Greetings, Washington. Welcome to yet another shortened work week. With no less than three abbreviated work weeks (four for some) in the past month, the prospect of an unmitigated series of five-dayers looms large. So enjoy a back-to-work Tuesday while you can, but don’t forget to wear a coat. That’s right, January really is a winter month and today will see temps drop throughout the day accompanied by blustery winds, remnants of the deadly winter storm sweeping the country.
Walking the Walk, Talking the Talk, Painting the Mural?: While many of you were sleeping in and catching up on Passions, Mayor Fenty was busy with an 18-block peace march along Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. in Southeast. More than 300 people showed up to honor King’s legacy and call for more progress to be made. For his part, President Bush made a visit to Cardozo High School in Northwest, where students and volunteers were spending the day as part of a community clean-up program. It was fairly heartening to see Bush, who usually appears for photo ops in in politically important states to garner maximum payoff for minimal face time, show interest in the affairs of his host city. NBC4.com has a bevy of photos from Bush’s visit, including a moment-by-moment slide show of the President painting the “B” in a mural featuring Ben’s Chili Bowl. Don’t miss a single brushstroke!
But Does It Really Work?: As we mentioned last week, more D.C. police are hitting the streets as part of Mayor Fenty and Acting Police Chief Cathy Lanier’s community policing plan. Today, the Post reports that while beat cops make residents and business owners feel safer, it’s still unclear if they actually curb crime. The paper sites a “highly regarded study” in Newark, NJ that found people felt more satisfied with their police department, even though they weren’t any safer than before. Furthermore, some officers are expressing concern that they can’t cover enough ground on foot and may not respond as rapidly to emergencies. Despite the criticism, Lanier remains enthusiastic about the program and the Fenty administration is moving forward to put more cops on the District’s streets.
Briefly Noted: Fenty plans to expand 311 service… Police link a string of 7-11 robberies in Virginia with Maryland murder… Neighbors protest shooting of teen by US marshals…
This Day in DCist: Last year we hoped Butterstick might attain a level of fame at least comparable to that of Richard Hatch. Hey, he was naked, hairy, wild and now lives in captivity too.
Photo by Flickr user billadler.
