Serving Dupont Circle, Kalorama & Logan Circle
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Vol. IX, No. 26
THE DUPONT CURRENT FLAMENCO EN FAMILIA
Council tackles $188 million gap ■ Budget: Cuts, tax increases
produce spirited discussion By ELIZABETH WIENER Current Staff Writer
Staring down a very deep budget hole, D.C. Council members Tuesday insisted that residents protesting cuts in their favored programs also suggest ways to slim down the city government or raise
additional revenue. And in a daylong hearing, many of the roughly 150 witnesses complied, offering ways to shake loose more federal dollars, combine programs, cut salaries or overtime pay for city workers and — in a now familiar refrain — raise income taxes. Immediately at issue is Mayor Adrian Fenty’s new proposal to plug a $188 million budget gap for the current fiscal year. His proposal,
submitted to the council last week, avoids any tax increases, as the outgoing mayor has long promised. But it would cut funding for virtually every city agency, for a total savings of $161 million; use federal stimulus money to maintain current “per pupil” school funding levels; and eliminate 125 vacant or “redundant” positions. One controversial budget item identifies $22 million in savings from having moved about See Budget/Page 29
ANC protests Ghana Cafe patio bid By KATIE PEARCE Current Staff Writer
Bill Petros/The Current
Gala Hispanic Theatre is hosting the fifth annual Fuego Flamenco Festival, which included an interactive workshop for children and families over the weekend.
According to Ghana Cafe owner Anthony Opare, business hasn’t been the same at the West African restaurant since it moved last winter to Logan Circle. In its previous home in Adams Morgan, Ghana Cafe reaped the benefits of the 18th Street nightlife scene with an outdoor patio, live music and late hours. Ghana said his customers aren’t used to the quieter, stripped-down version of the restaurant that opened in January at 1336 14th St. “I don’t have what it takes, so they leave,” he said. “My revenue was cut drastically.” To remedy the situation, Opare has applied with the city’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to open, and serve alcohol on, a 51-seat outdoor patio at the back of Ghana Cafe. But two groups — the Logan Circle advisory neighSee Ghana/Page 10
Bill Petros/The Current
The owner first envisioned a sidewalk cafe, but it proved too costly to move the bus stop. A planned rear patio has drawn opposition from neighbors.
Tree dispute looms large in Georgetown
Activists urge city to adopt new anti-bullying measure
By ELIZABETH WIENER
■ Legislation: Charter
Current Staff Writer
The preservation boards that protect Georgetown’s historic streetscape are facing off against local tree lovers who are trying to keep the neighborhood green. At issue is the height of the little metal fences installed around tree boxes to keep dogs, litter and heavy-footed pedestrians away. At this point the dispute, which has played out at the Georgetown advisory neighborhood commission, Old Georgetown Board and — most recently — the august U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, comes down to a mere four inches. But to tree advocates, including the city’s chief forester, those four inches could determine the life or death of beleaguered street trees.
NEWS ■ Ellington looks to ‘Dreamgirls’ to fill its budget gap. Page 2. ■ Council considers scrutiny on Title IX compliance. Page 3.
schools argue for exception By JESSICA GOULD Current Staff Writer
Bill Petros/The Current
A federal commission says the city’s 18-inch treebox standard is unsuitable for Georgetown. “It’s not easy for street trees out there. Let’s give them a little bit of real estate to do their thing,” said John Thomas, head of the D.C. Urban Forestry Administration. “When we use an 18-inch [fence], no one goes in — bikes, dogs, humans.” Thomas told the Fine Arts Commission that higher See Trees/Page 10
PA S S A G E S ■ GWU exhibition looks at summer World Cup trip. Page 17. ■ Local hospice aims for comfort during holidays. Page 17.
Trina Cole always knew what she wanted to be when she grew up. She envisioned makeup and miniskirts, shoulder-length hair and knee-high boots. “Many children know what they want to be in life,” Cole testified Monday before the D.C. Council. “And so did I. I wanted to be female.”
EVENTS ■ Tony-winning ‘South Pacific’ comes to D.C. from New York. Page 36. ■ Kuitca offers deeply coded art at Hirshhorn. Page 37 .
The problem, of course, was that she wasn’t. For most of her life, Trina was a boy named Tristan. Then, when Cole was 14, she began attending classes at Dunbar High School dressed like a girl. And that, she said, was when the bullying got really bad. “I was assaulted verbally and physically abused at school,” she said. She was called “faggot” and “low life.” She was banned from the girls’ restroom, she said, and ridiculed in the boys’. Now, city council members say See Bullying/Page 30
INDEX Business/9 Calendar/32 Classifieds/45 District Digest/4 Dupont Circle Citizen/15 Exhibits/37 In Your Neighborhood/28
Opinion/12 Passages/17 Police Report/6 Real Estate/27 School Dispatches/18 Service Directory/40 Theater/36