News: December 2008 Archives

The ABC7 report is short on details but the confirmation nevertheless stands: Route 50 to Washington Boulevard will be closed during the inauguration. Left unexplained is where, when, and who.

Man, it must stink to be a kid these days, if the Post's lede is to be believed:

As I spent last night watching The Dark Knight for the second time, it was apparent why it was one of the better films of 2008 -- for all its Shakespearean overtones and Christopher Nolan's astute direction, it's really just a movie about a guy with a lot of fancy toys on a vigilante tear against drug dealers, mob bosses, and serial killers.

>> Authorities aren't sure exactly what happened in Congress Heights early this morning. What is known: a young girl -- who later died -- was found with apparent stab wounds on the 3400 block of 11th Place SE. The woman that led police to her body was also injured, possibly in the same incident. On top of all that, the building in which the child was found had also caught on fire. Police and fire personnel are still on the scene. [WaPo]

You've got a car. But hey, you're not planning on driving anywhere during Inaugural weekend. So no problems, right? Well, maybe.

Good morning, Washington. We here at DCist hope that your Christmas Day was just as relaxing as ours was. Today is what's commonly referred to as Boxing Day, a holiday devoted to returning those two-sizes too big sweaters and and engaging in some last-gasp holiday consumerism -- and boy, could a lot of stores use the business. There will probably be plenty of big discounts to be had around town, considering that it's been one of the worst retail seasons in recent memory.

for those who support infrastructure spending for any number of reasons. The Center for American Progress's Faiz Shakir, for example, took notice, illustrating the case for new infrastructure spending with yesterday's torrential accident in this post:

Now that Jim Zorn has shown he's not the worst coach in America, Redskins fans can focus on the final challenge this season: beating San Francisco (6-9).

If your house looks anything like these gingerbread rowhouses by Flickr user noahdevereaux, you have a problem, and you need to call someone. In his rundown of the new D.C. Council committee assignments, Loose Lips explains that you'll still want to call Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry, who still chairs the housing committee (and is now responsible for workforce development, too). For other committees, check the list provided by Mr. Lips and more information from Greater Greater Washington. For more on gingerbread housing, see the authorities at Unfogged. And for more on DCist Exposed '09, click here.

The Washington Business Journal breaks the bad news at the Bead Museum: the museum will shutter at the end of this year. The report describes the museum's woes:

Good morning, Washington. I think there must be something wrong with me. Christmas is coming, but I'm not happy; I don't feel the way I'm supposed to feel. I just don't understand Christmas, I guess. I like getting presents, and sending Christmas cards, and decorating trees and all that, but I'm still not happy. I always end up feeling depressed.

Aw, #%&@! Just when it seemed like the Lerners were going to spend some long term money for a great player by signing slugger Mark Teixeira, the Yankees swept in and signed him for $180 million over 8 years. Thanks a lot, agent Scott Boras.

Montgomery County Schools have announced that they are closing 2 and 1/2 hours early today due to the very large Bethesda water main break that damaged River Rd. and forced the rescue of 15 people from about a dozen stranded vehicles. The Post reports that school officials closed the campuses because the main break "has caused widespread water outages in schools across the lower part of the county," affecting the availability of water and heat in numerous schools. Students are being bussed home.

It really is a brave new world for daily newspapers. The Washington Post and the Baltimore Sun announced today that they will share a certain amount of content, including both local Maryland news and national, international and feature stories. Post editor Marcus Brauchli and outgoing Sun editor Tim Franklin both put out glowing statements assessing the esteemed worth of the other paper and how this arrangement will be beneficial to their readers, but surely this is largely being done to save money. The announcement indicates that the two papers will not "usually" share exclusive stories, but it's not hard to imagine this agreement could eventually ruffle feathers across competing Metro sections. Then again, the Sun's ever-shrinking newsroom could probably use the help. Full press release is after the jump.

Leave it to the D.C. metro area to turn something as normally humdrum as a winter water main break into a dramatic rescue operation. Tune in to News Channel 8/WJLA for the best views of the large water main break near River Road that's forced Montgomery County authorities to send in helicopters and, yes we're not kidding, boats to rescue stranded motorists caught in roughly 4 feet of rushing water due to the broken main. At least twelve people have reportedly already been rescued.

For those of you staying in the city all through the holidays, here's how it's going to work on Metro, via today's press release from WMATA:

It's a big week for SmarTrip cards, leading up to the even bigger week beginning Jan. 4, 2009, when the electronic farecards will be required in order to take advantage of bus-to-bus, rail-to-bus or the new bus-to-rail transfer options within the WMATA transit system.

