are Dupont Circle Market, 1624 20th St. NW, Sundays (year round), 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; Monroe Street Market, 716 Monroe St. NE, Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Mount Vernon Triangle Market, 499 I St. NW, Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; H Street NE Market, 800 13th St. NE, Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. DC Freshfarm Markets opening in May are Uptown Market, 5500 Colorado Ave. NW, Saturdays, starting May 1, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Columbia Heights Market, Park Road and 14th St. NW, Wednesdays, starting May 19, 4 to 7 p.m. More neighborhood markets will open in June. freshfarm.org. Photo: Courtesy of Freshfarm
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WHAT’S ON WASHINGTON
REVOLUTIONARY WAR WEEKEND AT MOUNT VERNON
On May 1 and 2 (rain or shine), step back in time during one of the largest Revolutionary War re-enactments in the country at the estate of Gene ral Washington. Mount Vernon’s serene 12-acre field transforms into a battlefield as hundreds of Continentals, Redcoats and Hessians conduct military drills, perform cavalry demonstrations and engage in 18th-century battle reenactments. Wander through the encampment and meet the soldiers, discuss military techniques and meet General Washington. All activities are included in admission; $28 for adults, $15 for kids, five and under, free. Advance ticket purchase recommended. mountvernon.org. LEFT: Mount Vernon hosts the largest Revolutionary War re-enactment. Photo: Courtesy of George Washington’s Mount Vernon
INAUGURAL NATIONALS HOME RUN CHARITY 5K
Washington Nationals Philanthropies is inviting fans and area residents to celebrate the start of the baseball season with the first-ever Nationals Home Run Charity 5K presented by Congressional Sports for Charity. Proceeds raised will support the community impact work of Washington Nationals Philanthropies, the official charitable arm of the Washington Nationals. Registration is now open for the virtual race which takes place from April 23 to 30. All participants will receive a race shirt, bib, medal, and gaiter. To ensure the health and welfare of their racers, this family-friendly event has been adapted to a virtual format to allow fans of all ages to safely participate. To learn more and register, visit nats4good.org/Events.
OUR COMMON PURPOSE: A CAMPAIGN FOR CIVIC STRENGTH
A series of new events exploring ideas and actions to strengthen America’s democracy will debut in March, April and May with the launch of Our Common Purpose: A Campaign for Civic Strength at the Library of Congress. The initiative is created and hosted by Danielle Allen, who was awarded the 2020 John W. Kluge Prize for Achievement in the Study of Humanity. This new campaign will feature public events hosted virtually on the Library’s Facebook page and its YouTube site, along with workshops for K-12 educators to help educators experiment and create new ways of making civic education come to life. The first conversation from Our Common Purpose highlighted civic media as a promising counterpoint to social media. The second event in April will explore how refinements to voting procedures have the potential to increase the responsiveness of elected officials. The third event in May will look to history and search for ways to engage with the nation’s founding documents. youtube.com/user/LibraryOfCongress. Danielle Allen. Photo: Laura Rose
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AZALEA PEAK AT THE NATIONAL ARBORETUM
Peak azalea bloom can vary by two weeks or more, depending on the weather, but usually takes place around the end of April. The earliest peak date reported in the last decade was April 15; the latest was May 4. Many azaleas are in bloom long after the peak and others might bloom early--there are usually some azaleas in bloom from early April until well into June. The National Arboretum is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. usna.usda.gov Photo: Courtesy of the Friends of the National Arboretum
MOTHER TONGUE FILM FESTIVAL
The Smithsonian’s annual Mother Tongue Film Festival celebrates cultural and linguistic diversity by showcasing films and filmmakers from around the world, highlighting the crucial role language plays in our daily lives. This year the festival extends through May with 45 offerings and will be hosted entirely online. This sixth annual Festival will take place via a monthly online screening series through May 2021. mothertongue.si.edu. Soori, Hakim, Akbar, and Mohammed have a collective dream: to travel from Iran to their parents’ homeland of Afghanistan and perform at their first rock concert. Working as migrant laborers during the day, the four young band members face the complicated nature of making politically minded music that reflects their lived reality as migrants from Afghanistan.
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ACTIVE HOPE PODCASTS WHAT’S ON WASHINGTON
The Apollo Theater, the Kennedy Center, and National Sawdust announce a new podcast collaboration, Active Hope, exploring how artists and arts leaders can shape this transformational, historical, and polarizing moment. Listeners are invited to join a new engaging conversation each month with a leadership trio from these national arts institutions—acclaimed theater director and Executive Producer at the Apollo Theater, Kamilah Forbes; poet, TED Global Fellow, and Kennedy Center Vice President and Artistic Director of Social Impact, Marc Bamuthi Joseph; and award-winning composer and Artistic Director & Co-Founder of National Sawdust, Paola Prestini. To receive more information as well as updates regarding future livestreams and podcast episodes, visit pages. wordfly.com/kennedycenter/pages/21SI-ActiveHope_GeneralSignUp. Kamilah Forbes, Marc Bamuthi Joseph and Paola Prestini
MEN OF CHANGE: TAKING IT TO THE STREETS
CITY OF TREES: WASHINGTON, DC
Known as the “City of Trees” for more than 100 years, Washington has an arboreal history that is rich and fascinating. The city boasts a diverse native flora, augmented by tree species brought to the city from many parts of the world by its international inhabitants. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were passionate tree lovers. Trees planted by Washington still thrive at Mt. Vernon, and Jefferson designed and executed the first street tree planting on record in the capital. On Thursday, April 29, noon to 1:15 p.m., via Zoom, learn about the botanical diversity and heritage of the nation’s capital, and why its tree canopy is such an essential and historic part the city’s life. $30. smithsonianassociates.org. Western end of the National Mall. Photo: Courtesy of Smithsonian Associates
Through May 31, Men of Change: Taking it to the Streets, an outdoor exhibition at 4800 Meade St. NE, presents a nation’s story through the profiles of revolutionary African American men and the cultural stories they illuminate. Formerly slated to open in an Anacostia Community Museum gallery, the exhibition has been creatively reimagined for outdoor installation in the DC’s Deanwood neighborhood as a safer response to COVID-19. In heralding the contributions of notable African AmeriLeBron James. Collection of the can men from across the decades, Men Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Walter Iooss, © Walter Iooss of Change highlights deep parallels between the past and present. While they made their mark in a variety of disciplines—politics, sports, science, entertainment, business, religion, and more all understood the value of asserting their own agency by owning their own stories. anacostia.si.edu.
SEEING DIFFERENTLY: THE PHILLIPS COLLECTS FOR A NEW CENTURY
Building on Duncan Phillips’s founding principle of inspiring others to see beautifully and drawn from the museum’s permanent collection of nearly 6,000 works, Seeing Differently highlights over 200 diverse artistic expressions by artists from the 19th century to the present, including paintings, works on paper, prints, photographs, sculptures, quilts, and videos. The exhibition explores the complexities of our ever-changing world through four themes—identity, history, place and the senses—with a special focus on recent acquisitions that showcase how the museum’s collection continues to evolve. Seeing Differently is on exhibition through Sept. 21. Museum hours are Thursday to Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a final entry at 5 p.m. The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. phillipscollection.org. Paul Cezanne Self Portrait, between 1878 an 1880, oil on canvas, 23.3/4 x 18 ½ in. The Phillips Collection, acquired 1928.
INHERIT THE WINDBAG (IN EIGHT EPISODES) Washington Post humorist Alexandra Petri’s pitched battle of bloviating wits revisits the televised Republican and Demo-
cratic Conventions of 1968 and the blistering nightly free-for-all between conservative pundit William F. Buckley and liberal author Gore Vidal. What ensues is a battle for history itself, in a no-holds-barred brawl about another time when American politics was spinning toward entropy. A protean cast of demons bring the likes of Norman Mailer, Ayn Rand,
James Baldwin and Truman Capote back to shine bright light on these preening wordsmiths, wounded warriors on the
battlefield of extreme partisanship. Available through June 30. Mosaic is making Season 6 digital programming available at no cost. Optional low-cost per-episode ticket either for yourself, $10, or your group, $25. mosaictheater.org. LEFT: John Lescault (Left) and Paul Morella (Right). Photo: Iwan Bagus
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DCHFA, Your Homeownership Resource in the District. DC Open Doors DC Open Doors is your key to homeownership in the city. This program offers competitive interest rates and lower mortgage insurance costs on first trust homebuyer or a D.C. resident , be purchasing a home in the District of Columbia. HPAP provides interest free deferred loans for down serves as a co-administrator of this DC Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD) first-time home buyer program.
years or older who have fallen behind on insurance and tax payments as a result of their reverse mortgage. Qualified District homeowners can receive up to
DC4ME provides mortgage assistance with optional down payment assistance to D.C. government employees. DC4ME is offered to current full-time District government employees, including employees of District government-based instrumentalities, independent agencies, D.C. Public Charter Schools, and organizations, provided the applicant/borrower's employer falls under the oversight of the Council of the District of Columbia. COVID-19 DC MAP COVID-19 provides financial assistance to those affected by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualified borrowers can receive a loan of up to $5,000 per month to put toward their mortgage for up to six months. HomeSaver HomeSaver is a foreclosure prevention program that assists unemployed and underemployed homeowners who may have fallen behind on their mortgage payments. The program offers lump sum or ongoing monthly assistance with a maximum assistance of $60,000 per household. The deadline to apply for HomeSaver is May 14, 2021.
Visit www.DCHFA.org how to apply to any of DCHFA’s homeownership programs. 815 FLORIDA AVENUE, NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20001 • 202.777.1600 • WWW.DCHFA.ORG
APRIL 2 0 2 1 0 9
OUT AND ABOUT
Insatiable by Celeste McCall day. A small patio café accommodates patrons in nice weather. For more information call 202-483-8286 or visit www.glasseydc.com.
Coming Soon to Shaw
Logan Lowdown
And….Colada Shop, the well-received Cuban restaurant/bar at 1405 T St. NW, has reopened its rooftop. Along with avocado toast concocted with Cuban-style bread, empanadas and croquetas (ham or chicken fritters), cocktails are again flowing against a beautiful new backdrop. (Offering a similar menu, Colada Shop also operates a spinoff at 10 Pearl St. SW, in the District Wharf.) For more information visit www.coladashop.com.
