Rufina Hernandez' Homicide Suspect Arraigned

This week Andres Lopez,was arraigned as a suspect in the homicide of Rufina Hernandez, shot in her liquor store located at 5421 Georgia Avenue, NW, on the 7th of November.
45-year-old Andres Lopez pursuant to an arrest warrant was ordered held without bond, for a March 2010 court date.

4th District Operation Court Watch will be carefully monitoring this case as it proceeds through the judicial system. Making sure that in every consideration, Mr. Lopez is given the stiffest sentence possible.

Operation Court Watch is beginning our quest to emphasize on the the courts, and the U.S. Attorney's Office that all felony's committed in our neighborhood should be treated with the strictest of guidelines for both holding without bond pending trial, and to assure that the judges realize that our watchful eye is monitoring how they approach sentencing. Hard crimes where lives are lost, people are seriously hurt, and where both the victims and the neighborhood are forced to be forever marked by the life long consequences of these crimes are now standing up for justice and integrity in how these agencies look at their decisions.

The court, the judges and the system itself should now realize that WE are watching and reporting on what we see them do!
We want justice done swiftly and in a way that criminals quickly realize that crime doesn't pay.

I invite you and others to join us with OPERATION COURT WATCH. Volunteers are needed. Email me if you are interested in sharing some the of responsibility and in making a difference.

There are calls to be made to Judge's Chambers,
Letters demonstrating the Impact of these crimes on each of us and our neighborhoods.
A need for people to attend court hearings, trails and arraignments where our presence will be fully noted and respected by the courts. Helping them to realize that we want change.

Volunteers can sign up for various amounts of time and responsibility, various types of assignments and numerous types of involvement.

I hope you will email me soon to tell me what you are most interested in doing. Remember working together, we can make a difference. One that will be felt and appreciated for years to come.

Keith Jarrell
keith.k.jarrell@gmail.com

WASA Suspects Contaminated Water in Shepherd Park

View Larger Map

So, Shepherd Park, remember that small matter of a water inconvenience from earlier today? It just got inconvient-er. The DC Water and Sewer Authority just sounded the alarm: The drop in water pressure experienced in the area may have meant for a loss in water pressure entirely for Shepherd Park -- which could indicate a water-quality problem for an area comprising 750 buildings. People who make a habit of drinking water within the affected area -- which I've bounded off in googlemap above -- are advised to take precautionary steps to avoid contact with potentially contaminated water.

WASA recommends that people in the affected area dispose of any food made using tap water since 11 a.m. today. Until further notice, Shepherd Park residents should boil water for drinking, washing dishes, brushing teeth, making ice, or making food. Alternatively, residents may use bottled water in place of tap water. WASA does not say what will happen if you consume contaminated water, but if you need any motivation, here is the CDC fact sheet on Giardia.

Pamela Mooring, public affairs coordinator for WASA, expects the boil-water advisory to hold for this area for 48 hours, while WASA officials conduct water-quality testing.

UPDATE: WASA manager for water quality Rich Giani says that bacterial intrusion represents the greatest threat when pressure is lost. Leaks along a pressurized line could mean that bacteria from the soil, or in some cases from a customer's home, could be drawn into the pipe. Giani said that when water comes through the repressurized pipe again, it's disinfected. After WASA fields negative tests for contamination over two consecutive days, the water will be ruled good (well, normal) and the caution advisory will be lifted.

UPDATE II: Mooring called to reiterate that WASA believes that water in the area is not likely contaminated but that residents should still follow those tips as a precaution.

Source: DCist

This morning I checked the Brightwood Listserve and read that several Brightwood residents had little to no water pressure yesterday. Lucky, a few of us have been in contact with WASA and received messages about the water pump in Shepherd Park the water should be safe to drink but I would follow precautions just in case.

Calling All Lushes

Are you a lush? A foodie? Do you live in Brightwood? Well, we need your help. I've been slowly but surely going through a bar/restaurant crawl around the neighborhood. If you haven't noticed, our options have had a marked expansion in recent months. In addition to the Subway and the carry-out, we now have a Julia's Empanadas. And at Brighwood Day, V and I discovered a couple of other options. My goal is to post reviews of area eateries and drinking holes. Keep in mind, this will probably be a bi-weekly affair since my extracurricular activities have to line up with pay day. But I woud love suggestions, for the blogs sake as well as mine. I make a mean Manhattan in the bar I've set up in my condo but it would be good to have someone else mix it up for me.

