Go Home Already: Shouts and Murmurs
Man Stops Traffic at 17th and K to Demand $200 Million
Morning Roundup: Goodbye, Abe Edition
Judge Throws Out WTU Suit Over Teacher Layoffs
Vegetate to Close at the End of the Month
Good morning, Washington. Yesterday may have been the first day of school, but that doesn't mean things are starting to pick up just yet in the local news department. Local reporters and news makers are still on vacation for the most part, if this morning's headlines are any indication. Consider, for example, this fun-filled Washington Post visit to the WMATA sign shop, which allows us to learn that Metro sign makers are also responsible for hanging the signs they make, and that the people who work there don't think signs will "ever go away," even if they are "a little old-fashioned." Too bad the Post didn't send someone to the DDOT sign shop.
O'Malley Planning Layoffs, Furloughs: If you thought the revised budget process here in the District was a disaster, wait until you take a closer look at Maryland's: Gov. Martin O'Malley is proposing that Maryland state employees be forced to take as many as 10 days of unpaid leave, along with another series of modest layoffs. The furlough plan would save more than $60 million this year, according to the Post. Could you survive missing out on two weeks of pay this year, if it meant you got to keep your job?
Condos In, Carry-out Out in Hill East: The Examiner writes about the Carry Lofts at 257 15th Street SE, which have finally opened in the spot where the New Dragon, an old carry-out long associated with drugs and violence, once stood. As far as nearby residents are concerned, it's great that the carryout is gone, but they also don't think they needed any more condos over there. Fair enough.
Briefly Noted: 87-year-old charged with murder in Howard County ... Maryland requests federal funding for rail service improvements ... Homeless man, 'tired of living on the streets,' charged in bank robbery ... Virginia delegate charged with steering money to create job for himself.
This Day in DCist: In 2008, the D.C. delegation to the Democratic National Convention met for breakfast for the first time in Denver.
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The furlough plan would save more than $60 million this year...
Or they could, y'know, not pi$$ away $4.6 billion on widening I-270, a project that will shave 1-2 minutes off commutes from Gaithersburg and create more demand for suburban sprawl. But by all means, do furlough your teachers. It's not like the kids are learning anything in school besides the increasingly simple art of seduction.
Or $3B+ on the ICC: the road from Nowhere to East Jesus Nowhere
Um, 150 C St SE is the Library of Congress. Do they mean 1500 C St SE?
I think this place was at 1500 C Street NE. I recall driving by this place on my search for chicken wings and mambo sauce and it being closed all the time.
probably, but even the website for the condo itself has the address listed as 150 C St SE: carry lofts website
carry lofts website
I'd like to nominate that for worst Web site ever. Actually, it's probably only a half finished place holder. But still - Worst. Site. Ever.
The site is pretty bad. Also, are they called the Carry Lofts because the building used to be a carry-out place? And what about this building says "lofts" (I realize this term has lost all original meaning, but still).
"...as a condominium and retail complex at the corner of 15th and C streets Southeast not far from RFK Stadium.
Carry Lofts at 150 C St., "
It appears that the developers and the Examiner have never heard of copy-editing or fact-checking (I'll let DCist itself slide since thats what the commentariat does best).
"The New Dragon across from Payne Elementary School offered no seating, but it did shield its workers behind bulletproof glass."
Where were they going to put the seating? Behind the bulletproof glass? honestly now...
Yeah, pretty bad that a semi-reputable print newspaper took the address from a terrible Web site as fact, without even asking or having the sense to realize it's not even close to correct.
Check out the site on IE or Safari...much better. Pretty nice actually.
As for the nieghbors, are they really complaining that a new condo is worse than "decades of violence"?!
Actually - the original link was incorrect. This address contains the real site - with the correct street address...
http://carrylofts.com/Carry_Lofts/home.html
I would love to live at the Library of Congress! I'd read the Gutenberg Bible at night and prance around in Dorothy's ruby slippers, just for fun. Maybe I could sublet a carrel there?