In spite of a recent breakin and robbery, El Techo owner Louie Hankins plans to unveil Quattro OsteLa Cosecha, the Latin Market place near Union ria in the next-door space Market, is coming back to life. Latest to arrive is that formerly housed BisThe tasty chicken tikka burger is a customer a two-in-one Mexican restaurant Las Gemelas, tro Bohem. The address is favorite at Bloomingdale’s “twin girls” in Spanish. The name honors the twin 600 Florida Ave. NW. For Indian eatery, Glassey. daughters of partner Yesenia Neri Diaz. The other the pasta-centric restaurant, Photo: Pete McCall partner is Rogelio (Roger) Martinez. Situated Hankins is hooking up with across from each other, the dual concept comes Neapolitan brothers Salvio from Destination Unknown Restaurants, the taland Giovanni Ippolito. ented team behind the Oaxacan Espita MezcaleWhile serving “traditional” Italian food and ria and Ghostburger. wine, Salvio plans to add modern flourishes. Kevin At La Gemelas’ fast-casual taqueria, customBanegas, head bartender at El Techo, will create ers place their orders at the walk-up counter, and cocktails to pair with the seasonal menu: Genomay enjoy their meal at a table or choose carryout. vese agnolotti with cream of broccoli and cheese Among the Mexican staples are tacos, quesadillas from Campania, potato gnocchi with crispy artiand burritos, with assorted sides and salsas. Pollo chokes and red and yellow pepper sauce, baccalà adobo (chicken taco) is moist and flavorful, but dif(salt-cured cod) with pea cream and black truffles, ficult (and messy!) to eat out of the cardboard box eggplant parmesan, and roasted lamb with saffron mashed potatoes and pomegranate sauce. More news from Shaw: Ian Hilton’s American Ice Company, a convivial pub known for its wide whiskey selection as well as “swachos” (crunchy chips blanketed with pork, queso and pickled jalapenos), hopes to reopen soon. The popular bar—and Hilton’s other restaurants— was shuttered last year due to the pandemic. Other menu munchies might include smoked wings, grilled cheese and pork brisket. For updates call 202-758-3562 or visit In the La Cosecha Latino marketplace, the dressy Las Gemelas Cocina Mexicana, is across the hall from the casual Taqueria. Photo: Celeste McCall www.americodedc.com
Twins Born at La Cosecha
Bloomie Bites from Peter
Driving home from Washington Hospital Center on a chilly Monday, I decided to check out a new place for lunch in Bloomingdale. At first I thought I had struck out. I was heading back to my car when I noticed a sign: “Indian Cuisine” in a townhouse café adjacent to the Sohal wine shop at 1625 First St. NW (First and Florida Avenue). I climbed steep stairs to discover a tiny hidden gem called Glassey. The moniker is a term commonly used in Punjab, in Northern India, to describe a boozy fun-filled time, explained the family-run café’s welcoming sign. “Growing up as first generation Indian-Americans, we heard this term a lot from our parents,” said my amiable server, Harris Sohal whose father owns the liquor store next door. Inspired by their mother’s Indian-American dishes, Glassey takes diners on an exciting trip through the streets of India. Sohal recommended the chicken tikka burger, which I washed down with a delicious mango lassi. Harris’ mother, Anju, created a white sauce for the succulent chicken breast, smothered in savory onions. Among Glassey’s other menu options are Dhaba wings (spiked with Punjabi spices), lamb Karachi with rice and chickpeas, palak paneer (spinach with Indian cheese), home-baked Indian breads. Lunch came to $22. Glassey is open six days, closed Tues-
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#ShawTakeout YOU COULD USE A DRINK RIGHT ABOUT NOW! HALFSMOKE
Whether your taste runs toward the classic or creative, Shaw’s bars offer a wide range of tastes, from divey Ivy and Coney to world class Columbia Room, from sudsy Right Proper to frenchy La Jambe. You can’t sit at the bar right now, but you can order your favorites to go or try something new.
TAKE A SIP OR CHUG A PINT. EITHER WAY, IT’LL BE #SHAWSOME!
www.shawmainstreets.org Shaw Main Streets is a designated DC Main Streets program and is funded in part by the Department of Small and Local Business Development, Muriel E. Bowser, Mayor ©2021 Shaw Main Streets, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Glassey is an unpretentious hidden gem tucked away in a Bloomingdale townhouse. Photo: Pete McCall
it’s served in. Same for the equally tasty lengua y cachette (tongue and cheek) taco. Fortunately, we were provided with plenty of napkins. Salsas, which come with blue corn chips include verde (made with tomatillos, lime and serrano peppers) which delivers the right amount of heat. But Salsa macha, an incendiary mélange of sesame, peanut oil and chilis, is positively tongue-torching. A refreshing agua de Jamaica, made with hibiscus and lime, quenched the fires. You can also order Mexican beer, canned Argentine wine and cocktails. Lunch for two—sans alcohol—came to a rather steep $30.32, including a $3.64 “service fee.”
Situated across the hall, Las Gemelas Cocina Mexicana, the dressy, full-service “twin,” showcases the modern Mexican cuisine of chefs Robert Aikens and Ben Tenner. Salmon crudo with salsa verde, smoked trout roe and cilantro oil; shrimp cocktail; mussels with chipotle cream broth; several seafood dishes; churros, ice cream and sorbet. Plus a full bar with beer, cocktails—highlighting mezcal margaritas--and South American wines.
More Latin Goodies
Also, check out Mosaico by Arepa Zone, tucked into a corner at La Cosecha. There, Bolivian chef Maria Helena creates salteñas, a beloved street food from her homeland. The braided shells are packed with beef (or chicken), along with potatoes, olives, egg, and Andean spices, all in a savory stew. Packaging offers instructions on how to consume this tasty treat: shake, bite the top off, and eat from top to bottom. Equally tempting are Mosaico’s perros calientes (Venezuelan and Colombian-style hot dogs), slathered with salsa and fried potato sticks. Arepas (yes they’re on the menu) are little cornmeal cakes with various fillings, a popular street snack in South America.) La Cosecha provides indoor and outdoor seating, and Mosaico offers online ordering for pickup. Another Arepa Zone is located at 1121 14th St. NW. For more information visit www.arepazone.com. Closed Mondays, La Cosecha is at 1280 Fourth St. NE. Visit www.lacosechadc.com.
And…
Congrats to a pair of Washington restaurants, Erik Brunner Yang’s ABC Pony (2 Eye St. SE, at South Capitol), and breakfast eatery Heat da Spot (3213 Georgia Ave. NW), who’ve been included in Yelp’s “Top 100 places to Eat” in 2021.◆ ◆
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APRIL 2 0 2 1 1 3
OUT AND ABOUT
MidCity Business Briefs by Sarah Payne called their signature homeade broth “the star of and organic farming practhe show” and said it is what makes their soups so tices. unique. “Everything we’re “The recipes come from a lot of time of Taryn producing here is feeding and I cooking together and understanding how the soil and is helping to the ingredients perform,” Zweig said. “We are all build a future for generaabout the broth. That is the thing that we think is tions to come,” Bethony really critical. The vegetables and the chicken are said. “It’s actually building awesome, but the base and the backbone is really a topsoil, as well as being great broth.” something that’s hopefulThe duo work together in a community kitchen ly building strong bodies.” alongside other restaurant owners in Shaw and Bethony said that the expressed appreciation for the collaborative spirit community in Shaw has within the kitchen. The once small soup delivery been extremely welcoming business has expanded past the DC location to since they opened in 2017. Philadelphia as well as several grocery stores. He also noted that the bakery has an area-wide Zweig and Pellicone say the community in the following with customers District provides something special and while they driving from Baltimore don’t often get the chance to see customers face to and southern Virginia for face, they say the community feeling is ubiquitous. a product “they can’t find “DC has helped us grow who we are,” Zweig anywhere else.” Seylou bakery owner Jonathon Bethony. Photo: Alexander Padro, Courtesy Shaw Main Streets said. “Everything we have done and how we’ve been Seylou is open Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can learn more about their baking, Prescription Chicken Just steps away from Walter E. Washington convenowners Taryn Pellicone ingredients and products on their webtion center, the Seylou bakery (926 N St NW Suite and Valerie Zweig. Photo: site (www.seylou.com) Pleasant Mann courtesy A) is situated on a quiet street. The bakery, which Shaw Main Streets features fresh artisan breads as well as a variety of pasties and weekly pizza nights on Thursdays and Fridays, is also an operational flour mill. Owner Jonathon Bethony said the bakery was named after the African bird Seylou after visiting an African village for 40 days and remembering the bird Prescription Chicken (1819 7th St as a symbol of a higher meaning in life. NW) is serving, and delivering, their Seylou is unique in their commitment to ingrefresh, homemade “grandma style” soups dients, specifically the use of locally sourced whole to the community. Cousins Valerie grains. The bakers mill their own flour inhouse to Zweig and Taryn Pellicone started their ensure that customers get the healthiest, best tasting soup business after Valerie had laryngitis product. His mother is also diabetic which inspired twice within the course of six weeks and him to make items she could eat without concern craved chicken soup, but couldn’t find about her blood sugar levels. Bethony says he is any in the area, and since 2016, their proud to have created a product “delicious enough business has expanded to a variety of to stand on its own” with health benefits for people different homemade soups. like his mother. Current offerings include a variety Bethony says his baked goods are not only enof classic soups such as chicken noodle, joyed by the community, but also benefit the land matz ball and bone broth as well as where the grain is grown due to their regenerative vegan and vegetarian options. Pellicone
Visit Seylou for Health-Inspired Baked Goods
Get Fresh, Homemade Soup Delivered from Prescription Chicken
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Grand Cata Owners Julio Robledo and Pedro Rodriguez. Photo: Alexander Padro. Courtesy: Shaw Main Streets
growing our business is based off of our DC. The support system and the community is unbelievable.” You can learn more about Prescription Chicken and place orders for pick up and delivery on their website (prescriptionchicken. com). The store operates seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Experience South American Wine and Cuisine at Grand Cata
Grand Cata (1550 Seventh St. NW) offers an escape into the wines and flavors of South American in the Shaw neighborhood. CoFounder and President of Grand Cata Julio Robledo said that it is “definitely more than a wine store.” Featured are imported dry goods, fresh produce, a gourmet deli and a selection of beers in addition to an extensive array of wines. Robledo met co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Pedro Rodriguez in 2009 while the pair were working together for a media development non-governmental agency (NGO) in the District. Drawing on their mutual passion for food and wine as well as their shared heritage, the two decided to develop their own Latino wine company. Robledo said that while the District boasts a large variety of wine stores, until Grand Cata opened there were not many that featured
South American wines. The pair hopes that Washingtonians can travel to these regions through the food and wine, experiencing the culture from their own neighborhood. Robledo said they have been overwhelmed by the support of District residents and said they are excited to continue to share the culture of South America with the community. Grand Cata also offers a wine club that showcases wines from Latin America and what the owners call the “heritage nations” of Spain, Portugal and Italy. Subscriptions start at $40 per month and include two bottles of hand selected wine. You can learn more about Grand Cata on their website (grandcata.com). Visit them at their flagship location in Shaw, open Monday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. or in Union Market, open Sunday and Tuesday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday 11 a.m. Sarah Payne is a History and Neuroscience student at The University of Michigan interning with Hill Rag. She writes for and serves as an assistant news editor for Michigan’s student newspaper, The Michigan Daily. You can reach her at sarahp@hillrag.com. u
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NEIGHBORHOOD
Federal Control Complicates DC Justice
Courts and Supervisory Agencies Face Pandemic Challenges
I
by Gavrielle Jacobovitz
n 2019, DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D), Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen (D) and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) urged the US Senate to fill the District’s Superior Court and Court of Appeals’ judicial vacancies in an expeditious manner. These vacancies, wrote Allen and Mendelson in a joint letter, adversely impacted residents’ rights and public safety. As a result, “there has been a growing backlog of cases facing both courts,” wrote Congresswoman Norton in a separate missive. They wrote the letters because the matter was outside of their control. The US President nominates judges serving on the DC Superior Court and Court of Appeals based on recommendations from a local commission. The US Senate, a body lacking District of Columbia voting representation, confirms the nominees. A year later, a pandemic hit. As in jurisdictions across the country, the public health emergency stalled court operations. Juries were suspended and the number of plea deals decreased. A year later, jury trials have not yet resumed, and when they do—on April 5 for criminal cases and in May for civil cases, according to the DC Courts—it will be on a limited basis. The DC Superior Court and the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia (USAO-DC), which prosecutes
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local felonies and misdemeanors, now face the prospect of processing both current cases and clearing the ones delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. But unlike other local courts, DC’s is partly federal. The number of defendants under the supervision of the Pretrial Services Agency of DC (PSA) increased as public health measures taken by the courts in response to the pandemic slowed the court system. The average number of days a defendant is supervised by the agency increased drastically, from 92 to 190 days, as of mid-February, according to PSA. A federal agency funded through the congressional budget process, PSA’s current budget is not yet reflective of pandemic conditions. The vacancy rate on the Superior Court and Court of Appeals’ benches, currently hovering around 20 percent, threatens to complicate the court’s ability to make their way through the backlog of cases once courts resume normal operations, warn stakeholders. To fill these vacancies, the city relies on the federal government: The President and the US Senate. “If we’re going to have to dig our way out of a pretty substantial backlog, it’s going to require making sure that our Court is able to operate at full capacity,” Councilman Allen told Capital Community News. Allen chairs the Council’s Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety. This article is the second in a series focused on the impact of the COVID pandemic on the semifederal system of justice in the District of Columbia. The series is funded by SpotlightDC.org and supported by DC Witness. This installment examines the complications posed by the federal role in the appointment of DC Superior Court and Court of Appeals judges and budgeting for PSA.