Brightwood Metro Station???

Urban Turf featured an article about neighborhoods that need a metro station. The bus service here in Brightwood is actually really good, with several major bus lines all traversing through the neighborhood. And any of the 70 buses can provide a multitude of entertainment, day or night. I personally witnessed a fight break out between two middle-aged women on the 79; they were fighting about a seat...however, the bus was half empty. I wish I had more to report about the fight but years of riding the metro has taught me to look straight ahead, be inconspicuous, and wait for the storm to pass. But a metro station...how much easier would life be if it was a short jaunt to the metro versus a 1 1/2 walk or a 10-15 minute bus ride? Quick disclaimer: no where has WMATA actually said they even had an iota of thought about building a Brightwood Station. And anyone who has lived in the area for over 10 years knows all about the Columbia Heights Station upheaval, and that residents heard jackhammers for forever. But here's a little daydream about public transportation.

Metro's Missed Opportunities
By Mark Wellborn

There is probably not one person reading this post that hasn’t finished a day shopping in Georgetown or walked around in search of a cab late at night in Adams Morgan and wished that these neighborhoods had a Metro station.
With that point in mind, Greater Greater Washington recently had a great item recently that looked at the “Top 10 Missed Metro Stations” or more specifically, the ten DC area neighborhoods that probably should have Metro stations, but don’t.
There are some obvious neighborhoods on the list (Georgetown and Adams Morgan) but also places like Kalorama (the author noted that the gap between Dupont Circle and Woodley Park “feels enormous”) and one of our favorite areas, Brightwood (“a station at Brightwood would fill the long gap between Petworth and Silver Spring left by the Green Line’s sudden turn east.”)
The remaining neighborhoods in the top ten are Cardozo, the H Street Corridor, Langdon Park, Old Town, Alexandria, Bloomingdale, and Lincoln Park. Honorable mentions included Historic Anacostia, Glover Park, Cathedral Heights, Logan Circle, BWI, Shirlington.

http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/metros_missed_opportunities/1564

Pamela Butler

Ms. Butler disappeared in February of this year on the eve of Valentines Day from her Brightwood home. Below is an except from the Washington Post. Lets all keep our eyes and ears open to any clues or leads to help the Butler Family find some peace.

Romance is for younger folks, Thelma Butler said. Until she noticed a cluster of heart-shaped red balloons on sale at a grocery store one morning, it hadn't occurred to her that Valentine's Day was near. To an elderly widow living alone, the occasion meant little.

Never again, though, will Feb. 14 be just another day on her calendar.

She waited that Saturday in her small house in Southwest Washington. And she waited and waited. Her daughter Pam Butler, 47, had called two days earlier, saying that she and her boyfriend, Jose Rodriguez-Cruz, wanted to treat her to a Valentine's dinner. They were supposed to pick her up at 3 p.m. for the early bird. Then 3 p.m. came and went.

Thelma Butler, 77, said she had socialized with Rodriguez-Cruz at holiday gatherings last fall and winter but knew little about him. "I thought he was a regular guy -- you know, nice." In her living room, watching the clock tick toward evening that day, she wondered why her daughter hadn't called to say they'd be late.

"I thought, 'She's never done this before.' "

Feeling her first twinge of worry, Thelma Butler said, she dialed her daughter's home and cell phones, but got no answer. "I thought, well, maybe they just decided to go out by themselves for Valentine's." After church the next day, though, when she called her daughter again, she still couldn't reach her.

Pam Butler, a computer specialist for the Environmental Protection Agency, had a compressed work schedule: 10 hours a day, Tuesdays through Fridays, with three days at EPA headquarters and Fridays at home.

Because Presidents' Day, Monday, Feb. 16, fell on one of her regular days off, she had planned to take Tuesday off for the holiday, giving her a four-day weekend. As Thelma Butler's anxiety worsened Monday, others in the family tried to reassure her, saying that maybe the couple had booked a last-minute Valentine's getaway.

Too scared to go to her daughter's place alone, afraid of what she might find and not having a phone number for Rodriguez-Cruz, Thelma Butler said, she waited until Tuesday. Then she and a posse of relatives descended on Pam Butler's two-story brick home on a corner lot at Fourth and Oglethorpe streets in the Brightwood neighborhood in Northwest Washington.