I smell a sequel to the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler...accept I don't recall there being any fountains in the LOC to bathe in...
Oops, forgive me grammar police. *except.
The neighborhood "Hill East" is located around Congressional Cemetery and DC General Hospital. 150 C Street SE is "Folger Park" or "North Kilttown."
It's at the corner of 15th Street SE and C Street SE. The C Street address is weird--I think the building faces 15th Street.
And ditto on the sucky website. The average high school kid could do better.
That's the great thing about having four 150 C Streets in DC. You've got four chances of getting the address right. Where else but DC would you find such a great redundancy scheme?
And I nominate the website for the Cakefart Dot Com Horrible Website AWard. At least it doesn't have that awful Hamsterdance music playing in the background.
Yeah, I just changed it to the correct address. The Examiner story had it listed incorrectly.
"To understand why some neighbors are irate, you must realize that they endured decades of violence outside the New Dragon and environs, and gained a few moment's peace that was quickly replaced with the sound of heavy machinery tearing down buildings," Myers wrote on the neighborhood listserve. "And then the new buildings went up and up until the sun and sky were not to be seen again."
1. If you don't like gunfire and drug dealers, don't live nextdoor to them.
2. If you want peace and quiet, don't live nextdoor to a drug dealer's place that's being turned into condos.
3. If you don't like tall buildings, try not to live in a city.
4. If you want sun and sky, move to a beach. Or to hell.
5. If you like complaining on listservs about how drug dealers are replaced by condos where people don't get shot, move to Hill East.
Just when you think people finally stopped being worse than Hitler, you read this stuff.
Hey, there was a long-standing neighborhood consensus as to what they wanted in that space: a McAwesome's Parasailing and Chocolate Bakery. There was even a great idea to minimize the environmental impact of the construction, by having the construction be completely noiseless. But instead, big developers came in, ignoring the neighborhood recommendation that they invent a silence field generator, and built a residential building. Which is of course totally inappropriate for a residential neighborhood.
Just horrible. They were promised an organic freetrade cafe and dog biscuit bakery and end up with an Orange Julius.
It's like you're hoping for a Curly and you end up with a Shemp or, worse, a Curly Joe.
I think we tend to over think community development. My demands are simple:
-Walkable, but with substantial public green space. Houses with back yards.
-Ample parking, but with well maintained mass transit.
-Bike lanes and bike paths.
-Locally owned retail (no chains!) that specialize in reasonably priced organic products.
-Low property taxes, affordable housing, and a great school system.
-Neighbors who share my interests. In fact, they don't mind scheduling their parties to coincide with mine as to reduce potential noise complaints.
--
I don't think this is too much to ask for.
You're forgetting Northern charm and Southern efficiency.
Just making a correction... The address for the Carry Lofts is 257 15th St. SE. The Carry Lofts Website, when opened only in Firefox (the browser I most often use), lists the incorrect address. I've informed the developer, and I apologize for the error. - Mike Neibauer
Any word on the two bike accidents yesterday. Where can one go to get info on things like that? I didn't see anything on WashCycle... Link at PoP
Wow! So many discrepancies with the Carry Loft address. Why even care when some of you don't like it and even mock the poor website? So once and for all, the address is in the corner of my ass and bunghole. It's in SE!
Can you confirm that a subsidized housing project called "The Taintington" will be going in there? Because I also heard a rumor that a luxury loft called "The Fore Arms" was going to shoved in there as well.
The Taintington is underway. Anyone interested can take a poke at it for a few hours before they decide to permanently buy into it. The Fore Arms plans aren't going too well. The space is too tight, but the developers wants more loose terms before the groundbreaking event.
Also, the Bunghole is not available. You might want to check out the Twatosphere and Queefme Towers.
Can I sublet your bunghole? Just in case the LOC deal falls through...
I'd be wary of subletting a bunghole in DC. The District's landlord-tenant laws regarding subletting bungholes, taints, and goatses consider them to be "grey areas." Or brown, as the case may be. Just make sure there's central air. You're gonna need it on chili nights.