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NEIGHBORHOOD
How We Got Here
“The [District’s justice] system that we have I think is probably the last one anyone would ever design as a high functioning system,” said Allen, in terms of “jurisdictional accountability.” The DC Superior Court and the DC Court of Appeals, the city’s local courts, were established by Congress in 1970. The 1973 Home Rule Act established the city council but limited its control over the composition and jurisdiction of the city’s courts. The 1997 Revitalization Act tweaked DC’s justice system once again. The federal government stopped its annual payment to the city in return for assuming the District’s debts. It also took over custody of people serving DC Code offenses in its Bureau of Prisons (BOP), closing the Lorton Correctional Complex. The Act also awarded the federal government responsibility for local pretrial supervision, probation, and parole through two federal agencies, PSA and The Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA). Lastly, the federal government took over the funding of the city’s local courts. The Courts’ judges are appointed by the US President based on recommendations submitted by the DC Judicial Nomination Commission and confirmed by the US Senate. “The District of Columbia is more intertwined with the federal government with respect to its justice system than any other jurisdiction in the country,” said Jon Bouker, a partner at Arent Fox. Bouker is on the board of the DC Appleseed Center for Law and Justice and part of the Mayor’s legal advisory team for DC Statehood. He has been a chair of DC Vote and a member of Congresswoman Norton’s office. Beyond the courts and BOP, the USAO-DC, a federal agency, prosecutes all adult felonies and misdemeanors. PSA, which supervises defendants released pretrial, nestles as an independent entity under the larger umbrella of CSOSA, a second federal agency responsible for overseeing people on parole and probation. In contrast, the Department of Corrections, which operates DC Jail, and the Metropolitan Police Department are District agencies. The system of justice in DC “creates huge barriers without a pandemic,” said Allen. “Certainly, with a pandemic, it’s even more complicated and more difficult to navigate.”
An Incomplete Bench
At the time of Allen and Mendelson’s letter in 2019, there were 11 vacancies in DC’s Superior
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Court and two in the Court of Appeals. In 2019, appointments picked up and a number of seats were filled. However, 2020 saw zero appointments. Today, there are 12 vacancies in the Superior Court and two in the Court of Appeals. The “failure to confirm our judges” is a “chronic problem,” according to Congresswoman Norton, “a systemic problem,” that has “been worsened by the pandemic.” “We’ve had vacancies at the Superior Court for a long time,” said Allen. “That does impact caseload.” The vacancies “definitely [cause] a strain on the courthouse in general and [make] it harder to spread the backlog out to additional judges who might be willing to assist,” stated Attorney Julie Swaney, who practices in the Superior Court. The court system is not processing cases at its normal rate. In 2019, 6152 defendants plead guilty. In 2020, 1822 did, less than a third of the year before, according to the DC Courts. In 2020, 66 percent (10,163) of the number of cases in 2019 (15,516) were filed. While the number of felony filings decreased only slightly, 41 percent fewer misdemeanors were filed. Note, the drop in the number of pleas is proportionally greater than the fall in cases filed. The backlog in DC’s judicial system, said Legal Director of the ACLU of the District of Columbia Scott Michelman, is “a significant problem beyond our control.” The local courts are “notoriously slow,” he added, noting that the pandemic “further slowed down” the system. Allen hopes the city will receive from the new administration the attention needed to fill all the vacancies expeditiously with “quality people” chosen by the local commission so the Courts can “operate at full capacity.” “That’s going to be an important part of the game of catch up,” one that will be undertaken by the courts for the remainder of 2021 and very likely into 2022, said Allen. As to whether vacancies make clearing the backlog in the Superior Court more difficult, “there’s no question about it,” Attorney Chris Gowen said. It’s a busy courthouse in a densely populated city with high crime rates, added Gowen. “There’s just not enough judges right now to cover all the work,” Gowen told CCN. “From the lawyer’s perspective, it’s clear that we’re understaffed right now,” Gowen added. Asked whether judicial vacancies impact the Court’s current or future operations, the DC Courts did not respond.
DC’s vacancies are at the mercy of a federal congress residents do not elect. In most localities, state governments typically fill vacancies through appointment or election, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a law and public policy institute. Take New York City for example. Judges in the city’s criminal court are appointed by the mayor, an elected official. This is to say, city residents have an indirect say over who adjudicates their legal matters. Matters in the state Court of Appeals are decided by judges appointed by an elected governor with the advice and consent of the State Senate. In Maryland where judges are elected, a case backlog is something candidates run on, Gowen pointed out. “Confirming DC judges does not get priority in the federal system, whether we’re talking a Democratic congress or a Republican congress,” said Congresswoman Norton. “Who gets priority there are federal judges.” With the new presidential administration, though, “we will have a heck of a better chance of focusing on DC judges.” Notably, the judicial vacancy rate doesn’t tell the whole story. In addition to the 62-person Superior Court bench, DC also has senior (‘retired’) and magistrate judges who can hear cases. Still, the city’s courts have expressed feeling the strain of vacancies in recent years. In 2015, then Chief Judge Eric T. Washington of the DC Court of Appeals and Judge Frederick Weisberg of the Superior Court, wrote about the “adverse impact that judicial vacancies are having on the Court and residents of the District of Columbia” in a letter about six vacancies in the Superior Court, according to Roll Call. In 2019, Court of Appeals Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby said that the vacancies were “slowing down the wheels of justice,” WAMU reported. Then Superior Court Chief Judge Robert Morin expressed particular concern for the civil division. While 250 was the preferred caseload, some judges had close to 400 cases. “It’s that increase of caseload, it’s hard to translate how difficult that is for the court to handle,” Morin told WAMU. “I’d like to address the backlog of cases that has been building up,” said DC Superior Court Chief Judge Anita Josey-Herring in an interview with the publication D.C. Bar, just before she assumed the post. In a Feb. 11 performance oversight hearing of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, stakeholders discussed these vacancies. Presi-
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dent Joe Biden (D) had withdrawn pending nominees, according to Emmet Sullivan, chairperson of the Judicial Nomination Commission, not irregular during a change in administration. With vacancies up in the air, the pandemic has increased the stakes for getting these seats filled.
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In Feb. 2020, PSA made their 2021 budget request. Weeks later, the city announced its first presumptive case of Covid-19. As the independent federal agency charged with supervising District pretrial defendants, PSA participates in the federal budget process. First, they submit their request to the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB), where it is incorporated into the budget submitted by the President to Congress. Then Congressional committees create a bill passed by both houses and signed by the President. Before the advent of the pandemic, the federal budgetary process had already allocated resources to PSA for FY 2020 and 2021. Only with its 2022 request will PSA be able to factor in the challenges created by the pandemic. “In some ways, the pandemic really just challenged us because of timing,” said PSA Director Leslie Cooper. This isn’t unique to PSA, it is how the federal budget process works, Cooper added. “We didn’t have an opportunity to get our bearings straight in order to be able to do anything really with respect to 2021.” In contrast, local justice agencies in the District are funded by the city’s budgetary process, one that is malleable, according to Allen. DC’s progressive pretrial system releases the vast majority of its pretrial defendants into the community under PSA’s supervision. However, with the suspension of trials and decreases in pleas, the court system was not processing defendants at the same rate. As a result, the popu-
lation of felony defendants under supervision increased in 2020. During the pandemic, the average number of days a defendant was supervised by PSA increased by 107 percent, as of mid-February. The pandemic has prompted PSA to rethink its approach and adapt. “A key piece for us is really figuring out how to best allocate our somewhat limited resources,” said Cooper. The agency worked to find the right “dosage of supervision” for defendants depending on their level of risk for re-arrest or not appearing in court, tailoring frequency of contact in this regard. It began to supervise defendants through a combination of virtual and in person reporting, depending on need. The agency’s reported outcomes mirrored those of years past, even with the pandemic. The percent of defendants not rearrested increased from 87 (2019) to 88 percent (2020). In 2020, 91 percent of defendants made all scheduled court appearances compared to 88 percent in 2019. Finally, the percentage of defendants called in for non-compliance decreased by just two percent. Still, had she known about the pandemic, Cooper would have included a section dedicated to the pandemic in the budget request, she told Capital Community News. This would have included a request for resources that PSA spent additional money on to ensure the health and safety of her agency’s workforce and supervisees: Supplies for disinfection and protection from the virus in larger volumes, weekly deep cleaning, and architectural barriers. The agency, Cooper stated, would also have requested resources for its GPS monitoring services. The agency’s formula for budget calculations for GPS services factors in the amount of time that each defendant typically uses a device. “The average length of stay is ticking up and there’s obviously a cost
to that, so we would probably ask for money in that regard,” said Cooper. In an interview last November, Capital Community News asked Cooper about a backlog in PSA, in reference to an increase in the average time a defendant has been under supervision discussed in a September public meeting in the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. Did she foresee a backlog, and was there already one? Did she foresee this overwhelming or straining PSA’s resources? Has it already? “Yes, yes and yes,” Cooper responded. “There’s a higher number of people under supervision, but it’s not because more people are coming [into supervision],” Cooper later added. “It’s because more people are staying.” PSA’s resources are calculated based on an average over a number of years and on the assumption that cases will cycle through the justice system at a steady rate. Now, with the “slow-down” in case processing, PSA is “feeling the effect,” Cooper said. Pretrial Services Officers (PSOs) now supervise defendants for longer as cases are divided among current staff. Cooper considers this strain caused by the pandemic a “situational factor” rather than a ‘backlog’, she explained, because the latter term suggests the circumstances are “within our control exclusively,” while the agency is working hard to rectify the situation. The DC Courts navigate a similar budgetary process to PSA. “The DC Courts’ budget has adequately addressed our pandemic related expenses to date,” the DC Courts said in a statement. So does CSOSA. In a statement, CSOSA Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist Bill Miller said the agency has “ample resources” to fulfill its responsibilities. “CSOSA has worked within its budget to accomplish its objectives in a safe and effective manner and the federal Office of Management and Budget has been a close, responsive supporter of ours during the pandemic,” wrote Miller. “We have kept OMB informed of the extra costs we have incurred as a result of the pandemic but have not requested additional funds as of yet. Our continuing dialogue with them has been very helpful,” he later added. In contrast, local justice agencies in the
city have distinct budget processes. According to Allen, if DOC came to the council asking for equipment or investment for court appearance infrastructure, they can help, unlike with PSA. In fact, Allen said he’s in touch with the head of DOC regularly and feels they know to ask for resources if they need them, from the council or the Office of the Mayor. DOC did not respond to a request for an interview. “The system is malleable,” said Allen. Agencies can make mid-year adjustments. A million dollars is the line in the sand, explained Allen—if a request is less than a million dollars, agencies can make changes internally without council approval. If it’s more than one million dollars, the council would need to approve the contract, though they can meet urgent needs through their oversight. However, if federal agencies need funding, they must look to the US Congress. “It’s an impossible situation,” said Bouker. If DC wants to allocate emergency spending, it can respond “lightning fast.” In contrast, “[t]he Congress of the United States is a slow-moving glacier.” “It’s difficult enough, I think, in a pandemic, to run a government and to meet the needs of your residents,” Bouker said earlier in the interview. “It’s even more difficult when your hands are tied behind your back with respect to one of the most critical functions of a government--which is the criminal justice function.” Gavrielle Jacobovitz is a recent graduate of Columbia University and a reporter at Capital Community News. She has previously interned with HuffPost Politics and NBC Owned TV Stations. DC Witness, a non-profit dedicated to creating transparency in the District’s justice system, is providing data on criminal cases for this project. For more information, visit www.dcwitness.org. This article was supported by a grant from Spotlight DC: Capitol City Fund for Investigative Journalism. Spotlight DC encourages the submission for proposals by independent journalists. For more information, visit www. spotlightdc.org. u