Walking around inside a house that her daughter normally kept impeccably neat, Thelma Butler said, she thought: Something's definitely wrong.

The relatives found no vivid evidence that Pam Butler had come to harm. They saw no blood, no signs of a struggle or forced entry. What they saw in the house amounted only to puzzle pieces.

But soon the pieces would fit together in their minds.

Read More Here

MPD Missing Person's Report:

The Metropolitan Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a missing person identified as 47-year-old Pamela J. Butler. She was last seen at approximately 9:48 pm, on Thursday, February 12, 2009 in the 5800 block of 4^th Street, NW.

Ms. Butler is described as a dark complexioned black female, 5’3” tall, weighing about 120 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair. It is unknown at this time the type of clothes Ms. Butler was wearing at the time of her disappearance.

Anyone with information about Ms. Butler’s whereabouts is asked to call police at 202-727-9099.

Breaking News: Man charged in slaying of D.C. liquor store owner

By Clarence Williams
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 20, 2009

Rufina Hernandez gave two robbers the cash they demanded from her small liquor store. But that didn't keep one of the men from shooting her in the neck and face and killing her. On Thursday, D.C. police said a law enforcement task force had caught one of the men.

The Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task force arrested Andres Lopez without incident near Fourth and Kennedy streets NW about 2 p.m. Lopez, 45, of no fixed address, was charged with first-degree murder in the Nov. 7 slaying of Hernandez, 51, who owned La Casa De Morata, a corner store in the Brightwood Park area.

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) expressed disbelief that Hernandez could be shot for "doing what she was supposed to do" and not fighting the robbers.

"This is probably something that can never be explained," he said at a news conference in front of the store.

D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said police investigators heard nothing but kind words about Hernandez as they scoured the neighborhood for clues.

Lanier said Lopez had been arrested previously in the area near the store. She declined to say whether Lopez was the suspected shooter or whether the gun used in the slaying was found.

The search for a second suspect continues, and Lanier sought further help from neighborhood residents. She also warned other would-be shooters that police and residents would continue to work together to solve homicide cases.

"People are fed up. They're going to talk to us and tell us where you are," Lanier said.

D.C. Council member Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) said Hernandez was loved for being hardworking and helped keep her block clean. She vowed the neighborhood would follow the prosecution of Lopez. "We want the judge to hear the impact of violent crime on this community," Bowser said.

via Washington Post

Food & Friends Fundraiser

Tomorrow (Thursday, Nov. 19) TODAY is the last day to order Thanksgiving pies in
support of Food and Friends' wonderful work providing meals and friendship
to people who are homebound due to illness.

The pies may be picked up at any of several CVS locations or at the Food and
Friends facility near Fort Totten metro next Tuesday, Nov 24. They cost
from $25 to $35 and are delicious. You can order pies for your own
celebration, to take to a friend or family get-together, or to be sent to
the Food and Friends clients.

The website is www.foodandfriends.org.

Thank you!

Lee on Butternut

Colorado Cleaners

Colorado Cleaners, originally uploaded by cstein96.

This is an area that I pass by often on the way to VA but have yet to explore. I believe we have a couple of gems back here. Maybe LC and I can venture out soon for a coffee and some treats when our schedules clear up.

Tower in Brightwood - Landscape

Tower in Brightwood - Landscape, originally uploaded by Jason Pier.

Today's photo is brought to you by Mr. Jason Pier (via flickr). This is fitting for this time of year when the sun say's it's last "goodbye" around 5pm and by 7pm you've already curled up on your couch or in your favorite chair and don't plan on moving for the rest of the evening.

Cozy up Brightwood, I hear this winter is going to be especially cold.

DCist had just been wondering when the city was going to get around to raising awareness about the impending 5 cent disposable bag fee, which goes into effect in January 1, 2010, and lo and behold, the “Skip the Bag, Save the River” Education Campaign press release landed in our inbox today.

You can find the bulk of the campaign literature at http://green.dc.gov/bags, but the here's the highlights: 122,000 reusable bags will be given away for free to low-income residents and seniors, and TV, radio and Metro display advertisements should start running soon.

