Pick and Choose
Dear Choosy Pickers:
As our chief law enforcement official has told us, we should pick and
choose the laws we want to obey, and ignore the ones that we think are
unreasonable. If we can get a lawyer to give us an opinion that we would
probably beat the law in court, that's all the justification we need,
Mayor Williams assures us. A number of themail readers would probably
choose not to pay tickets issued by the red light camera system, or
would tear up their new property assessments, arrived at by what they
view as an illegitimate system. I personally was looking forward to
flouting the Master Business License requirement, but a bare minimum of
Councilmembers had the good sense to defeat it at Tuesday's session.
Jack Evans led the fight to repeal the MBL, but David Catania had the
best argument against it: it oppressively extended unnecessary
government registration to thousands of self-employed people whom the
government had no legitimate purpose or reason to regulate. The villains
on the Council, to whom that was the bill's greatest appeal, were
Brazil, Ambrose, Cropp, Schwartz, Chavous, and Mendelson. If those
Councilmembers think that I'm going to apply to the DC government to get
a license to write, they're crazy.
If for some obscure reason you're in favor of mostly obeying laws
until and unless they're overturned, you'll get a better idea of why the
mayor prefers to flout the Council's law raising job requirements for
the Inspector General from the editorial in the current issue of The
Common Denominator, “Remove Maddox,” http://www.thecommondenominator.com/060203_edit.html.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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All right, I'm the guy who complained about a non responsive call to
911 about public vandalism, but the problem is lots bigger than that. We
have a 911 system that doesn't dispatch cars. We have a MPD that doesn't
do anything except ride around in their cars, and we have one of the
highest tax rates in the country. One of the things we do have is a lot
of lawyers. Is there one of them out there who can craft a case that we
are paying a lot of money for services we are not receiving? This sounds
like a class action suit to me.
Let me recount, no police services, no 911, services and one of the
highest tax rates in the country, not to mention that our chief of
police wants a raise. Let's sue them. Is there some lawyer out there who
wants to take on a real high profile case, and I'm talking class action
here, and bankrupt the city of Washington, not to mention making a whole
bunch of money? If some clever lawyer were to collect the poor response
time of the MPD and compare it to other cities, I think that there might
be a case there. It's either that or I can go around town carrying a
baseball bat to protect myself.
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The highest paid employee in the District government is Bobby
Goldwater, the president and executive director of the DC Sports and
Entertainment Commission, at $275,000 a year. On May 16, five
Councilmembers (Fenty, Evans, Mendelson, Graham, and Patterson) sent a
letter to Mayor Williams urgning the mayor not to renew Goldwater's
contract (http://www.dcwatch.com/govern/sports030516.htm).
The letter notes that “despite the extraordinary level of
compensation, a review of [Goldwater's] performance shows a pattern of
failed events, fiscal mismanagement, and highly questionable activities
by the Commission under his leadership.” Over the past year, criticism
of Goldwater and the Commission has grown among both DC residents and
councilmembers. Among some of the complaints: 1) since arriving in 2000,
Goldwater has failed to become a DC resident; 2) spending by the
Commission has depleted its cash reserves, and Goldwater has personally
engaged in a "pattern of lavish and extravagant spending for
travel, dining and even living expenses"; 3) the Commission was
unsuccessful in attracting the 2012 Olympics, unresponsive to community
concerns regarding the Cadillac Grand Prix auto race, and lost money on
a series of poorly planned events at the Stadium and Armory (e.g.,
Halloween Fright Night, professional boxing matches, etc.).
Mayor Williams's response to the growing criticism of the Sports and
Entertainment Commission was to announce the establishment of a blue
ribbon panel on the Commission on May 16 (http://www.dcwatch.com/govern/sports030516.htm).
Members of the panel are: John Hill, chairman; Harold Brazil; Eric
Price; Neil Albert; Fernando Murias; Jair Lynch; Susan O'Malley; Dan
Knise; John Moag; and John Saboor. Hill was the former Executive
Director of the Financial Control Board. He was appointed by Mayor
Williams in 2000 to chair the DC Children and Youth Investment
Corporation, and is currently the chief executive officer and director
of In2Books, Inc. Brazil chairs the Council's Committee on Economic
Development, which has oversight over the Sports Commission, and has
announced his support for Goldwater. Price is Deputy Mayor for Planning
and Economic Development. Albert is Director of the DC Department of
Parks and Recreation and a member of the Sports Commission. Murias is a
resident of Potomac, Maryland. He is the managing partner of
PricewaterhouseCoopers of McLean, Virginia, and chairs the both the
Sports and Entertainment task force established by the Greater
Washington Board of Trade in March and the Baseball Subcommittee of that
task force, which was "created to help market Greater Washington to
major league baseball." Lynch is a former Olympian, and is
currently president and CEO of the Jair Lynch Companies, which has a
substantial number of DC government contracts. O'Malley is president of
Washington Sports and Entertainment, which owns and operates MCI Center.
