Poky

Dear Neighbors: I am sorry I have been so poky in bringing you the news. But without designer, printer, and editor breathing down my back—I cannot afford to hire an editor for this prose, so now you can tell how well I really write—I leave my work until after the last minute.

Cleveland Park Muggings

Unlike the usual hysteria about Northwest crime sprees, there is much justification about the wave of muggings in Cleveland Park. Here’s the latest information from the Second District. A single suspect has committed nine muggings in Cleveland Park—on the 2900 block of Ordway Street, NW, and the 3400 block of Connecticut Avenue, NW. The latest mugging occurred on December 15. He has committed his crimes in the late afternoon and early evening—between 2:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. No one—as yet—has been hurt.

The suspect is Edward Leo Bright, a five-foot, six-inch tall black male weighing about 150 lbs. He dresses in a dark or plaid jacket and drives an orange 1971 Mercury Cougar with temporary tags. He generally seeks his victims in his car and then approaches them with a steak knife. Bright is a Southwest Washington resident.

Uniformed officers are patrolling the area heavily. Until the suspect is apprehended, the police caution residents to travel in pairs, make only necessary trips, and not carry baggage while walking the streets. Questions about the muggings may be directed to Detective Cesaro at 202.282.0043.

Please pass on this information to neighbors.

School Stuff

Readers of the Northwest Side Story may have noticed the lack of a strong—well, let’s say it—the absence of decent coverage of local schools. I do not have school age children and the whole subject created a mental block. Sanitation, transportation, the arena—these are funny subjects. But stinking bathrooms for school kids? That’s painful.

I did receive the following request for information about D.C. schools:

You probably saw last week’s Washington Post story on the bathrooms in D.C. schools. I wish this were the only problem with the schools here but it's not. Schools lack so many things! It's not just insufficient computers, or art and music classes, but the most basic things like sufficient paper and chalk. And books. We keep hearing about school problems but never hear about anything being done about them. Are there any successes out there? I have heard that Murch and Janney do a good job through parents financial contributions. Is this true? If so would love to hear more about how to get a public school to work. Or would like to hear what kinds of political pressure can be brought so that things will improve. Thanks! A mom.

Political pressure? That was my out. I kicked the question over to Councilmember Kathy Patterson, who not only serves on the Councils education committee but has two children in the D.C. public school system. Here is Patterson’s response.

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to "A Mom"--they are some of my favorite people. She asked how to improve D.C. schools -- the system and individual schools. At the individual school level: get involved in the PTA/HSA and/or the school's restructuring team. The latter is the site-based management committee each school is supposed to have, made up of parents, teachers, principal, union rep, and community reps, working toward greater neighborhood control of each school. Second, become involved in Parents United for the D.C. Public Schools (they are in the phone book, or call my office, 724-8062) to work on system-wide improvements.

And most immediately: come to or tune into a hearing before the D.C. Council Committee on Education and Libraries, this Friday, December 15, at 10 a.m., in the Council chamber (5th floor, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.) ostensibly on the D.C.P.S. crisis of two weeks ago, the textbook shortage (not to be confused for the crisis last week -- the bathrooms). [It’s my fault I sent out this message too late. Blame the messenger.] The idea for the oversight hearing was to try to hold someone or ones accountable for such problems. We have been trying to get principals on the witness list, specifically some of the principals quoted in the Post (and several months ago, in the Washington Times) complaining about lack of textbooks. It is my belief that some of the problem is central office; and some of the problem resides with individual principals and this hearing should be an opportunity to gain some clarity on where accountability should reside.

On the issue of the state of D.C.P.S. bathrooms, I had one question that was left unanswered by the Post article, that relates to the issue of where accountability resides: who is responsible for cleanliness? I know the system has a half-billion problem with the need for physical repairs. So my question does not go to the issue of broken pipes and missing doors. Those issues will be harder to resolve. It should be easier to resolve the issue of cleanliness. It is, in fact, someone's job to keep the school plant clean; it is someone else's job to supervise the individual(s) responsible for cleanliness. Such issues reside with the principal who is in charge of the building. My question: if a principal complains about cleanliness in his/her school's bathrooms, where is that principal doing to hold his/her staff accountable? I hope we can get to this specific question, too, at the Friday hearing.

Please send your response to Kathy Patterson at KpattDC3@aol.com and feel free to copy the message to me.

Steal This Cookie

And now from the pages of Abbie Hoffman’s "Steal this Book"—a Christmas commercial crassness story that empties your heart but fills your tummy. It’s true story, so I am told. [Editor’s note — see the next issue of DCStory before your believe this story.]

My daughter and I had just finished a salad at Neiman-Marcus Cafe in Dallas and decided to have a small dessert. Because our family are such cookie lovers, we decided to try the "Neiman-Marcus Cookie." It was so excellent that I asked if they would give me the recipe. They said with a small frown, "I am afraid not." Well, I said, would you let me buy the recipe? With a cute smile, she said, "Yes." I asked how much, and she responded, "Two-fifty." I said with approval, "Just add it to my bill." Thirty days later I received my VISA statement from Neiman-Marcus for $285.00. I looked again and remembered I had spent only $9.95 for two salads and about $20.00 for a scarf. As I glanced at the bottom of the statement, it said, "Cookie Recipe: $250.00."

Boy, was I upset! I called Neiman's accounting department and told them that when the waitress said "two-fifty" for a cookie recipe, I did not realize she meant $250.00. I asked them to take back the recipe and reduce my bill and they said they were sorry, but because all the recipes were this expensive so not just everyone could duplicate any of our bakery recipes. The bill would stand. I waited, thinking of how I could get even or even try to get any of my money back.

"Okay, you folks got my $250.00 and now I am going to have $250.00 worth of fun." I told her that I was going to see to it that every cookie lover will have a $250.00 cookie recipe from Neiman-Marcus for nothing. She replied, "I wish you would not do this." And I said, "I am sorry but this is the only way I feel I could get even."

So, here it is, and please pass it to someone else or run a few copies. I paid for it. Now you can have it for free.

So, what, you’re looking for a $250 recipe here from me. No way am I going to tangle with Needless-Markup. If you want a $250 cookie recipe, you will have to make your own inquiry at lperkins@cris.dcu.edu.

Hey, We’re Feisty

In yet another article that proves the media loves nothing better than covering the media, the Washington Business Journal reported "Feisty Northwest Paper Back In Business." The small article chronicles the paper’s sale to Sam Le Blanc and notes that John Briley is taking over as editor. I just love the Journal’s use of the adjective feisty. It sure beats the usual description of smart-assed. More later, Jeffrey Itell

The Northwest Market

In search of plaintiffs for lawsuit challenging Prince George's County's new juvenile curfew law. If you live or play or visit in Prince George's County and you think a 10:00 p.m. curfew is an imposition on individual rights, call Art Spitzer at the ACLU at 202-457-0800, or write to 1400 20th Street, NW, Washingotn, D.C. 20036. Or e-mail to artspitzer@aol.com. Help strike a blow for liberty! Internet Services. If you are in the DC area and require top notch Internet access services or Website hosting and production please call Internet Interstate at 301-652-4468 or email interest@intr.net (www.intr.net). Events Near You December 24 at 10:00 a.m. Christmas eve worship service at Washington International Church. People from 73 different nations have visited their unique worship celebration. Church is using Fellowship Hall of St. Luke's United Methodist Church located on corner of Wisconsin Ave. and Calvert St. NW, Washington, D.C. A pot-luck luncheon will follow the service. For more information, call (202) 298-6110 or check out the homepage on the web at http://www.netrail.net/~inchurch.