"Our message is simple: the bag fee is coming," Mayor Fenty said in a statement. "I signed this law in July to cut down on the disposable bags that foul our waterways. But we want everyone to know that you can save the river, and 5 cents, if you bring your own reusable bag to the store instead."

The mayor also announced today that the District Department of the Environment has partnered with CVS/pharmacy and Safeway to help promote public awareness of the coming bag fee. Both chains have agreed to distribute additional free reusable bags, CVS/pharmacy is contributing Green Bag Tag cards, which give CVS ExtraCare members $1 back every four times they reuse a bag.

via DCist

I know that LC, Wise and I all use recyclable bags when we go shopping. I even received one from Chegg that I keep in my purse just in case I pick up something while I'm out. I think that this is something that EVERYONE can participate in as far as the DC Green movement goes. I mean how many little plastic bags can one collect and not use before you just give up and throw them away?

Shopkeeper Killed During Armed Robbery

WTTG/FOX5 reports on the devastating crime that left 51-year-old shopkeeper Rufina Hernandez shot dead in her Brightwood liquor store. By all accounts, Hernandez did not resist the two armed men who held her up on Saturday night, but after she handed them money, they shot her anyway. 'Police are offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the two suspects. The gunman is described as a medium-skinned black male between 30 and 40 years old. He was last seen wearing a flannel shirt. The second suspect is a dark-skinned Hispanic male about six feet tall, thin and wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.' The Post updates that police think the two men might live nearby.

via DCist

I know we here at Brightwood Blog have been MIA but we wanted to post this and to ask our friends and neighbors to keep their eyes and ears open to any clues that might help the MPD catch the assailants.

Leo Alexander Explains His D.C. Mayor Run

Why is Leo Alexander running for mayor?

LL stopped by his kickoff event at the Channel Inn on Monday evening to ask the 45-year-old Brightwood resident and newcomer to electoral politics the first question any decent reporter is obligated to ask a candidate—especially one convinced (deluded?) that he can knock off well-financed incumbent Adrian M. Fenty.

His response: “I’m running because of the suffering that’s going on in our community,” the former TV reporter and government spokesperson says. “No one has a plan to attack generational poverty in our community.”

Alexander’s got a few specific proposals: First, rebuilding D.C. General Hospital in a public/private partnership (such as the one that fell apart late in Anthony Williams‘ tenure); second, “hiring an army of social workers and turning them loose in this city” to address root causes of social decay; and third, keeping illegal immigrants from holding jobs in the District by requiring employers to screen workers with the federal government’s “E-Verify” system.

“They’re using it right now in Arizona, Mississippi, and South Carolina,” Alexander says, namechecking some states that don’t usually share much common political ground with the District. “A generation ago, Washingtonians worked in the hotel industry, parked cars in restaurants—they’re still here, but they’ve been replaced by illegal working poor who will do the job for less money and won’t complain because they’re illegal. We’ve got to do something about that.”

His anti-illegal rhetoric only extends as far as employment. Regarding housing or deportations or any other measure, he says, “let Obama take care of that federally.”

More broadly, Alexander says he sees “a lack of compassion in this current administration,” a malady he traces back to the Williams years. “My base,” he says, “are Marion Barry’s people.”

To wit: “I want the disenfranchised. I want people who are unemployed and cannot find jobs. I want people who cannot access health care. I want people who are union employees. And I want working-class D.C. to understand I’m gonna be their alternative in this mayor’s race….We are counting on the working class, the unions. They need to recognize that I am their candidate, and the sooner the better.” (Barry, incidentally, tried to install Alexander as his cable-television chief in 1997, but dropped him after the plan was leaked .)

But every with the least, the last, and the lost in his corner, how’s he going to even come close to beating an incumbent with nearly $3 million in the bank?

The plan, according to Alexander, is what you’d expect: door-knocking, an Internet blitz, free media, lots of community meetings. He’s also convinced that, simply by being the first visible challenger, he’ll scare off the competition. Vincent Gray, for instance: “If you know anything about his personality, he likes a safe bet….He knows that I would cut into his base, so he cannot win the mayor’s office with me in the race. Same thing with Kwame Brown, Michael Brown, and any of the rest of them.”

OK, then. What about the money?

Alexander says that if he can raise $250,000 by the Jan. 31, 2010, reporting deadline, he’s for real. “That will determine whether or not I will be competitive in this race,” he says. “If I can get $1 million [total], he’s in for a hell of a race.”

via Washington City Paper

I'm Chegging Baby, Go 'head Baby!