Dan Knise is the president and CEO of Dionis Insurance Holdings, and
served as president of the Chesapeake Region 2012 Coalition, which
sought to bring the Olympics to the Baltimore-Washington region. Moag, a
Maryland resident, is a lawyer, investment banker, and chairman and
chief executive officer of Moag and Company. He chaired the Maryland
Stadium Authority, beginning in 1995, and was the founding chairman of
Baltimore's 2012 Olympic Bid Committee. Saboor is executive director of
the Central Florida Sports Commission, Inc.
So much for an independent evaluation of the District's Sports and
Entertainment Commission. The Council's Committee on Finance will hold a
public hearing on June 12 at 10 a.m. on Mayor Williams's proposal to
finance the construction of a new baseball stadium in DC. The bill and
other information on the District's efforts to acquire a baseball team
are posted at http://www.dcwatch.com/govern/sports.htm.
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Public Safety in Southwest DC Update
David Sobelsohn, dsobelsoatcapaccess dot org
Last January, I posted a message to themail about the early closing
of Waterside Mall in southwest DC. (The mall used to stay open as late
as Metrorail. Now it closes at 10 p.m.) I reported that early closing
would require Metro riders exiting the Waterfront station to walk, at
night, through deserted and poorly lit parking lots — a sort of
alleyway — near the Greenleaf Gardens housing project. I predicted
that “Increased crime is a matter of time.”
I also reported my efforts to draw the problem to the attention of
councilmembers Sharon Ambrose and Jim Graham, Ambrose because she
represents this ward, Graham because he serves on the Metro board. After
first ignoring my repeated E-mail messages, Ambrose finally met with the
mall owners, accomplishing nothing. Graham claimed that, "I of
course have no influence over Waterside Mall and its closing time,"
and refused to contact the mall's owners. But he did induce WMATA's
Richard White to pledge increased patrol visibility around the Metro
station. There has been no increased patrol around the Metro station,
and the mall still closes at 10 p.m. Last Friday, May 30, at about 11:25
p.m., two young men followed me from the Metro station. They assaulted
and attempted to rob me in the very alleyway whose danger I reported
last January.
How much crime does it take to get the attention of our elected
representatives? I hope I don't have to send my next dispatch from the
cemetery.
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Unusual Jobs for the Police
Star Lawrence, jkellaw@aol.com
I laughed when I read the post about the guy who called the police to
protect a tree being cut down by horticulturally challenged workers. I
moved from DC to Arizona seven years ago, and often reflect on how
little our cops have to do here compared with where you are. A few weeks
ago, I noticed a weird noise in my yard. My daughter turned off the koi
pond pump, but the noise was still there. Finally, we realized it was a
frog or some creature. It was loud! A few nights later, I was in bed
reading when the doorbell rang. My daughter's voice rang out. “Mom,
there are two policemen here to arrest Mr. Peepers.” I went to the
door and sure enough, someone had complained that a child was being hurt
“in one of these houses.” “That's my frog.” “Frog?” “Out
back — a frog.” By now, three cars had been dispatched. Six cops
looked at me. I could tell they wanted to bust someone! Finally, they
took my name and left. I have a police report now for a nuisance
amphibian, which was ultimately identified as a woodhouse toad. Their
mating call is variously described as a “sheep with a cold,” “an
infant's cry,” or “a calf bawling.”
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Regarding “A 911 Call”
Rae Kelley, rkelley@asprs.org
I'm not defending the actions of the 911 operator, this person should
consider rethinking a career which causes him to deal with the public.
But wouldn't this tree situation been more suited for the non-emergency
number? I agree that the system is in shambles, but we as citizens take
a part in the problem. If we flood the emergency number with
non-emergency situations, the real emergencies will not be able to get
through.
[It would be interesting to get an official response to Rae's
suggestion, but I would disagree. If a crime is ongoing, if it can be
prevented, or if the perpetrator is still on the scene and can be
apprehended by a quick response, then I would recommend calling 911
regardless of whether you regard the crime as a major or minor one.
Contrary opinions? — Gary Imhoff]
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In a spirit of inquiry, I write to ask what “enforceable
accountability” means with respect to the chief of police. Does it
mean that if crime doesn't diminish, he's out? Or his pay is reduced? (I
hope not, because the police collectively already have incentives to
underreport crime.) Does it mean that the department — or each major
division — must close some fraction of reported cases? How would such
fractions be determined? Exactly what is the beef against Chief Ramsey?
I have no brief for him but I don't understand why you and some of the
themail regulars seem to be down on him.
Let me try out on you an impression I have — that MPD, like much of
the DC government, suffers from a lack of personnel who meet a high
standard of competence. The heart of the problem is to hire and keep
better people. That may be partly a problem of competition and
compensation (the Federal Government competes to hire good people at
pretty good pay) and partly a problem of negative image repelling the
better people who are needed.