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NEIGHBORHOOD
Shaw Streets by Pleasant Mann
A Big Cherry Blossom Blooms in Shaw
The continuing pandemic has put a crimp on one of DC’s major annual events-the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The parade that accompanies the festival is cancelled this year, with a thin series of events. Even the ability to stroll among the blossoms at the Tidal Basin will be restricted this spring. Still, a valiant effort is being made to make spring in DC this year something special. The festival has inaugurated Art in Bloom, with 26 cherry blossom sculptures installed in every ward of DC and other notable sites around the DMV, including one in Shaw. Each sculpture takes the shape of a giant cherry blossom, customized by a local artist. The Shaw sculpture, located in front of Progression Place at the Shaw/Howard Metro entrance at Seventh and S Streets NW, is called “Petal To the Metal.” The work of DC artist and puppeteer David Greenfieldboyce, Petal to the Metal covers the sculpture’s cherry blossom shape with simulated metal plates and rivets. The industrial look of the result is relieved somewhat by cherry branches breaking through on the surface. Art in Bloom provides an opportunity to participate in a Blossom Hunt, where people can locate sculptures, take pictures, post them to social media and tag them using festival handles. Participants in the Blossom Hunt are eligible to receive a festival prize package including a $25 Amazon gift card. The festival will also randomly select one Grand Prize winner from the Blossom Hunt entries, who
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will receive a $500 Amazon gift card. Art in Bloom ends at the end of April with a Blossom Auction to sell the sculptures. Proceeds will support the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Shaw Restaurants Keep Coming
the opening of Yardbird Southern Table and Bar on April 1. Cracked Eggery, previously known as a famed food truck providing egg, meat and cheese sandwiches on toasted challah bread, is opening a permanent location in Shaw. With an opening planned by the summer, Cracked Eggery will be a 24-hour operation at its location at 1921 Eighth Street NW, including a dedicated takeout window. The decision was made to have a Shaw location after the weekly visits of its food truck to the neighborhood Petal to the Metal artist David Greenfieldboyce shows off his drew enthusiastic contribution to Art in Bloom. crowds. Photo by Pleasant Mann Quattro Osteria is a new Italian restaurant moving into the space vacated by Bistro Bohem at 600 Florida Avenue. Louie Hankins, owner of Rito Loco and El Techo next door, got the idea of locating a new restaurant there. He asked Salvio and Giovanni Ippolito, two brothers who got their start in the business with legendary chef Roberto Donna if
While the pandemic cooled Shaw’s reputation as a dining destination, the advent of spring brings a number of hopeful signs. Applications are in to create new parklets and streateries in front of restaurants on the Seventh and Ninth Street corridors. The Hilton Brothers announced that they were reopening their shuttered establishments, include the Brixton and American Ice Company, after having closed them down to hibernate for the winter. And there are plans for new restaurants coming to the neighborhood, starting with The 9:30 Club uses its mobile truck to fight hunger. Photo courtesy of the 9:30 Club
they wanted to join the effort. The addition of a fourth partner from a Michelin-starred kitchen led to the new restaurant’s name, Quattro Osteria. The restaurant, boasting a full renovation of the interior, expects to open in late spring.
9:30 Club Starts Mobile Food Drive
One of the fallouts of the pandemic has been the growth of food insecurity. A number of families have suddenly found it difficult to feed themselves. Shaw’s 9:30 Club has joined the fight against hunger by partnering with the Capital Area Food Bank to collect donations of food by using its mobile box office. 9:30 The Truck will become a weekly mobile collection point for donations of unopened, healthy, canned, unexpired and non-perishable food items. As an incentive, food donors will receive 10 points in the club’s Friends with Benefits program for each acceptable item donated, up to 100 points per day, which can used toward concert tickets and merchandise at IMP music venues when they reopen as the pandemic ebbs. And additional incentive is that for each day a donation is made, the donor will be entered to win a ”Welcome Back” package to include four VIP tickets to a 9:30 Club show of the winner’s choice. So far, the truck has been available for donations at the 9:30 Club on Tuesdays and the Anthem on the Wharf on Thursdays. You can keep up with its schedule by following 9:30 The Truck’s Facebook page and Twitter (@930TheTruck) and Instagram (930thetruck) accounts. The effort is also looking for partners that can provide legal parking spaces for the truck when it is out collecting donations. ◆
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NEIGHBORHOOD
ANC 6E
A
dvisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E held its monthly meeting on March 2. Commission Chair Rachelle Nigro (6E04) called the meeting to order with Michael Eichler (6E01, Vice Chair), Alex Lopez (6E02, Secretary), Frank Wiggins (6E03, Treasurer), Denise Blackson (6E06) and Kevin Rogers (6E07) in attendance. There was a quorum to conduct official business. Commissioner Patrick Parlej (6E05) entered the meeting later.
Police Service Area (PSA) Reports
Lieutenant Alderman gave the report from the MPD First District. He said that in the previous 30 days, there had been a 51 percent decrease in reports of stolen autos. Violent crime has also been low. Thefts from autos were down slightly. Lieutenant Daee gave the report for the Third District. He said there were three violent crimes in February, including one at 607 T Street. There were arrests on the unit block of N Street. In an update, two people had just been arrested to close the January homicide case on the 1300 block of Ninth Street. Commissioner Nigro wanted the police to pay attention to the Paradise Gardens complex. Commissioner Wiggins said that there had been more car break-ins on Sixth Street, wondering what the source was. There is also a black Suburban truck that has been parked on Sixth Street for a number of months. Daee said that he was aware of break-ins on Fifth Street, and that he would check on the status of the truck. Nigro noted that the police used specific criteria before they declared a vehicle abandoned.
DC Director of Gun Violence Prevention
Linda Harper, the new Director of Gun Violence Prevention, came to outline her new position’s objectives. She noted that she had lost friends to gun violence and that she was charged with creating this new office due to her extensive work with the Division of Youth Rehabilitation Services and other DC agencies. She wants to reduce gun violence in DC by focusing on the blocks of the city that have seen the most trouble.
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by Pleasant Mann In her first month in office, she has set up an Emergency Operations Center to coordinate actions to address gun violence. Her office can be reached at buildingblocks@dc.gov. Commissioner Nigro asked what the difference was between Director Harper’s office and the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONES). Harper replied that the ONES were working on addressing the roots of violence and developing longer-term solutions. Commissioner Lopez commented that he thought that the police alone could not reduce gun violence and wished Harper well in the pilot program she was setting up in Anacostia. A resident asked what the office would do to reduce the number of guns coming from Virginia and Maryland. Harper replied that her office was not involved in law enforcement.
Councilmember Charles Allen
Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen started by noting he created the Director of Gun Violence Prevention position last summer when he saw that there were a number of DC agencies working on the problem, but that there was friction between them. The new director is supposed to get agencies to work together. He said that the $15 million devoted to the effort this year was just a down payment. He thought that DC should move away from using the police to respond to every problem. Allen then addressed the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the District. He admitted that there had been problems with the reservation process, but he hoped that the new registration system going online in the next week would help reduce some of the complaints. The release of the Mayor’s budget for the next fiscal year will be pushed back to April 22, largely to factor in the money coming from the American Rescue Plan Act. DC will get about $2.5 billion from the Federal government. The prospects for the next budget look good. Allen was upset that the Chief Financial Officer only found out recently that the District had a $500 million surplus, money that could have been used during the
pandemic. While high income households maintained their economic status during the pandemic, a number of people have suffered. Among the major needs coming up in next year’s budget are for childcare, public transit and housing.
Zoning and Development Committee
950 Third Street NW. The request is for a special exception to add a resident-only café at a new building. Tony Brown, committee chair, introduced the request. The building will be on the corner of Third and I Streets, with 96 units of housing and underground parking. The plan is to install a commercial kitchen and a private café for the residents. Brown said that the committee thought that it was a great concept, with no issues. Commissioner Parlej said he got a note that the building lot was for sale. The developer responded that there was “a package on the street” to sell the lot, but for now, the project is continuing. Commissioner Wiggins asked why the ANC was voting on the project if the site is being sold. The developer mentioned that they are committed to the area, with this being their seventh project in Mount Vernon. A member of Mount Carmel Church asked about the timeline for the project, since the church has a parking arrangement with the developer on the lot. The developer replied that construction on the building would not start before 2022. A motion was made to support the request for a special exception. The motion to express the commission’s support to the Board of Zoning Adjustment passed unanimously.
Alcoholic Beverage Licensing Committee (ABC)
Electric Cool-Aid, 512 Rhode Island Ave. NW. Commissioner Lopez introduced the request for a substantial change to the license of the open air establishment on the corner of Rhode Island Avenue and Sixth Street, with an extension of alcohol service hours to 2:00 a.m. and the addition of an entertainment endorsement to the license. The request had been approved by the ABC committee in a vote of 4-1. Alex Padro,
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committee chair, outlined his concerns about the request however, noting that due to noise concerns, other outdoor establishments in ANC 6E limited their alcohol service to midnight, at the latest. Increasing serving hours and adding an entertainment endorsement to the license might lead to a nuisance issue. Lopez responded that one neighborhood establishment, El Techo, had an open rooftop serving late hours with an entertainment endorsement. He added that the residents bordering Electric Cool-Aid supported the substantial change. Commissioner Nigro mentioned that she did not want to go through an experience like the one she had with Dacha Beer Garden, which had an extended period of noise complaints until they were eventually resolved. Lopez made a motion to support the Electric Cool-Aid request. The motion passed: five yes votes, one no. Andy’s Carry Out, 209 New York Ave. NW. Requesting support for a renewal of their Class B license. The ABC Committee reviewed the carryout’s record and recommended supporting the license renewal. The commission passed a motion to support the renewal in a vote of five yes votes, one no vote.
Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC)
Commissioner Lopez, committee chair, said that the committee saw a presentation on the planned DC to Baltimore MAGLEV train that is proposed to run from Mount Vernon Square. The committee will consider comments on the MAGLEV’s environmental plan at its next meeting. Lopez said that the committee had a problem with the Near Northwest III Safety and Mobility Study, which intends to guide the DC Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) plans for making future improvements. He said that previous studies outlined both immediate corrections to transportation problems, as well as longer term improvements. The latest study, however, only identified short term measures. He wanted the ANC to approve a resolution informing DDOT that the study fell short in meeting the mobility issues of the community. A motion to approve the resolution passed unanimously.
ANC Grants
The first grant request was from Serve Your City, a group formed to provide space for Black and Brown youth and to support grassroots efforts to uplift the community. Recently, they have been involved with addressing the problems of the Coronavirus crisis by providing food, PPE, and health information to neighborhood residents. Serve Your City wants a grant to distribute food, masks and Chromebooks to students who need them in ANC 6E. They are asking for a grant of $3,000. The grant was approved unanimously by the ANC. Deeds of Kindness provides meals and toiletries to the community. They are currently trying to support the supply needs of local school children. The group wanted to hold a Spring Fling event, welcoming students back to school with backpacks and supplies. They are requesting a grant of $3,000 from ANC 6E, which with other grants, will support about 150 children. The grant was approved by the commission.