Who wants to pay a wad of cash for textbooks? Not yours truly. I’m Chegging, baby.

Seriously, go to Chegg.com where you can rent textbooks rather than buy them. You’ll save between 65%-85%. Yes, I’m serious. I saved $119.00 on my books this semester!

Just search for the books you need and order. Chegg ships them to you super fast and when your term ends you just ship them back for free. And guess what? They plant a tree for every book that’s rented. Pretty cool right? and not to forget green! I also sold some of my old textbooks that were taking up space and made $40 and when you're in college cash is cash!

So head on over to Chegg.com and use this special promo code CC103103. You’ll get an extra 5% off your order. Tell them 2b sent you!

Every year Wise and I plan to go out to the Blue Ridge Mountains to check out the foliage and well every year we forget. I’m determined that this year we won’t miss it even if it means just a quick walk over to Rock Creek Park to catch a glimpse and use our dusty DSL. Hell maybe we’ll even take a picture worth putting into my homemade mosaic frame that is still sitting empty from last summer. Below is a excerpt from Tripcart.com they have list of all of the DC/Baltimore Metro Foliage tours.

Washington, DC Fall Foliage Tours
A well planned long lunch hour or morning walk can take you from running the government of the United States to watching trees turn bright shades of scarlet and gold, right in the heart of the District of Columbia. Recommended spots are:
• Hiking Ridge Trail in Rock Creek Park: The trail reaches the highest point in the park, on Glover Road near the Nature Center. Closer to the creek, foliage views are best along Beach Drive.
• Theodore Roosevelt Island: Take a hike along the 2.5 miles of trails of this wooded refuge in the Potomac. Access is from the Northbound George Washington Memorial Parkway in Virginia. The Rosslyn Metro Station (Blue and Orange Line) is 15 minutes by foot.
• The Tidal Basin: The thousands of cherry trees around here, so famous in the spring, put on a nice show in the fall as well. The 5000 trees on DC's famous mall also make this a good spot for a lunch break.
• National Arboretum: Located in the northeast section of Washington, DC, the Arboretum contains a vast collection of trees that brim with a variety of colors throughout the autumn, with the dogwoods open up the season in late September and the willows still going strong until December. The best foliage displays are in the Asian Collection, the Fern Valley Native Plant Collection, and the Gotelli collection.
• Take a river cruise on the Potomac leaving from Washington Harbour in Georgetown. See the main sights of the Capitol with fall colors to boot. The cruises are frequent, last under an hour, and cost about $10. Alternatively, you can rent your own canoe or kayak nearby, in front of the Kennedy Center, and explore the beaches and coves of Theodore Roosevelt Island. • Walk the side streets of Georgetown or stroll along the Potomac. This is a good idea almost any time of the year.

Shopping Green!

Today I was invited to an Au Revoir Summer Sale by TranquiliT by the Daily Green Diva herself Dawnia Bell! TranquiT was saying “goodbye” to summer with an awesome sale and “hello” to fall with a preview of all the eye catching greens, luscious blues and sweet lavender wrap dresses, cardi-shawls and much more. The owner Kim Wilson along with her fabulous assistant thoroughly answered all of our questions and soothed concerns about fit and style while serving fresh fruit and lemonade. The fall pieces weren’t available for sale quite yet but from what I saw I’ll have to save a few dollars (or show up with my fiancés AMEX) and get some key pieces for fall! Dawnia tried on several pieces including a black skirt pant (very popular amongst local belly dancers), a slate grey dress and purchased another cardi-shawl in black. I’m a scarf fanatic so I bought one in a tempered fuchsia and I’m already thinking of the many way’s to wear it as well as keeping my eye on the electric blue one as well. (Crosses fingers it will still be available in a few weeks!) Did I mention this line was green!?!? I didn't! Each piece is made of bamboo fabric and therefore it's highly sustainable and able to be worn for years! Talk about bang for your buck!

I have to appreciate the green movement in DC. Everyone is trying to do something, anything to be sustainable and improve the lives of others as well as themselves. We’ve stopped buying bottled water in our house as well as cutting down on using paper towels. We try to only use one car when possible and since we’re walking distance from the local Safeway we’re looking into buying a collapsible shopping car to take on our trips instead of loading up our trunk. I started working out at home instead of driving to the Bally’s in Wheaton.