The Redskins may have been eliminated from the playoffs with a Falcons win yesterday afternoon, but a 10-3 win against division-rival Philadelphia Eagles gave fans who are still paying attention an excuse to smile.

Good morning, Washington. We hope those of you who gleefully celebrated the winter solstice yesterday are happy with yourselves; as far as we're concerned, you are responsible for bringing the arctic airmass currently over the region, along with the sub-freezing temperatures, ice and wind chills in the teens that came along with it. This is all your fault, winter-lovers! Hang your heads in shame!

building. Minor repairs have been made to the roof throughout the building's history, although it has never been replaced. And the last touchup was nearly 30 years ago.

Less than a month, folks. That's all the time this city has left before untold masses descend to witness Barack Obama's first day on the job. That said, color this resident slightly concerned about this Examiner report, in which the phrase "we're still working on that" is prominently featured. Also, if there's any way that the words "Inauguration," "perplexed," and "logistics" could be kept out of the same headline, that would be great. Yup, less than a month.

Pre-construction work for the new Silver Line adjacent to Route 123 has a visible presence now: vegetation on the northern side of the road will be cleared in order to make way for construction trailers and the relocation of utility lines. For those who pined for a tunnel running the complete span of the new Metrorail line through Tysons Corner, however, it's just another blow to their vision.

Testimony from bar and club owners and workers has convinced Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham to see the error of his ways and loosen penalties for bars found serving to minors. Marc Fisher writes that the D.C. Council took up his proposal at the December 16 meeting after tentatively approving the measure in November.

Just more than one-third of the city's 1,027 bars will not be able to extend hours during the inauguration due to binding voluntary agreements with their neighborhoods, reports the Washington Post. Mayor Adrian Fenty and Attorney General Peter Nickles confirmed on Friday that no occasion — not even the election of the first black president of the United States of America — is too special to supercede voluntary agreements with neighborhood groups, many of which are 20 years old.

While most of the recent headlines in the rental market have revolved around the exorbitant amounts people are hoping to charge tourists attending January's Inauguration, the story bubbling under the surface is the District's hounding of some of the area's more notorious slumlords. And as the Post reports this morning, D.C. leaders are having an impact -- even if there's much more to be done. The laundry list of violations -- which often number in the hundreds at the buildings Attorney General Peter Nickles is targeting -- include units without heat, broken appliances, buckling ceilings, and even raw sewage festering with dead animals and bugs. Yuck. Property owners named in Nickles' suit who remain negligent could face massive fines and even be held in contempt. In concord with the AG's efforts, coucilmembers Jim Graham and Mary Cheh have introduced a new piece of legislation which would make it easier for tenants under such awful conditions to sue their negligent landlords for restitution. The law will be taken up when the Council reconvenes next month.

The AP has a short-on-details report on news that a program called Safe City, funded by Target and Sprint Nextel, has decided to purchase crime cameras for the Trinidad neighborhood. Trinidad will apparently receive nearly 30 privately funded crime cameras, with installation beginning in May.

The Lino Tagliapietra in Retrospect: A Modern Renaissance in Glass exhibition at the Renwick Gallery is on display now through January 11, 2009. The Renwick is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily (except December 25).

Good morning, Washington. W. Mark Felt, associate director of the FBI during the Watergate scandal and the man who in 2005 was revealed to have been the Washington Post's "Deep Throat" source, died yesterday at the age of 95. The Post has a lengthy obit.

Metro's Board today approved charging rush-hour fares and parking fees on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2009.

Few (read: none) of us 'Skins fans here at DCist remember the days of "Slingin'" Sammy Baugh, but his name will forever be tied to the early, championship-winning years of the franchise in Washington. Baugh passed away last night in Rotan, Texas at the age of 94.

UPDATE: The Post has identified the hotel as the Ritz-Carlton in Georgetown.

Say farewell to former administrative law judge Roy Pearson. Again.

The Redskins’ Success Formula: The last time these two teams met, the ‘Skins seemed to have it all figured out. Washington won 23-17, and they did it by beating Philadelphia on the ground. The Redskins ran the ball 44 times, while the Eagles had only 18 carries. The 'Skins finished with 203 rushing yards to the Eagles’ 58. Neither team had turnovers, and the Eagles actually posted a slightly better passing game –- Donovan McNabb and Jason Campbell’s numbers were almost identical, with McNabb completing 17 of 29 passes for 20 more yards than Campbell had on 16 of 29 passes. And, of course, there was that Antwaan Randle El-Chris Cooley touchdown.