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Commissioner Nigro said that she had received a request the night before for a resolution to oppose a permanent fence around the US Capitol. Commissioner Eichler proposed a resolution specifying the measures that should be taken to restore the Capitol grounds to their previous open condition. The motion to oppose the fencing around the Capitol was approved unanimously by ANC 6E, with copies of the resolution going to the Mayor, DC Council, Congressmember Norton and the Architect of the Capitol.
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NEIGHBORHOOD
BULLETIN BOARD
May Volunteer Event at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
$2.2 Million In Great Streets Retail Grants Awarded
On Saturday, May 22 (rain or shine), 9 a.m. to noon, you are invited to participate in a variety of park stewardship activities including invasive plant removal, litter collection, flower bed weeding, trail maintenance and more. Some activities involve working in shallow ponds. Plan to work outside. Checkin opens at 8:30 a.m. Please arrive no later than 8:45 a.m. so volunteers can get started on time. Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Anacostia Ave. NE. kenaqgardens.org.
Young Artist Create Series: Story Time Writing with Melissa Victor
Anacostia Playhouses’ young artists will have an opportunity to interact with Melissa Victor, the creator of “Stoopkids,” a children’s story podcast. During these sessions on May 15 and June 19 at 10 a.m., they will share ideas to create short stories or a play that will be performed by them. This is an opportunity for young artists to use their imaginations by exploring theme-based subjects or current events to develop their own new work. This series is recommended for kids eight to fourteen. $15 per session. Anacostia Playhouse, 2020 Shannon Pl. SE. anacostiaplayhouse.org.
Pennsylvania Avenue East Small Area Plan Kick-Off Community Meeting
Great Streets Retail Grants have been awarded to 50 local businesses. Great Streets has grown into a multi-year program that has supported hundreds of small businesses in 13 designated commercial corridors throughout DC. The Great Streets Small Business Retail Grants are competitive capital improvement grants that award up to $50,000 to qualified small business owners. Ward 8 Fiscal Year 2021 grantees are Central Community Development Corporation, Paix Et Amour Nail Salon and Wonder Mart LLC t/a Wonder Mart. greatstreets.dc.gov. Homeschooled academically and musically by parents who founded the Boys & Girls Choir of Detroit, Abraham (27), Victory (26), Angel (24), Israel (22) and Momo, (21) have performed in front of audiences since pre-k and make up the group Infinity Song.
Join the Office of Planning (OP) for the Public Kick-off Meeting for the Pennsylvania Avenue East Small Area Plan on Wednesday, April 14 at 6 p.m. The virtual meeting will be broadcast online at publicinput.com/PennAveSEPlan. If you are unable to join online, you can dial-in at 855-925-2801 (pin:9252). At this meeting, you will learn: what a Small Area Plan is and what role it plays in the future of the Pennsylvania Avenue East Corridor; what topics and goals are focal to the Plan; and how you
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Arts Across America Returns
The Kennedy Center’s free digital series, Arts Across America, continues this spring with a focus on cultural leadership and public healing, exploring topics including racial sensitivity, economic equity, mental and physical health, land and water protection, and more. Hosted by sage artistic minds including singer and emcee Maimouna Youssef, best-selling author Jason Reynolds, and playwright, actor, and model Sejahari Saulter-Villegas, each installment features performances and dialogue aiming to heal our country, communities, and selves. Free new episodes will air every other Saturday at 6 p.m. and can be viewed on Facebook Live, YouTube, and the Kennedy Center website. The first two episodes will spotlight Infinity Song and Emily Johnson. kennedy-center.org/digitalstage/arts-across-america. can continue to participate in the planning process. You will also have an opportunity to discuss the project with the OP project team. Throughout the planning process, you will have the opportunity to provide critical feedback through survey questions, join discussions with the project team during office hours, subscribe to project updates and newsletters, and participate in community meetings. Get involved today by visiting publicinput.com/PennAveSEPlan.
Ground Broken on 88 Homes at St. Elizabeths East
Ground has been broken on 88 town homes at the St. Elizabeths East Campus in Congress Heights. The new town homes represent the first opportunity for homeownership on the campus and include 27 affordable homes. Located on Sycamore Drive adjacent to Alabama Ave. SE and within walking distance of the Congress Heights Metro Station, https://www.districttowns.com will include 14 homes for households with an annual household income at or below 50% median family income and 13 homes for households with an annual household income at or below 80% MFI. Additionally, the developer, in partnership with MANNA, will offer a Homebuyers Club to support first-time homebuyers with education and resources.
Five New Food Businesses Coming to Ward 7’s Skyland Town Center
Mayor Bowser has announced the beginning of residential leasing and five new food service leases at Ward 7’s Skyland Town Center. Once completed, Skyland Town Center will be a town square with upwards of 450 homes, a grocery store, a medical office building, and up to 156,000 square feet of retail. The newest food service leases in-
Foxtrot Market Opens in Mount Vernon Triangle
Foxtrot Market, 650 Massachusetts Ave. NW, is now open daily, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. It combines all the most-loved aspects of neighborhood cafes. You can also turn to the Foxtrot app for 60-minute delivery of local beers and fine wines to chefprepared meals, curated gifts and everyday essentials. foxtrotco.com. Photo: Jennifer Chase
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This annual program is a realization of the vision of the late Sharon Hughes Gautier to provide artists with the necessities of time and funding to create their work. It is a melding of Honfleur’s ongoing commitment to artists that live and work east of the Anacostia River. This residency comes with both specific project funding and a monthly stipend. The first recipient is JaySun, a multi-talented artist who grew up and currently lives in Anacostia and uses theater, music, comedy, storytelling and film to communicate with his audiences. Project funding will go towards the production of a film “Life: On The Rocks” written by
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NEIGHBORHOOD
JaySun. This film depicts how life-long residents of the District are feeling the brunt of police brutality and gentrification and how “adjustments” have to be made to survive in a city that is pushing the local residents out of their own communities. Honfleur Gallery is at 1241 Good Hope Rd. SE. honfleurgallery.com.
DC Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring
Living Earth Virtual Festival: The Business of Agriculture in Indian Country
In celebration of Earth Day, the National Museum of the American Indian’s annual Living Earth Festival will be available on demand over four days, April 22 to 25. The festival will open with a message from Notah Begay III (Navajo/Isleta Pueblo), four-time PGA Tour champion, sportscaster and founder of the Notah Begay III Foundation, which provides health and wellness education to Native youth. Living Earth brings together Native innovators and practitioners dedicated to using Indigenous knowledge to protect and sustain the environment. Through cooking demonstrations, conversations and film screenings, this year’s festival explores agriculture trends, innovations and sustainability in Indigenous communities and Native-owned businesses. americanindian.si.edu/online-programs.
Funded by the District Department of Energy and Environment, and in partnership with Audubon Naturalist Society, Rock Creek Conservancy, and Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Anacostia Riverkeeper volunteers will monitor 22 sites in the District across the Anacostia, Rock Creek, and Potomac watersheds. Monitoring will occur weekly, for E. coli, turbidity, water temperature, air temperature, and pH. Virtual trainings are held on April 14, 21, and 24, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. All new volunteers will need to attend one training followed by a brief, socially distant, in Photo: Courtesy of President Lincoln’s Cottage person demo to be certified. Returning volunteers don’t need to attend a training, but will take a recertification test. anacostiariverkeeper.org/volunteer.
Skyland Town Center CVS Opens
guided routes to get riders from start to finish safely. A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to the nonprofit AWANA, a nonprofit boys and girls club, to encourage the next generation of cyclists to start early and cultivate their love for cycling. The 2020 ride had more than 127 participants. The DMV Trails Tour was founded last year by Jafe Cycling Owner, Matt Onojafe to promote health and wellness in the African-American community. $45. thetrailsdmv.com.
Free Help with Swarms of Honeybees
Now that it’s spring, some healthy honeybees may run out of hive space and go out looking for a new place to call home—swarming. Bee swarms contain thousands of harmless, homeless honeybees. These are local, sustainable bees and many beekeepers would love to give them a new hive. If you see a swarm, to ensure that it’s collected in a safe and timely manner, snap a picture call/text the DC Beekeeper Alliance Swarm Squad at 202-255-4318. There are dozens of beekeepers in every ward on standby. For more information, dcbeekeepers.org/have-swarm-bees.
The Business of the Arts Professional Development Series
The DC Commission on the Arts and The Skyland Town Center CVS, at the Humanities’ Business of the Arts Prointersection of Good Hope Road, Naylor fessional Development Series provides Road, and Alabama Avenue, has opened. knowledge and skills related to fundBecause of COVID restrictions, there raising and development, marketing was no ribbon cutting. cvs.com. and public relations, legal concerns and Construction Management Conentrepreneurship. Free workshops and tract Awarded for New Hospital at St. seminars are led by accomplished proElizabeths fessionals and subject matter experts. Mayor Bowser and Universal Register for future workshops and Health Services (UHS) have anlisten-in to past workshops at dcarts. nounced that a construction manage- On Saturdays, April 24 and May 1, 10 a.m., join President Lincoln’s Cotdc.gov/page/business-arts. ment contract has been awarded to a tage and the DC Cycling Concierge as they recreate Lincoln’s three-mile joint venture between Turner Con- commute from the Cottage in Petworth to the White House, learning struction Company and MCN Build. about 1860’s Washington, DC along the way. $45. You can also make the The team will invest at least 35% with commute (virtually) on Sunday, April 25, 2 p.m. for $10. lincolncottage.org. local CBEs, meet the District’s First Source Requirements, and construct the hospital using a Project Labor Agreement. The design and Beyond health, COVID-19 has inflicted a major construction of the new hospital will support apfinancial toll on women in particular. Not only are proximately 2,000 jobs. With the design and conthey struggling with a larger share of pandemicstruction teams in place, UHS and the District will In honor of National Bike Month, the second anrelated job losses, they’re also dealing with careermove into the planning and design process, which nual DMV Trails Tour hosted by Jafe Cycling will endangering child care responsibilities. The issues are will include robust community engagement. The be held on Saturday, May 1, at 7 a.m. The tour will leading many women to re-evaluate their financial project currently remains on schedule with the faconsist of four trails throughout DC, Maryland and futures. In their new book, “Middle-Class Millioncilities slated to open in late 2024. Additional inforVirginia. The event has partnered with the micromoaire Women”, the DC area authors, Clark Kendall mation is available at newhospitals.dc.gov. bility mapping navigation app, ScootRoute, to provide CFA, AEP, CFP, and Carol Petrov, CFP, of Rock-
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DC Area Wealth Managers Give Women Financial Success Tools
NEIGHBORHOOD
ville-based Kendall Capital, offer life-changing tips and insights on how women can achieve financial success. Though women have historically struggled when it comes to financial literacy, studies show that 90% of women are already in control of their finances, controlling $14 trillion of the nation’s wealth. The money is there, says Kendall. Now it’s time women better understand what to do with it.
Fans Return to Nat’s Park for 2021 Season
The Washington Nationals have announced that Nationals Park will welcome fans back to the ballpark for the 2021 season. In accordance with CDC recommendations and MLB protocols, the Nationals will implement appropriate social distancing and safety measures that allowed Nationals Park to host 5,000 fans on Opening Day. Discussions have begun with officials from the District about increasing capacity for the second homestand, which begins April 15. The complete 2021 Nationals schedule is available at nationals.com/Schedule.
DC United Announces Home Opener
DC United will play New York City FC on Saturday, April 17 at Audi Field with kickoff scheduled for 8 p.m. The following week, they will travel to Gillette Stadium to play against the New England Revolution in their home opener on Saturday, April 24 at 8 p.m. The remainder of the 2021 MLS regular season schedule can be found at matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/ schedule. DC United is continuing to work with local government and health officials to safely welcome fans back to Audi Field in 2021. dcunited.com.