Sorry to be preachy but we can all do our part no matter how big or small it makes a difference!

See you around Brightwood!

2B

Metropolitan Police
Department
Fourth District
for our annual Back to
School Book Bag Giveaway!

Friday August 21, 2009 4-7pm

Location: Field @ Georgia Ave. & Quackenbos St. NW
(adjacent to the Fourth District station)

If raining we will be in the Fourth District Station
Each child will receive a brand new book bag filled
with school supplies. If you know of a family that is
in need of some assistance this school year please
share this information with them.

The Metropolitan Police Department want’s to
make sure each child has a good start for the
2009/2010 school year!
Book Bags will be distributed on a first come first serve basis… so please come early!

There will be a second GIVEAWAY Saturday 8/22/09 at McFarland
M.S. (contact Ofc. Brodie 715-7476 for more information)

via Brightwood List Serve

Stay Tuned!

LC and I have both been swamped over the past weeks. LC with work and travel and me...well I'm looking for work as I travel. (No seriously I'm looking for a job! Help a sista out!)

In the mean time Prince of Petworth has posted a reader request about a condo located in Brightwood. Go on over and offer some insight about the property.

And we can also answer WDC's question "What IS in that area? It seems like there is no access to public transportation (14th street buses, I guess) or commerce. So why live in the city if you don’t want to be near the conveniences?"

Should we be honest and tell him..."nothing", "the 52 bus" and "atleast we're not U Street!"

U Street is Loud, Move to Brightwood

Breaking News: The U Street Corridor is loud!* We had no idea.

Any neighborhood that can spontaneously break out and have the largest party in the city after the Presidential Election in 2008 is bound to be a hot spot for bars and clubs. Oh wait…the corridor already had these bars and clubs before people decided to move in. And now they complain about the noise. Love it.

We here in Brightwood have that nice mix of a blessing and a curse. Wise and I moved here in October of 2008 from Columbia Heights and couldn’t have been happier with the cute brick houses and proximity to Rock Creek Park…and that was it. Besides Brightwood Bistro, Safeway, Subway, Pizza Hut and the Carry Out we have no real local clubs or bars.

What I’m trying to say is don’t move into the local “hot spot” and then complain about the noise, crowds and activity**. Don’t want to relocate to the suburbs? Move uptown. Brightwood to be exact, even Petworth is still relatively silent, oh wait they have some cool developments going on so never mind.

*Comments not so funny on DCist.

**Hilariously realistic comments on Washington Post Article.

Brightwood Day

V, Wise, and I strolled over to Brightwood Day. For anyone that didn’t see the three enormous banners on the intersection of Piney Branch and Georgia Avenue, Brightwood Day is a neighborhood festival that was held July 18, 2009.

As far as neighborhood festivals go, it definitely leaned on the family & church side. Everyone there was either over 45 years old or under 12. V wouldn’t let me go in the moon bounce, I was too lazy to stay for the tug-of-war (I developed a strong case of the ‘itis, more on that later), and given that I was wearing MAC makeup, I wasn’t going anywhere near the face painting. There was a large stage set up in the middle of Tuckerman Street where various performances took place. While we were there, a comedian did an act and a rather good neo-soul singer took the stage. The grassy area was lined with booths that featured everything from the Brightwood Community Association info, the Brightwood Heritage Trail, volunteer opportunities, over-priced jewelry, and anti-war literature. The anti-war literature looked kind of sketchy and given that I have a good government job that I would really rather keep, I gave that booth a wide berth. But V and I found out some really good activities and resources that we’ll experiment with and highlight over the next few posts.

Given that with the exception of Safeway, Brightwood Bistro, and the carryout, finding food in Brightwood is practically impossible (as far as we’ve discovered; if anyone out there has any suggestions, I would love love love to hear them), so I didn’t expect much in the way of festival food. There was a stand selling popcorn, water bottles, and cold drinks but there was a stand selling real food. The stand was from Haydee’s Restaurant and for $5, you got a Styrofoam container full of fried food. And I mean fried. There wasn’t a vegetable to be had, not even fried okra. I could feel my cholesterol rising with each chicken finger but it was pretty good. After wandering around a bit and shaving off years of our lives with the fried food, we were ready to call it quits. Especially since we kept getting vacation bible school flyers shoved in our faces. All in all it was a pretty good day.

