*Sigh* Really? I mean REALLY!?

I'm not a very confrontational person. I won't walk up to you assume a "Chuck Norris" pose and act like I'm going to actually do something. I keep to myself, I'm quiet, I speak to my neighbors and keep out of trouble in general. Okay, okay, I can be snarky and a bit smart assed but OVERALL I'm pleasant.

But this parking situation, it's made me a completely different person.

My fiance and I dug out my car a total of three times during the last two storms. Each time working in shifts until my car was free of snow and ice. And when we had to leave, we didn't "mark" our spot in any kind of way. I mean we figured if you live in the neighborhood and you're trying to park, you OBVIOUSLY dug out a spot that is no longer available so you're parking in the next thing smoking.

But Brightwood, we've gotten ugly. Lawn chairs? Really? Construction Zone cones? Really? I even saw a parking spot that my fiance dug out to free his car occupied with chairs. This person didn't even put in the real work, yet they claim it. *kanye shrug*

Today I came out to see a note and a piece of Tupperware on my car while I was on my way to attend class. I don't write notes and place them on peoples car so I was intrigued to say the least. "I can't believe you took my spot. I paid to have this spot dug out. I have no where to park."

Que? This said taken spot is not yours as you put it. It's on a very public street in a very condensed residential area. But, okay it's your spot. There were no cones or chairs blocking said spot. I'm not psychic, I don't know this is your spot, as you put it. I saw an open space. I pulled in, I parked I walked down the street to my home and closed the door. I don't appreciate the note. I don't appreciate the passive aggressiveness of it. I hope you really don't think I enjoy lugging my entire contents of my portfolio through un-shoveled sidewalks and over epically high snow piles. If I could park closer to my home, I would. But I can't, so I won't.

We're all pissed off and annoyed at this point, I know but let's focus that negative energy on something positive. Things like-food, electricity and shelter during this extremely bogus winter.

Spring is right around the corner! I hope you'll put your cones and chairs away by then.

xoxo,
2B

P.S. We've called 311 on all of you. Just an FYI.

Let's Stop this Chair Shit

One of the reasons why I like Brightwood is because it feels like a community. Residents typically are friendly and neighborly. But this past week of snow has shown me a totally different side of the neighborhood I've grown to enjoy.

Let's be clear, marking "your" parking spot with lawn furniture, filched parking cones, and whatever else your creativity devises (I even saw a sawhorse) is illegal. Not to mention just wrong. If you haven't noticed, there isn't assigned parking on public streets. As long as I have a Ward 4 sticker, I have the right to park on any inch of the neighborhood, irregardless if you felt inspired to drag out the patio furniture.

One resident put it best in his observation that Brightwood is very much a residential community. There isn't nightlife or other venues that would attract a lot of visitors. Which means the person trying to find a parking spot had to dig out their car as well. Therefore you're not special.

Traffic sucks, the grocery store is insane, and cabin fever has set in. But do we really need to add to it all?

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.