ATLAS ARTS ON AIR: Streaming Events and Performances
On April 16, 8 p.m., DC Native and saxophonist Herb Scott, a rising star on the Washington, DC Jazz scene, performs. On April 23, 8 p.m., enjoy an evening of dance and movement. All ATLAS ARTS ON AIR events are free. atlasarts.org/events.
Find Flowering Trees Near You
Looking for blooms close to home this spring? DC has an incredible diversity of flowering trees and Casey Trees has mapped them all. Check out their interactive Flowering Tree Map and enjoy the flowering trees your local neighborhood has to offer. caseytrees. org/resources/?search=&resource_category=maps.
DC Vaccination Help
The pre-registration system can now be accessed through vaccinate.dc.gov as well as the District’s call center at 1-855-363-0333. Eligible individuals are encouraged to visit the website or call the call center throughout the day to pre-register. With this pre-registration system, there is no need to scramble to be online or to call at a specific time. Eligible individuals can register online at any time on any day via vaccinate.dc.gov, or register by phone Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. or on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
DC’s COVID-19 Hotline
District residents who are homebound due to COVID-19 can request support from the District for food and other essential items. Call 1-888-349-8323 or visit coronavirus.dc.gov/gethelp.
Graffiti and Aerosol Mural Artists Sought
The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, in partnership with the DC Department of Public Works, seeks graffiti and aerosol mural artists and artist teams to design, create and install aerosol murals as part of the MuralsDC program. Selected artists will be expected to engage in a guided component of the program with designated youth (ages 14 to 18) to help them understand the art of aerosol graffiti mural painting and provide youth with opportunities to assist in activities such as site preparation and mural outlining. Submission deadline is Friday, April 23. Staff contact is Alissa Maru, Public Art Program Coordinator, alissa.maru@dc.gov. For more information and to apply, visit dcarts.dc.gov/ page/grant-programs.
AARP Tax Preparation Help for DC Residents
DC residents can send a text to or leave a message at 202-642-9037 or email the Help Desk at DCTaxAide.Help@gmail.com if you have questions or need help with your federal or DC tax return. One of their counselors will get in touch with you by email or return your call using the number 617-675-4444. For contact free help, you can send your scanned documents to them and they will prepare your return. All contact is by video chat or phone. A copy of your completed return is then emailed to you. You sign and they eFile your return. To get started, go to aarpfoundation.org/taxaide or email the Help Desk. For an appointment, you can bring your documents to them at a designated site and either (1) they
scan and return them or (2) you leave them. All further contact is by video chat or phone. You then get a copy of your completed return. You sign and they eFile your return. To get started, contact the Help Desk. If you were unable to complete your 2019 tax return, they may be able to help.
Talking to Our Time: Hirshhorn Highlights (At Home)
Unwind in a new way with today’s leading artists every Wednesday. They’ll give their perspectives on conversations you care about in real time. The new season of Talking to Our Time has started. Here’s the lineup: April 14, noon; On Art and Representation-Artist Talk with with Riva Lehrer, April 21, noon; Art and Eco-Trauma-Artist Talk with Teresita Fernandez, April 28, 7 p.m.; On Art and Other Senses-Artist Talk with Anicka Yi, May 5, 7 p.m. hirshhorn.si.edu/art-artists
Wall of Remembrance Begun at the Korean War Veterans Memorial
The National Park Service and the Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation have begun construction on the Wall of Remembrance and an overall rehabilitation of the Korean War Veterans Memorial. The Wall of Remembrance is a new, permanent addition to the memorial which will include the names of 36,574 American servicemen and more than 7,200 members of the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army who gave their lives defending the people of South Korea. The memorial will remain open during the 18-month construction project, though some areas, including the Pool of Remembrance, will be inaccessible during the work. For more information, visit koreanwarvetsmemorial.org.
Virtual Adult College Completion Fair
The Office of the State Board of Education is hosting an Adult College Completion Fair on Saturday, April 17, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The fair is an opportunity for prospective adult students to learn about the multiple pathways to college completion. The fair will provide opportunities for attendees to explore college and career interests, discover adult-friendly postsecondary options and find ways to pay for their education. The fair will also include resources for early childhood educators who need to earn their associates degree. Free registration is now open at osse.dc.gov/service/ adult-college-completion-initiative-acc.u u
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/ Our River: The Anacostia /
Lessons From Ward 8 Helping The Healing With Nature by Bill Matuszeski
Ward 8 Woods Trash Pick-up. Photo: Bill Matuszeski
T
here are some interesting develments in Ward 8 that will help in the restoration of the Anacostia River and other water bodies. But first some background. Ward 8 is the part of the city east of the Anacostia and south of Pennsylvania Avenue except for the part around Branch Avenue, which is in Ward 7. Most of Ward 8 drains into the Anacostia, but the southwest portion drains to the Potomac via Oxon Run. There are over 500 acres in forests, most in designated parklands, but very few trails. While these areas have some streams, when they enter built-up areas they usually join the heavy runoff from apartment complexes and parking lots, and discharge into sewer lines that empty into the two rivers. Compared to other parts of the City, Ward 8 has had little invested in tying its neighborhoods to
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its open spaces. Especially at this time of the year, that is evident by the enormous amount of litter that gathers along the edges of the woodlands, blowing in from the residential areas, thrown down by passersby or brought there and dumped. That and the absence of trails sends a strong message to residents that these green spaces are not welcoming. But that is about to change! Leading the effort to clean up and open up these open spaces is the Ward 8 Woods Conservancy led by Nathan Harrington and a small group of part-time staffers, including a group called the Park Stewards. They seek to engage youth groups, schools, churches and any other volunteers who wish to help clean up and open up the park areas with trails. Support for these efforts comes from a variety of places. The DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) funds the Park Stewards. The DC Department of
Transportation is preparing to fund the repair and building of trails. The National Park Service owns and manages much of the open space and provides gloves and bags for clean-ups. Riverkeeper analyzes water samples and provides technical support for reducing pollution. And George Washington University has an Environmental Justice Group that is preparing to study the streams of Ward 8 – taking water samples, studying erosion and providing recommendations for improvements. Many of these groups could do more if they could line up and focus funds on these emerging areas to support Ward 8 Woods and the surrounding communities that have been overlooked for many decades. Where that has happened in Ward 8 the results gain community support and use of the open spaces. Things are getting organized now by Ward 8 Woods for a lot more action along these lines. More funding from
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all sources will be needed. What are some of the places that call out for investment in community open space? One area where Ward 8 Woods is well along with the City is to plan a hiking trail in the tangled forests that wander along the north side of the Suitland Parkway. There is already a bike trail along the edge of the right-of–way from the Maryland line to Pomeroy Road; this would be a very different experience
Fort Stanton Park Trail. Photo: Bill Matuszesk
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– an unpaved walking trail through hills and ravines well hidden back from the road. The two trails would make an almost six-mile loop. Many neighborhoods along trails would benefit and help keep the trash and debris under control; folks don’t dump where they think their neighbors want to enjoy nature. Another project under development is to place a walking trail along the Shepherd Parkway. This area, which extends for about two miles on hillsides overlooking the Naval Research Laboratory and Joint Base AnacostiaBolling, the Potomac and beyond, is not what you think of as a “Parkway.” There are no roads, no cars, not even a trail through the extended deep woods looking out to the west. But plans are Shepherd Parkway Overlook. now in the works with Photo: Mary Procter Ward 8 Woods and the National Park Service to put in a trail to allow folks to enjoy the spectacular views. There are many more prospects to work on community gardens, trails, trash removal, rest and picnic areas, you name it! There are plenty of woods in Ward 8 and most of them need trails and care. Even in Oxon Run Park in the far southwest of the Ward, the spectacularly beautiful fields and picnic areas and gardens and trails cover only part of the land; there are still many acres of unused forest upstream that could be a source of pleasure for hikers and nature-lovers. Ward 8 Woods is focused on doing what is working to heal the lands and to empower the residents with the help of agencies and public donations of time and money. It is a case of healing and empowerment for the land, the forests and the people. So consider helping out with your time, your money, your
ideas and your cheers! To finish with some words from National Park Service Superintendent of National Capital Parks-East, Tara Morrison: “Ward 8 Woods helps us better protect park resources and serve park neighbors and visitors. We’re grateful for Ward 8 Woods and their many committed volunteers. By cleaning up tons of trash, removing invasive species, and advocating for park improvements, their team is making a big difference and helping the National Park Service better serve the community. We look forward to continuing to work with them.” Bill Matuszeski is a member of the Mayor’s Leadership Council for a Cleaner Anacostia River, and the retired Director of the Chesapeake Bay Program. He also serves on the board of Friends of the National Arboretum and on Citizen Advisory Committees for the Chesapeake and the Anacostia. u
Letting the Sunshine In
New Programs to Cover Upfront Costs of Solar Energy by Catherine Plume
I