Good morning, Washington. You'll have to excuse us if this opinion is off-base — last night was the DCist holiday party, and we're slightly worse for wear. But to those of you who caught Christmas in Washington on TNT last night: wasn't that about the most godawful nonsense you ever saw? Good lord. Doctor Phil presiding over holiday standards sung by washed up actresses and the guy from Hootie and the Blowfish? It wasn't exactly what we wanted to have associated with our city. Questions Raised About Fenty Granting Lanier Subpoena Power: The Examiner reports on a new clash between the City Council and Mayor Fenty. It seems that a quietly-issued executive order from the mayor provides subpoena power for MPD Chief Cathy Lanier. This doesn't sit well with councilwoman and constitutional law professor Mary Cheh, who feels that the measue may violate the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirement. Fenty appears to have crafted the order to speed up the investigation and prosecution of small-scale crimes. However, when other cities grant such powers to their police forces, they're typically more limited in scope and duration. Inauguration Performers Announced: The inaugural festivities will include Aretha Franklin and Yo-Yo Ma, according to WJLA. It's safe to say that these choices were, well, safe to say. A bit more controversial: pastor Rick Warren, who's slated to offer an opening prayer and whose past support of California's prop 8 is prompting objections from progressives. Briefly Noted: Kaine proposes budget cuts... Neighbors object to church's new quarter-hour bell schedule... Reward increased for information related to fatal 11th & Q shooting... Shooting leads to crash at North Capitol and Michigan Ave... Man acquitted of manslaughter after accidentally leaving son in car... 500 chickens seized from suspected cockfighting operation in Virginia... Shooting in SE... Wilson Bridge traffic snarled by police chase... Fire department makes late night call to State Department... This Day In DCist: One year ago we got back a bunch of things: our postmark, our needle exchange program and Alberto's. Image posted to DCist Photos by Karon

We all know the Capitals are known to rock a microphone. This year a few Caps prospects will get a little more exposure on the world circuit. Darren Machesney, the starting goalie for the Caps' top farm team in Hershey, will represent Canada in the Spengler Cup. Machesney has been in the Caps system since the 2005 draft, and has worked his way up from the South Carolina Stingrays to play for the Bears. The opportunity to represent his country, even if it's only in a Swiss tournament, is a testament to just how hard he has worked.

One relatively early vote from yesterday's marathon final D.C. Council legislative session of the year was the approval of a number of changes to the District's ever-evolving gun laws. (Quick aside: Must the Council always pull out these last-minute legislate-a-thons? They often make for bad laws, not to mention force local scribes to try to fit far too many votes into far too few words. And now back to our regularly scheduled post.)

UPDATE: WTOP is now reporting that the man died shortly after arriving at the hospital. Witnesses at the station are saying he intentionally jumped in front of the train.

The end of this year's D.C. Council session also marked the end of Carol Schwartz's (R-At-large) lengthy tenure on the legislative body. Schwartz has been a fixture in District politics since the late 1970s/early 1980s, serving first as the Ward 3 member of the Board of Education, and later as a D.C. Council member, off and on, for 16 years.

Good morning, Washington. Yesterday the D.C. Council wrapped up its legislative work for the year, so there were naturally about 480,000 bills discussed and voted on before they all finally went home late last night. Here's a rundown of the main highlights:

Over the weekend the Post launched its investigative series/Pulitzer bait on the District’s charter schools, which together enroll about a third of D.C.’s students. In addition to profiling the high-performing D.C. Prep, the Post dug into the suspect financial benefits some members of the D.C. Public Charter School Board have received as a result of their board work, mostly through the complicated world of charter school loans and financing. The Post found conflicts of interest involving nearly $200 million at more than a third of the city’s charter schools.

$68,000. That's how much money WMATA earned from web advertising in the last fiscal year. It's also, according to the Examiner, what the agency says is keeping Washington's public transit riders from being able to use Google Transit, a story which has picked up considerable steam since Greater Greater Washington got it started and we reported on it last weekend.

Mayor Fenty and Chief Lanier held a press conference this morning to announce that arrests have been made in the stabbing death of Giovanni Sanchez, 14, in Columbia Heights on Friday. The Post was there and reports that Hector Diaz and a minor whose name was not released are being charged in the killing, which took place in the middle of the afternoon at the intersection of 14th and Newton streets NW.