Oh Me, Oh My!

LC and I (escorted by Wise) attended Brightwood Day and will have additional post rolling in here soon! It might take awhile considering all of the vendors we visited! I do have to say that Brightwood is just as diverse as I expected it to be and we have some hidden gems that will hopefully be unearthed in the up coming months! Stay Tuned!

Brightwood Day!

Brightwood Day is coming up on us fast! LC and I are going to be in attendance and we'll be sure to report on all the goodies we see!

BRIGHTWOOD DAY 2009--a fun-filled, family-friendly neighborhood celebration!

WHEN: SATURDAY, JULY 18TH

WHERE:
Outdoors at the "Neighborhood Pavilion" - corner of Piney Branch & Tuckerman NW, right off Georgia Ave.

I really hope they have smoked corn! :D

Imagine a separate Yellow Line By Dave Murphy

Naturally, the terrible crash on the Red Line has generated a great deal of press attention and discussion. Had this been a nasty pile-up on the Beltway, we would probably would have stopped talking about it by now, and it certainly never would have been international news. The fact that service disruptions continue on the Red Line is another reminder of this horrible accident. After all, these disruptions have a far greater impact on Metro than a bad traffic accident has on area highways.

If there is an accident on US-29 in Montgomery County, I can drive on Georgia or New Hampshire Avenues. But the stations that were shut down the past couple days isolated eastern Montgomery County from the rest of the Metro system. Originally, I tinkered with a map showing a separated Yellow Line for the sake of greater capacity and more geographic coverage for the Metro System. This week's accident has shown that adding redundancy to the system can be just as valuable as adding capacity.

Separating the Yellow and Green Lines would add capacity to existing track, much like separating the Blue and Orange Lines. In the case of the Yellow Line, it would allow for increased capacity on its Potomac River Bridge. If separated, the entire Green Line and the Yellow Line north of Pentagon would have the same capacity as the Red Line.

View Seperate Yellow Line in a larger map

This alignment is not 100% original either. Bringing Metro to North Capitol Street and Georgia Avenue is in no way a new idea. In these cases, however, people seem to want it for the geographic coverage, and not the additional capacity or system redundancy. Coverage is good, it brings transit to a new area. Capacity and redundancy, however, improve the entire system.

Perhaps I added a few too many stations, but they are just suggestions. While this would add service to the North Capitol Street and Georgia Avenue corridors, it would add redundancy to both the Green and Red Lines via Silver Spring, Georgia Av/Petworth, Union Station, and L'Enfant Plaza.

If this line existed already, the station closures on the Red Line might only have meant an additional transfer for Montgomery County commuters instead of the shuttle services to which Metro resorted after the crash.

Source

Architecture firm job captain scores in Brightwood

By Angie Barrett

Jennifer Lynn Paloski and Kenneth Raymond Stinson bought a three-bedroom, one-bath home at 730 Fern Place N.W. in Brightwood from Frank W. Rambo for $380,000 on June 5.

Rambo paid $295,000 for the property in May 2004. The 1,123-square-foot home was built in 1928.

Paloski is a job captain at Washington D.C.-based design firm David M. Schwarz Architects Inc.

She previously interned with Thomas Bode & Associates.

She has a B. Arch. degree from the University of Notre Dame.

There were 51 sales in Brightwood in 2008, with a median sales price of $406,500.

Filed under: Architecture
Address: Single Family730 Fern Place NW
Buyer(s): Jennifer Lynn Paloski and Kenneth Raymond Stinson
Seller(s): Frank W Rambo
Sale date: 2009-06-05

source

Yesterday Mayor Fenty joined Councilmember Muriel Bowser (Ward 4) and residents of the Brightwood neighborhood for a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of renovations of the abandoned housing project at 6425 14th Street, NW. The District partnered with Blue Skye Development to transform the vacant property into a new apartment building, eliminating a blight on the Brightwood neighborhood.

“The era of decaying conditions and neglectful ownership of this property has come to an end,” said Mayor Fenty “Today’s groundbreaking marks an important step toward welcoming more residents to this community through affordable housing and continuing our revitalization efforts up and down 14th Street.” Though this project has been referred to as the Brightwood Apartment Building, it is not the same project as this one. We were confused too!

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