Marhamati said, “We’re thrilled to be working with DOEE and DCSEU to provide free solar installaf you’re a DC homeowner, chances are that you’re tions for low and middle income District homeownaware of the money saving advantages of adding ers. Solar for All is in line with our company ethic. solar energy to your home. While installing a solar It gives us an opportunity to give back to the comarray requires an upfront investment, most homemunity and install solar for homeowners who might owners can recover this cost in four-five years while otherwise not have the opportunity to go solar.” significantly reducing their electricity bills by as Through a cost-share with DC SEU, Ipsun will inmuch as 50 percent (an average of $500 per year stall solar arrays on up to 15 DC homes. for a DC household) for years to come. But many Marhamati and co-founder Herve Billiet met people just can’t afford that upfront cost. The DC when they were both working at the US Department Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) of Energy disbursing clean energy loans through the Solar for All program (https://doee.dc.gov/solarAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act. They deforall) implemented by the DC Sustainable Energy cided to start Ipsun Solar in 2016. The name comes Utility (DCSEU) is working with DC solar busifrom the Latin Ipsum meaning “your own” or “itself,” nesses to make solar energy installations affordable as they wanted to build the kind of company that for all DC homeowners. they would want to buy from. “Many of the early soSolar for All (SFA) was initiated in 2017 with lar installers were lackluster, said Marhamati. “They a goal of providing 100,000 DC homes with solar used third-party contractors for their work, they were energy in line with the Sustainable DC Plan and often unresponsive to their clients, and they didn’t the Mayor’s commitment to a carbon neutral DC treat their employees fairly. We decided to become by 2050. While residents must be income-qualified a part of the Amicus Solar Cooperative and build a to benefit in the program, the threshold is approxicompany that offers a living wage and health care for mately $100,000 for a family of four. Ted Trabue, our employees.” Director of the DCSEU notes, “This spring and They needed an office space, and as luck would summer, the DCSEU is excited to work with four have it, a law firm moved out of top floor of the Walocal solar installers -- Ipsun Solar, Greenscape Entergate and subleased the space to them for pennies ergy, Solar Solution, and WDC Solar -- to bring on the dollar. Joe recalls, “We were just renting one solar technology and critical electricity bill savings small office, but we essentially had run of the entire to residents who need it most right now.” top floor, with sweeping views of the Potomac River. Ipsun Solar (https://www.ipsunsolar.com/) is exWe hosted community gatherings on the rooftop. cited to be a part of the SFA cohort. Co-founder Joe We were fewer than five employees at the time, but when people came to see, we looked like a Fortune 500 company!” Their efforts paid off. Ipsun Solar is thriving and has installed solar arrays on over 300 homes to Ipsun Solar is bringing sunshine power to DC. Photo: Ipsun Solar
Ipsun Solar customer David Roodman is pleased with the s olar installation on his DC rooftop. Photo: Ipsun Solar
date, with business growing exponentially every year. But they are looking for new ways to promote clean energy. Ipsun Solar is one of the early supporters of the Clean Energy Credit Union which provides clean energy loans for solar installations as well as geothermal energy, energy efficiency appliances, electric vehicles and electric bikes. The credit union will be adding a green home mortgage in the near future as well. As a not-for-profit credit union, 100% of it’s deposits (checking accounts, CDs, etc) are invested into clean energy projects. If you want to see if your household qualifies for Solar for All, visit website www.dcseu.com/SolarForAll or call 202-479-2222. There’s even a Solar for All Community Solar program, whereby residents who live in apartments or in homes that can’t support solar can sign up to receive solar electricity bill credits. And if you want to learn more about the Clean Energy Credit Union, visit www.cleanenergycu.org. Anyone who believes in this mission can open a checking account for as little as $5. Reduce your carbon emissions and make the world a better place – all while saving yourself some cash. Let the sunshine in! Catherine Plume is a lifelong environmentalist, un urban homesteader, a writer, and blogger for the DC Recycler: www.DCRecycler.blogspot.com; Twitter: @ DC_Recycler. She is also the Chair of the DC Chapter of the Sierra Club, however, perspectives expressed are her own and do not necessarily represent the positions of that organization. u
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REAL ESTATE
changing hands
Changing Hands is a list of most residential sales in the Midcity DC area 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 BLOOMINGDALE
57 R St NW 2210 Flagler Pl NW 13 V St NW 2034 1st St NW 61 Rhode Island Ave NW 37 Seaton Pl NW 44 U St NW 138 Seaton Pl NW 29 Seaton Pl NW
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS
1207 Harvard St NW 1205 Lamont St NW 3627 New Hampshire Ave NW 739 Fairmont St NW 435 Irving St NW 2603 11th St NW 1430 Meridian Pl NW 1004 Irving St NW 3721 9th St NW 1031 Quebec Pl NW 1410 Newton St NW 3909 13th St NW 749 Girard St NW 913 Columbia Rd NW 4123 Arkansas Ave NW 907 Columbia Rd NW 766 Princeton Pl NW #B 515 Lamont St NW
ECKINGTON
136 R St NE 1733 N Capitol St NE 142 R St NE 1926 2nd St NE 1935 1st St NE
LEDROIT PARK 1850 5th St NW
LOGAN CIRCLE
1714 10th St NW 1322 10th St NW 1633 Vermont Ave NW
SHAW
1531 8th St NW 900 French St NW 431 Q St NW 1517 6th St NW 1725 5th St NW 37 Q St NW 611 Rhode Island Ave NW
TRUXTON CIRCLE 1512 3rd St NW
Price
BR
ADAMS MORGAN $1,435,000 $1,400,000 $1,335,000 $1,310,000 $1,249,000 $999,000 $960,000 $920,000 $800,000
4 4 4 6 6 4 5 3 3
$1,350,000 $1,314,750 $1,265,000 $1,250,000 $1,150,000 $1,065,000 $925,000 $850,000 $825,000 $800,000 $750,000 $725,000 $660,000 $651,000 $649,000 $643,000 $635,000 $525,000
5 5 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 5 3 4 3 3 3 2
$1,150,000 $1,100,000 $785,000 $680,000 $623,000
3 4 4 4 4
$1,275,000
3
$1,995,000 $1,457,000 $1,400,000
4 4 6
$1,995,500 $1,580,000 $1,125,000 $1,060,000 $965,000 $900,000 $710,000
3 3 3 3 3 5 2
$760,000
2
Condominium 14TH STREET CORRIDOR 2125 14th St NW #108W 919 Florida Ave NW #704
2125 14th St NW #512
$779,900 $620,000
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2248 Ontario Rd NW #PH-8 2328 Champlain St NW #422 2435 Ontario Rd NW #4 PH 1794 Lanier Pl NW #208 2337 Champlain St NW #407 1807 California St NW #104 2550 17th St NW #606 1957 Calvert St NW #C 1840 Vernon St NW #104 2248 Ontario Rd NW #1 2010 Kalorama Rd NW #502 2244 Ontario Rd NW #2
BLOOMINGDALE
1922 1st St NW #B 1824 N Capitol St NW #2 33 Bryant St NW #1 1420 North Capitol St NW #302 125 T St NW #2 150 V St NW #V405 52 Quincy Pl NW #102
CENTRAL
2201 K St NW #6 1150 K St NW #505 1318 22nd St NW #501 915 E St NW #514 701 Pennsylvania Ave NW #1102 1330 New Hampshire Ave NW #607 777 7th St NW #1108
CHINATOWN
777 7th St NW #508
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS
1460 Harvard St NW #4 1134 Columbia Rd NW #1 1333 Euclid St NW #PH-1 2612 University Pl NW #7 1483 Monroe St NW #2 1485 Monroe St NW #2 2612 University Pl NW #8 3226 13th St NW #3 3311 13th St NW #3 1454 Belmont St NW #10 3324 Sherman Ave NW ##UNIT 1 1508 Park Rd NW #3 1369 Parkwood Pl NW #2 1523 Park Rd NW #102 763 Morton St NW #1 1461 Girard St NW #201 1390 Kenyon St NW #525 1369 Parkwood Pl NW #1 2201 15th St NW #302 1438 Columbia Rd NW #103 4108 14th St NW #1 1436 Ogden St NW #4 2612 University Pl NW #4 2910 Georgia Ave NW #104 2612 University Pl NW #1 2650 15th St NW #1 701 Lamont St NW #20
$570,000
1
$1,300,000 $1,225,000 $1,125,000 $770,000 $669,000 $635,000 $589,000 $483,500 $479,000 $443,000 $435,000 $392,000
3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 2 1 1 1
$1,061,000 $815,000 $785,000 $675,000 $647,500 $545,000 $380,000
3 3 3 2 2 2 1
$1,000,000 $635,000 $505,900 $450,000 $395,000 $363,000 $440,000
4 2 1 1 1 1 1
$425,000
1
$1,120,000 $960,000 $830,000 $812,500 $795,000 $790,000 $787,500 $782,000 $758,000 $700,000 $680,000 $662,500 $625,000 $600,000 $600,000 $580,000 $575,000 $575,000 $532,000 $525,000 $524,000 $519,900 $515,000 $510,000 $505,000 $485,000 $480,000
3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 3 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 3 2 4 2 1 2 2 2 1
1508 Park Rd NW #4 1438 Columbia Rd NW #104 2618 University Pl NW #1 1451 Harvard St NW #5 1418 Meridian Pl NW #3 1436 Meridian Pl NW #206 1417 Chapin St NW #102 1308 Clifton St NW #203 1308 Clifton St NW #205 1438 Meridian Pl NW #402 1436 Meridian Pl NW #102 1514 Newton St NW #302 1108 Columbia Rd NW #104 3900-3902 14th St NW #206 2608 Sherman Ave NW #303 1457 Park Rd NW #103 1437 Spring Rd NW #24 3318 Sherman Ave NW #204 3606 Rock Creek Church Rd NW #203 1225 Fairmont St NW #103 3500 13th St NW #B-1 1441 Euclid St NW #304
DUPONT CIRCLE
1625 Q St NW #202 1621 T St NW #806 1619 R St NW #304 1730 New Hampshire Ave NW #10 1727 R St NW #403 1916 17th St NW #301 1731 Willard St NW #105 1545 18th St NW #311 1330 New Hampshire Ave NW #212 1753 Swann St NW #2 2122 N St NW #1 1603 16th St NW #1 1930 18th St NW #45 1330 New Hampshire Ave NW #514 1316 New Hampshire Ave NW #408 1745 N St NW #503 1736 18th St NW #104 1747--A Q Street NW #5 1325 18th St NW #311 1727 Massachusetts Ave NW #802 1545 18th St NW #816 1711 Massachusetts Ave NW #1A 1727 Massachusetts Ave NW #117
ECKINGTON
1927 N Capitol St NE #2 25 T St NE #UNIT A 25 T St NE #UNIT B 14 S St NE #203
LEDROIT PARK
1844 3rd St NW #201 1718 1st St NW #3
LOGAN CIRCLE
1 Scott Cir NW #221 1420 N St NW #905 1828 13th St NW #3 1326 Riggs St NW #1 1422 Q St NW #201
$475,000 $474,000 $473,800 $465,000 $435,000 $430,000 $419,750 $415,000 $395,000 $380,000 $375,000 $360,000 $360,000 $349,000 $340,000 $339,900 $325,000 $307,867 $299,999 $267,569 $240,000 $197,500
1 2 2 2 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0
$786,000 $781,000 $635,000 $575,000 $528,000 $450,000 $414,995 $410,000 $299,000 $884,000 $830,000 $700,000 $695,000 $595,000 $550,000 $480,000 $455,000 $436,600 $435,000 $421,000 $415,000 $365,000 $229,900
2 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 0 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 0
$912,500 $900,000 $738,000 $400,000
3 3 3 2
$980,000 $548,500
3 2
$315,000 $292,500 $751,000 $1,049,000 $932,500
1 1 2 2 2
1324 14th St NW #3 1314 Vermont Ave NW #CH7 1515 15th St NW #423 1413 P St NW #306 1441 Rhode Island Ave NW #402 1414 11th St NW #1 1229 12th St NW #101 1300 N St NW #801 1715 15th St NW #201 1441 Rhode Island Ave NW #810 1300 13th St NW #809 24 Logan Cir NW #1 1211 13th St NW #305 1441 Rhode Island Ave NW #209 1133 14th St NW #611 1300 N St NW #9 1420 N St NW #212 1125 12th St NW #51 1239 Vermont Ave NW #710
MT VERNON SQUARE
437 New York Ave NW #318 910 M St NW #306 811 4th St NW #1201 1232 4th St NW #1 301 Massachusetts Ave NW #801 440 L St NW #609 1010 Massachusetts Ave NW #1112 811 4th St NW #222
PENN QUARTER
400 Massachusetts Ave NW #919 801 Pennsylvania Ave NW #1122 715 6th St NW #602 631 D St NW #644 616 E St NW #622 631 D St NW #838
SHAW
1504 6th St NW #2 1906 Vermont Ave NW #C 436 Q St NW #1 810 O St NW NW #707 801 N St NW #306 810 O St NW #207 440 Rhode Island Ave NW #303 440 Rhode Island Ave NW #202 1215 10th St NW #41 801 N St NW #304 801 N NW #204
TRUXTON CIRCLE
57 N St NW #435 1420 North Capitol St NW #301 1523 3rd St NW #1 1532 North Capitol St NW #401 1420 North Capitol St NW #102 57 N St NW #102
U STREET CORRIDOR 2004 11th St NW #133 1726 U St NW #3 2125 14th St NW #212 2001 16th St NW #106
◆
$895,000 $885,000 $880,000 $875,000 $800,000 $789,000 $760,000 $720,000 $630,000 $630,000 $538,100 $518,000 $515,000 $510,000 $465,000 $439,000 $338,100 $295,000 $282,000
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
$520,000 $485,000 $479,900 $930,000 $699,000 $499,000 $476,000 $360,000
1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1
$925,275 $818,000 $720,000 $677,500 $505,000 $340,000
2 1 3 2 1 0
$1,150,000 $1,138,000 $935,000 $860,000 $799,000 $789,900 $607,500 $605,000 $569,000 $500,000 $499,900
2 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1
$740,000 $715,000 $675,000 $644,000 $567,500 $549,000
2 2 2 2 2 1
$606,000 $639,000 $605,000 $455,000
1 2 2 2
KIDS AND FAMILY
notebook by Kathleen Donner
Sixth through 12th Grade Photography Contest
Better Grades in Less Time
On April 11, 4 to 5 p.m., in this small-group (virtual) introduction to time management and study skills, middle school and high school students and parents will learn the same skills that the most successful students at the best colleges use. These skills are ideal for students whose grades don’t reflect how cool and smart they are, students with learning differences, serious athletes, and STEM superstars. Smith Rivas director Paul Rivas will help students develop fun strategies to improve their time management, reading, note taking, tests, and papers. Class size is limited to 10. $20. hillcenterdc.org.