Vice President-Elect Joe Biden is a well-known train geek, so we have to assume he was involved in the decision for him and President-Elect Barack Obama to arrive in Washington on Jan. 17 via Amtrak. Sure, the Lincoln-loving Obama says he's replicating his presidential hero's journey to Washington by starting out in Philadelphia and stopping in Baltimore on his way, but Biden made the fact that he rides the train between D.C. and Wilmington almost every day one of his talking points during the campaign, so the symbolism works for both of them rather nicely.

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Good morning, Washington. In case you were worried, the electoral college did its duty and voted for Barack Obama yesterday, thus formalizing a process that began, whew, how long ago did this presidential campaign begin again? Two and a half years ago? The Post has a little wrap up of the elector voting in Virginia, Maryland and the District, with some warm and fuzzy quotes about the historic nature of this election.

We had the scoop last week, but today the U.S. Mint confirmed that Duke Ellington will indeed grace the District's commemorative quarter set to hit the streets on January 26, 2009.

WJLA has a story about a recent uptick in the number of residential burglaries in the Dupont neighborhood — there have been at least eight burglaries in the area in the last week, and police are warning residents about thieves entering their homes through skylights and upper-floor windows via rooftops.

Remember six and two? Nearly two months ago, the Redskins were on fire: winning big games on the road, commanding the line of scrimmage and finishing games. With big wins in both Dallas and Philadelphia, this team was a force to be reckoned with, and the league had taken notice. Fast forward six weeks. Losers of four of five and bickering among themselves, the crumbling Redskins arrived in Cincinnati looking for a bit of salvation against one of the worst teams in the NFL—the 1-11-1 Bengals.

Good morning, D.C., and Happy Election Day! You thought it had been done for over a month, but today is the day that electoral college members from each state and territory will formally elect the 44th President of the United States. Maryland's electors are meeting at the Senate Office Building in Annapolis, Virginia's will cast their votes live on closed-circuit TV at the state Capitol in Richmond, and the District's vote will take place at 3:30 p.m. at the John A. Wilson Building.

Simeon Varlamov's long trip from Hershey, PA meant he didn't arrive in time to back up Brent Johnson when the puck dropped Friday against the Ottawa Senators. Instead, the Caps had to rely on team Web Producer and former Division III goalie Brett Leonhardt as their backup goalie for ten minutes of nail-biting NHL action. The Senators took every possible opportunity to try to hurt Johnson and get to Leonhardt, the only Division III goalie in the NHL this year. But once Varlamov got his pads on and joined the bench, the Sens stopped crashing the crease, as though Johnson had taken on the powers of Obi Wan Kenobi. Last night in Montreal, Varlamov showed exactly why.

Could the Nationals actually be splashing some cash? Outlets were reporting earlier this week that the Nats made an offer to big-ticket free agent Mark Teixeira in the range of eight years and $160 million.

First things first: The system-wide furloughs approved by regents for 22,000 employees at the University of Maryland system — announced Friday in an email message to the campus from Chancellor William Kirwan and reported yesterday by the Washington Post — should not be confused with other recent budget cuts.

The Red Line was an utter mess this last week. Track work caused delays of up to 30 minutes in many places last weekend. A fire on Friday at the Friendship Heights station backed trains up during the morning rush hour. And DCist's staff email threads were filled on Monday and Tuesday with complaints about Red Line trains being backed up for one reason or another, for reasons that remain to be discovered.

the sign that greeted the Obamas, but the message was delivered loud and clear: The New York Times's Caucus blog reports that the First Family-elect will not find early lodging in the Blair House, the traditional home for the incoming President and his family during January before the White House is being vacated. Apparently, the Blair House -- located at 1651-53 Pennsylvania Avenue NW -- is all booked up.

Isn't it illegal to scalp tickets in the District? I'm not sure what about the inauguration qualifies it for an exemption under pre-existing law, such that Sen. Dianne Feinstein needed to propose specific legislation to ban the markup and re-sale of inauguration tickets. I suppose that D.C. law doesn't obtain because the event and purchase is happening in the Federal district.

Last night the Capitals continued their domination of the once-mighty Ottawa Senators with a 5-1 win at home. Goalie Brent Johnson had fans asking "Olaf who?" as he held the Senators scoreless until the game's final minutes, stopping every shot and holding on to every puck that came near him.