Please start with “enforceable accountability” if not the larger
questions. What does it mean in your book?
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Sunday's Post carried a full-page ad from Giant listing the 75
schools in the area that garnered the most cash in the chain's Bonus
Bucks program. The only DC school listed was Eastern H.S., which earned
the top spot as a result of columnist Bob Levey promoting it to his
readers. But where were all the other DC schools? Don't parents register
with the supermarkets for these programs? Even in those parts of town
that are underserved by the big chains, I suspect that most folks still
do much/most of their grocery shopping at either Giant or Safeway, the
two chains that annually sponsor these giveaways. Has parental
involvement fallen to such low levels that something as simple and
painless as signing up for free money for the schools is too much of a
bother?
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Something Needs to Be Done about DC Office of
Personnel Management
Deborah Washington, lyndsingtonassoc@yahoo.com
I am a skilled PR and communications practitioner specializing in the
design and delivery of PR and outreach campaigns. I have sought
employment with the District for at least ten years! I have received
only a handful of responses over the course of those years. Usually,
there is no response. It seems ironic that I could be certified to write
grants for the City and I just happen to be a published journalist, yet,
somehow, my written responses to the knowledge, skills, and abilities
questions on the District’s job announcements have never met the
approval of DC personnel specialists enough to go before District hiring
managers. Only once did I make best and final for a director’s
position.
What is even more disheartening is to have to interact with some of
those same labor categories, from an industry stance, only to discover
that so often there is clearly a lack of the skills necessary to perform
those jobs effectively. The question always lurking in the back of my
mind is, "How did they get those jobs?" Response letters are
written using poor grammar and misspellings. Oral communications are
sometimes inadequate. Requests for proposals are prepared demonstrating
a clear lack of understanding regarding the procurement process, laws
are candidly broken, voice mail boxes are consistently on and in some
instances full, and defensiveness is common.
I am now convinced there is extreme nepotism, preferential treatment,
and partiality on the part of the DC Office of Personnel that has gone
unchecked for years. There seems to be an invisible iron gate to
employment opportunities in the District, allowing passage only to those
who have met some undisclosed criteria as determined by the personnel
specialists. Meanwhile, skilled, qualified candidates who are dedicated
to serving District residents are left out in the cold. I simply want a
job where I can make use of my skills for a good cause. Please help.
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DC Tax Refunds
David Sobelsohn, dsobelsoat capaccessdotorg
Last year, I filed my DC tax return on April 15 and deposited my DC
tax refund on May 9. This year, I filed my DC tax return on April 3 and
still have not received my DC tax refund. It's already June! Has anyone
else had a similar experience? Any suggestions?
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Wingates Tenants Being Evicted for Rent Strike
Erving Bryd, Wingate Tenant, ebryd391@aol.com
More than seven hundred families in The Wingates Complex in
Washington, DC, have received notices to move out of the complex by
September 28, even though the tenants are on strike and have exercised
their right to offer to buy the complex. The tenants, led by Robin
Denise Ijames, have led a two year drive to purchase the building.
According to the letter mailed to tenants, an organization called
Habitat for America (rejected for a license last year by DCRA) is
reviewing financial records of tenants.
We are appealing to all tenant activists to call Mayor Tony Williams
and Councilmembers Sandy Allen and Harold Brazil to support the tenants
at Wingates.
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PSAs, ANCs, Neighborhood Clusters
Lars Hydle, former ANC3C07 Commissioner, Larshhydle@aol.com
I can agree with some of Kenan Jarboe's criticisms of current ANC
boundaries. It was inconsistent with the District's own ward
redistricting legislation to transfer Kingman Park, near RFK stadium,
from Ward 6 to 7. Even at-large Council Member Mendelson, chair of the
subcommittee in charge of redistricting, justified this move only by the
fact that both ward councilmembers favored it, not one of the principles
of redistricting cited in the law. That decision illustrates why
redistricting should be handled by the Board of Elections and Ethics or
some other independent agency, not by the Council. And even if Kingman
Park is transferred to Ward 7, why not allow it to remain in a Ward 6
ANC, as Chevy Chase was allowed to remain within a unified ANC though
most of it was transferred from Ward 3 to 4. Even today the Council
could fix this if they had the best interests and the wishes of Kingman
Park at heart.
But back to the realignment of Police Service Areas. I agree with the
Chief of Police's decision to decrease the number of PSAs, thereby
increasing their size, and harmonizing their boundaries with existing
neighborhood boundaries, thereby enhancing police-community contacts.
