Photo by philliefan99.
Good morning, Washington. Yesterday was the deadline for orders of DCist shirts, caps, hoodies or onesies to arrive by Christmas, but there’s probably time to get them in by the last night of Hanukkah on Dec. 28. Maybe even Boxing Day. Remember, proceeds go toward Bread for the City.
We’ve Got to Admit It’s Getting Better: A Post review of data related to city services reveals something a little remarkable considering the constant hum of griping about this and that: Turns out, the District government has made strides over the past decade in remedying complaints, especially those made through the 311 service. “When you don’t hear about potholes or you don’t hear about trash removal, it means it’s getting done,” city administrator Allan Y. Lew tells Mike DeBonis. Still, problems remain, such as the 1 percent of all service requests that go without a response.
Made in USA: D.C. will spend $8.7 million on a pair of 144-passenger streetcars for the H Street-Benning Road NE line, Washington Business Journal reports. The new carriages come from United Streetcar LLC, a subsidiary of Oregon Steel Works and at a cost of $3.7 million each—plus $1.3 for testing, insurance and spare parts—the purchase is less than than the $9.5 million asked for by Inekon, the Czech firm that built the streetcar system’s first three vehicles.
Contrary to Popular Belief, Alt-Weekly Has Heart: The City Paper teams up with the Catalogue of Philanthropy: Greater Washington for a cover package detailing 70 local organizations worth a donation. There aren’t really any big names on the list, as the Catalogue focuses on “smaller, community-based nonprofits where your contribution really makes a difference.” But anyone familiar with the District’s arts, legal aid, education or community activism circles will definitely recognize the groups listed. So why’d the City Paper get charitable? As the editor’s note atop the list says, “Ordinarily, we’d sit around grousing about holiday materialism before schlepping out to pick up stocking stuffers. But this season, we decided to do something different.” Aww.
Briefly Noted: First Leesburg, Va. can’t keep track of Santa’s head, and now Fredricksburg is missing a Baby Jesus … So many new hotel rooms, we nearly lost count … MoCo a healthy place to live, Prince George’s not so much … Whole Foods stalled in Riverdale Park.
This Day in DCist: In 2010, we declared the cupcake phenomenon dead, prematurely as on year later there are more cupcakeries than ever before, and talked tax hikes with Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells (before the martyrdom). In 2009, the D.C. Council approved legislation legalizing gay marriage, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden began its business with the bubble.