Good morning, D.C. A daytime homicide yesterday at 14th and Newton NW -- the third in three days within a one-mile radius -- has officials like Councilman Jim Graham worried about more retribution killings before the New Year. The District's homicide totals for the year are about on par with last year -- 177 this year, compared to 175 in 2007. If Graham's fears are legitimate, and that number inflates, it could further the already wide gap between the District and her neighbors -- most of whom are seeing steep declines in their homicide rates. Baltimore, Richmond, and even Philadelphia -- with a police force led by ex-MPD Chief Charles H. Ramsey -- have seen decreases of at least 17% in homicides so far in 2008. Is the slight rise a serious mark on Chief Cathy Lanier and her often-controversial policing tactics, or is it simply a coincidence?

Too funny. You'll recall we pointed out the other day that the McCain campaign's Arlington headquarters was holding a big fire sale to liquidate all its computers, Blackberries and other office equipment and furniture. Well FOX 5's Tisha Thompson says she bought one of the McCain Blackberries, and it was filled with confidential campaign information.

Via WJLA, Georgetown University's Department of Public Safety says a student has reported an intruder and attempted sexual assault in her off-campus residence in the 1300 Block of 36th St. NW.

On Thursday, December 11, 2008 at approximately 6:43 a.m., a student reported to DPS that an unidentified male entered her residence by an unknown means, went into her bedroom and into her bed, then placed his hands on her. The victim challenged the suspect, he got out of the bed and exited the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

So the big inauguration news this morning, courtesy the Post, is that camping on the National Mall will be banned the night before Barack Obama's inauguration, and that spectators will not be allowed to grab spots along the parade route on Pennsylvania Ave. until 7 a.m. on the morning of Jan. 20.

Good morning, Washington. The auto industry bailout looks to have totally fallen apart in the Senate and the market is reacting about as badly as you'd expect, but we know the question you all came here to have answered is actually, what the heck was going on with the Red line this morning? Metro is reporting that the Friendship Heights Metro station was closed for about 30 minutes (from 7:27 to 7:54 a.m.) due to a report of smoke and possible fire beneath a six-car, downtown-bound Red line train. About 100 passengers were taken off the train with no initial reports of injuries and the station has since reopened, but trains are still single-tracking around the incident, leading to delays as long as an hour in both directions on the Red line. The Post has more.

• Yeah, this is pretty much going to give me nightmares: the Post is reporting that a stopped escalator at the Gallery Place Metro station suddenly went into reverse during the morning rush hour yesterday, throwing between 10 to 15 people backward. Gah, that can happen?! Two people were treated at a local hospital for scrapes and bruises. (PLEASE NOTE: this sentence has been revised to fix an error. The escalator in question was already stopped when the incident occurred, it did not stop and then immediately go into reverse.)
• Here we go: Tommy Wells has decided to introduce legislation that would roll backamend some of the original inaugural bar and restaurant hour rules, D.C. Wire reports. Among the possible changes Wells is suggesting is considering are that the closing hour should could be 4 a.m., and that Sunday, Jan. 18 should could be excluded.
• Via City Desk, local blog Connetiquette Ave. has the scoop on the new 43 Metrobus line, which looks to be basically just be a shorter, rush-hour only 42 bus that won't really add much additional service.
• DCist reader Lea sends in this link to a funny transcript from a DHS blogger roundtable with outgoing Secretary Michael Chertoff

  Moderator: Could you guys maybe just quickly identify yourselves so the Secretary can put a face with a name?

  Continue reading "Go Home Already: Dark Passages "

The District's commemorative quarter is set to hit the streets on January 26, and will bear the image of Duke Ellington, DCist has learned.

At-large D.C. Council member Kwame Brown (D) has just started a new blog dedicated to issues surrounding the presidential inauguration. His first (and so far, only) post concerns the D.C. Council's decision to keep bars and restaurants open 24 hours and allow liquor sales until 5 a.m., and asks the question: "Do you think DC should reverse the legislation or keep the law as it stands?" Sounds like Kwame Brown is definitely one of the Council members who Phil Mendelson referred to in a recent interview with WTOP as having "second thoughts" about the emergency legislation.

The non-profit DC Appleseed issued a report today that calls on the federal government to provide the District of Columbia a minimum of $1 billion annually in general federal funding. The 120-page report [PDF] quantifies the amount of tax-based revenue the District perpetually lacks compared to other major American cities, what the GAO has termed the city's "structural deficit," and argues that Congress is obligated to make up the difference because it is responsible for the rules which create that deficit in the first place. (The Examiner and D.C. Wire both have more).