The Kiwanis Club of Capitol Hill is sponsoring its second annual photography contest open to all sixth through twelfth graders in DC public and charter schools. Students are asked to “celebrate the beauty of springtime” through photographs they take between April 10 and 20. The final submission date is April 21. There is no registration fee. Prizes include: First, $125; Second, $100 and Third, $75. Email photos to jmjanmb2@ gmail.com. Include your name, age and school. Any questions may be addressed to that email as well. Last year’s first prize winner was De Sean Jones, a student at Capitol Hill Montessori.
Teen’s Corner: A Blog for DC Teens, by DC Teens
Atlas Youth Summit
On May 7, 5 p.m., the Atlas Performing Arts Center hosts their annual Atlas Youth Summit. The online event will be a facilitated conversation with area youth arts organizations and their participating young artists discussing events of the past year and the impact it has had on young people’s lives and the creation of their art. Each participating organization will share a short clip of their work in the areas of theatre, dance, and music. The group discussion will be led and hosted by the Atlas’ City at Peace Director Sandra Holloway. City at Peace is the Atlas’ social justice youth development program. atlasarts.org/events/youth-summit.
“Read Like A Champion” This Summer
Image: Catherine Wilson
We Stand Together, Just Six Feet Apart (100% of Profits to UNICEF)
We Stand Together, Just Six Feet Apart is a children’s book written by three pediatricians and illustrated by artist Catherine Wilson. The book is meant to explain the changes secondary to the pandemic for kids ages three to eight and to encourage positive ongoing conversations for how we can stay healthy, happy, and kind during this time. Using sing-song rhymes and accessible language, this book gives young children a basic understanding of why these changes have happened and how we hope that, over time, life will slowly begin to get back to normal. 100% of profits are donated to UNICEF and their Covax fund (unicef.org/coronavirus/covax). We Stand Together, Just Six Feet Apart is available on Amazon. com and Blurb.com for $11.99 and $24.99 (hard cover).
The Washington Nationals have announced their eighth annual “Read Like A Champion” summer reading program. For the last seven years, the Nationals have partnered with area libraries to address the summer-slide--the loss of learning that children and teens experience when they do not read during summer vacation. This year, the Nationals are supporting the efforts of their library partners through nationals.com/
SummerReading. Participants in the program will have a chance to win exciting Nationals prizes. The Nationals invite all interested library systems to work together to make the Nationals and their fans the “Team that Reads!” nationals.com/SummerReading.
Check out dclibrary.org/teenscorner for movie and book reviews, interviews with local teens, interviews with cool adults, coverage of events and issues that matter to teens, and more. Posts are authored by DCPL’s Teen Council, MBSYEP employees and teen volunteers. If you are between 13 and 19 and interested in submitting a post, email Teen Services Coordinator Joanna Harris at joanna.harris@dc.gov.
Youth in Action: Sustainable Agriculture
On April 22 to 25, the Sustainable Agriculture panel discussion brings together young Indigenous leaders to address the role that traditional ecological knowledge plays in their work as farmers and entrepreneurs. With the onset of COVID-19 and ongoing issues of climate change, investing in sustainable agriculture and food production more important than ever. Moderated by Michaela Pavlat (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians). Panelists include Kelsey Ducheneaux-Scott (Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe), Jack Poshano (Hopi) and Marco Ovando (Shoshone-Paiute Tribe). This panel is made possible with the support of the Native American Agriculture Fund. nmai.brand.live/c/youthinactionapril.
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CHOOSE EXCELLENCE
Choose Paul Public Charter School. Limited seats available for the 2021-2022 school year. Act now - apply today! Paul sets scholars on the path to and through college by offering top-ranked programs and activities that ignite the passions of all students.
Photo: Courtesy of George Washington’s Mount Vernon
WHY CHOOSE PAUL? • Performing, visual, and culinary arts programs • Study abroad opportunities • Title-holding, citywide Varsity sports teams with alumni in the NCAA • Diverse activities like astronomy, robotics, and drumline Join the Paul legacy and add Paul PCS to your My School DC post-lottery application today:
myschooldc.org/postlotto
Public Transportation Green Line and Yellow Line 62, 70, 74, 76, 80, K2, K6, E4 Enroll in our highly-rated, Tier 1 leadership academy. Visit paulcharter.org.
5800 8th Street NW Washington, DC | (202) 291-7499
FULL TIME JOB OPENING Direct Support Professionals
Wholistic Services Inc. is looking for dedicated individuals to work as Direct Support Professionals assisting intellectually disabled adults with behavioral & health complexities in our residential locations in the District of Columbia & Maryland.
Job Requirements:
• Ability to lift up to 75 lbs. • Completion of required trainings prior to hire • Completion of Trained Medication Employee (TME) and/or Certified Medication Technician (CMT) Certification(s) within 6 months of hire • Cleared DOH background check prior to hire • Valid Driver’s License • Valid CPR & First Aid
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• Negative COVID-19 test results prior to start of work (taken within 3 days prior to date of hire) • COVID-19 vaccination within 45 days of hire
Due to the pandemic, Wholistic will not accept applications or conduct interviews on-site. Applications must be submitted online. Please contact Human Resources at 202-832-8787 for further information.
Animal Family Day at Mount Vernon
On Saturday, April 24, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., meet some of Mount Vernon’s animals (sheep, ox, calves, horses and a hog) and learn about their roles in the 18th century during Animal Family Day. Learn about Mount Vernon’s animals and jobs they performed in George Washington’s time. Visit the 12acre field to learn about their heritage breeding program and the active role they play in preserving historic breeds. Enjoy fun activities such as story time, take-home crafts and Animal Passport to explore the estate. All activities are included in admission; $28 for adults, $15 for kids, five and under, free. Advance ticket purchase recommended. mountvernon.org.
A Family Game Night
Calling all agents: Take your next family or friend Zoom gathering to a new level of cool with a live, actionpacked game night. Does your family have what it takes to be spies? The International Spy Museum is infiltrating your home for an actionpacked Family Game Night. Hosted by a Museum Educator, participants will race against the clock to complete mini missions. Can you create coded messages, slip into disguise and design a super stealthy spy gad-
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Shakespeare Family Fest
Hear ye! Hear ye! Join the fun in a free weekend of virtual events for the whole family on Saturday and Sunday, April 10 and 11, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., both days. Explore the magic of theatre with virtual performances of A Mini-Summer Night’s Dream and The Tiny Tempest, a stage blood demonstration, interactive workshops, crafting activities, and more. Meet Shakespeare Theatre Company Engagement and Education staff and teaching artists and learn more about Classes for Youth and Teens and Camp Shakespeare. Drop in for a session or spend the whole weekend with them. Recommended for ages five, up. shakespearetheatre.org/shakespeare-family-fest/. get? Your family’s teamwork abilities and tradecraft skills will be put to the test. Family Game Night is suggested for recruits ages seven to twelve and their handlers, however ages six and up can play. It is a one-hour interactive mission led by the Museum’s professional staff. The Museum will connect with participants using our password-protected Zoom Room. Up to 20 households can participate. $285 covers up to 20 household connections. spymuseum.org/education-programs/kids-families/ covert-couch-challenge.
A World in One Cubic Foot
There is a lot of life just outside our door that we never see--in the grass, under rocks, hidden bushes or in the water. Exploring this hidden life or biodiversity is a fantastic way to connect with the natural world while practicing scientific thinking and science skills. One way to do this is to use a Biocube. A biocube is a fun, informative, and manageable way of exploring the biodiversity in the world around you by focusing on a cubic foot of space. By looking closely and documenting the life in a small area, one can get a better understanding of how different ecosystems are structured and how they function. In this activity, explorers build a Biocube out of household items, then use it to investigate nature in a small area just outside their home. This activity is intended to be done by individuals or family groups while at home. naturalhistory.si.edu/education/ teaching-resources/life-science/biocubesexploring-biodiversity/biocube-home.
Raising Anti-Racist Children (virtual workshops)
Raising children to build a just world is a lifelong process, as well as a difficult challenge
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for parents to navigate. Join DCJCC for a two-part series with expert educator Dr. Nabina Liebow, who will take you through the learning and practical steps necessary to raise anti-racist children and help create a cohort of race conscious parents in our community. This workshop is designed for anyone who wants to understand how white supremacy and white privilege affect all parts of our lives and how to bring these ideas into conversation and action in parenting. It is meant as a beginning, and not to be comprehensive or all-encompassing. Raising AntiRacist Children is offered on May 4 (part 1) and 11
(part 2), 8 to 9:30 p.m. $30 per household. edcjcc. org/children-families/family-programs.
DDOT Free and Discount Car Seats
DC residents who are in need of a car seat can receive a voucher for one free seat. Vouchers are distributed at 11 locations throughout the District including the Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center Vouchers are also distributed by DDOT directly and can be picked up on the fifth floor of the DDOT main office at 55 M St. SE. DDOT also manages a Booster Seat Program in partnership with DC Metropolitan Police Department. This program provides free booster seats to children who are at least four years old and 40 lbs. “Booster Seat Tuesday” operates on Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at 501 New York Ave. NW where the seats can be picked up with no appointment. The staff from participating centers will also make sure that all seats provided are properly installed. ddot.dc.gov/page/ car-safety-seat-program.
National Archives’ Virtual Pajama Party
Signature in the Schools’ “Here’s the Deal”
Signature Theatre’s flagship education program, Signature in the Schools, now in its 26th year, has released the world premiere film Here’s the Deal. Written by Caleen Sinnette Jennings and directed by Signature’s Education Director David Zobell, Here’s the Deal features a cast and crew of 32 students, alongside professional actor Felicia Curry, and explores the New Deal and its contemporary relevance. Here’s the Deal is available on Marquee TV and is streaming on demand through the end of June. Free for students and schools; $5 for the general public. SigTheatre.org. In Here’s the Deal, people are in economic ruin and there is a hot debate over the government’s role to solve the problems of an increasingly anxious American people. Is it 1929 or 2020? Stuck learning from home during the pandemic, students in Mrs. Day’s Theatre III class must think creatively to develop a play in their challenging circumstances.
This fun educational program for kids, eight to twelve, will focus on women in sports, the Olympics, and gymnastics. Their special guest is Olympic gymnastics gold medalist and Dancing with the Stars champion Laurie Hernandez, who will read from her book, I Got This: To Gold and Beyond, and take questions from program attendees. Participants will learn about related historical records in the National Archives and create/share their own artwork and writing. Available indefinitely on youtube.com/channel/UCnAsiniI4DF7vAAe7omWWFQ. u
DC Prep campuses now accepting applications for the 21-22 school year in ward 5, 7 & 8. We’re the highest performing public charter schools serving PK3 – 8th grade.
Call 202-780-5126 for more information or visit:
dcprep.org
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#ShawTakeout Enjoy your favorite Shaw Main Streets bars’ and restaurants’ best dishes and alcoholic beverages at home. Order carryout and delivery tonight!
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www.shawmainstreets.org Shaw Main Streets is a designated DC Main Streets program and is funded in part by the Department of Small and Local Business Development, Muriel E. Bowser, Mayor ©2021 Shaw Main Streets, Inc. All Rights Reserved.