Clearly it would be a mistake to create new PSA boundaries that were
unrelated to existing neighborhood boundaries, since this would just
replicate overlapping neighborhood institutions and the confusion they
would create for police-community communication. But with which
neighborhood boundaries should they be aligned? The District has more
than 120 recognized neighborhoods that, since the mid-70s, the beginning
of our current home rule phase, have been grouped into Advisory
Neighborhood Councils and then Commissions, currently 37. These are
supervised by the DC government, particularly the DC Auditor and the
Board of Elections and Ethics, but elected by and accountable to their
own voters. Their boundaries are redistricted by the Council and Mayor
after each decennial census based on the recommendations of broad-based
ward task forces and on redistricting principles, including respect for
natural geography and neighborhood cohesion. In contrast, the 39
“neighborhood clusters” were created one day in January 2000 by the
executive branch in a meeting attended by various District voters. ANCs
are grass roots, “clusters” are Astroturf. The new PSA boundaries
should track the ANCs', not the “clusters.”
If something about a specific ANC does not work from a community
policing point of view -- say, its calls for police service are so light
that it does not require a full PSA staffing pattern, or its unusual
shape makes transportation within it difficult — then the Chief of
Police should be able to deviate from strict adherence to the ANC
boundaries. But alignment with the ANC boundaries should be the norm,
the default position. Nothing should be done to enhance the credibility
and plausibility of the “clusters” as groupings of neighborhoods or
institutions of local government.
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It’s a Park with a Road
James Treworgy, jamie@trewtech.com
Jim McCarthy notes [themail, June 1], “In any event, it's a park.
How about we treat it like one instead of just another road?” This
suggests that he believes that enjoying the park via automobile is not a
legitimate use of the park. I think he'll find that a lot of people
disagree with him. This is hardly unique in the park system. Try telling
anyone that Skyline Drive should be closed to cars. More importantly,
it's unclear what the benefits of this closure are, except to create a
bike route to Maryland. Jim admits he doesn't know for sure who might
use the park during the day, but suspects “retirees, school groups,
parents with young children, kids on summer vacation, people who work
weekends and have time off during the week, and people on their lunch
hour in nearby offices” would use it.
The odd thing about that list is that I can't think of a single thing
that any of those people could do with Beach Drive closed that they
can't already do. Picnic on the pavement? School trip to enjoy the
wonder of asphalt? It ludicrous that anyone should be expected to
believe that this is about anything other than bike commuters — and I
do mean commuters, since anyone who wants a nice recreational bike ride
can use Ross Road, which has an official traffic rating of zero cars per
hour, or any of the hundreds of miles of bike trails that just don't
quite go all the way to Maryland in a straight line. All other types of
recreation that don't depend on pavement are well served now, and will
certainly not be better off once Beach Drive is closed, since there will
be worse access to the most beautiful parts of the park. The bottom line
is, if there are legions of non-biker people who can't wait to use the
park during the day, what's stopping them from doing so now?
As I've said, I'm all in favor of looking at practical ways to create
a connected bike route through the park. Jim says completing the bike
trail will cause too much environmental damage. Is that an opinion, or
has anyone done a real study? I've never seen one, much like I've never
seen a study of the environmental or neighborhood traffic consequences
of closing Beach Drive. Same goes for his response to my reverse commute
idea. Who knows if it would be accepted or not? It's never even been on
the table. Yet this daytime closure idea rumbles on like a runaway
train, even though it will definitely have a negative impact on a lot of
people, while its benefits (except to cyclists) are unclear.
###############
I support keeping Beach Drive open. I do so because the historic
roads and parkways of this park were created by the Corps of Engineers
for access to all of us. They were never intended to be restricted for
full recreational access by bicycles and roller blades. While only three
percent of the population bikes, it isn't fair to restrict the remaining
97 percent who drive our parkways every day. As an avid biker myself, I
do not enjoy biking on the road. Paths are more relaxing and less
dangerous. With unpredictable public safety and transportation concerns,
we cannot afford to give up any roads. Our roads provide alternatives
within our transportation infrastructure. It is inconceivable that we
continue to fight to protect our roadways. Rock Creek Park is an urban
park — this is not Yosemite or the Cascades.
The National Park Service (NPS) needs to look further into creating
new paths, ones that are located away from our roadways. While the NPS
claims building paths would hurt the environment, I suggest they look at
their own historic markers for reference as to what harm these have
caused: 1) Rock Creek Golf Course; 2) the Carter Barron Amphitheater; 3)
the new “paved” parking lot at Carter Barron; 4) other paved paths
through the Park.
I also do not support any test closures. This suggestion circumvents
the comment process, especially when the majority of communities east
and west of Beach Drive say no to any test closure. Closing Beach Drive
will force hundreds of drivers to use 16th Street and Connecticut
Avenue, thereby increasing drivers' commutes and reducing quality of
life. They will no longer be able to have that relaxing drive through
Beach Drive; rather, they will be forced through more traffic, traffic
lights, and increased speeds. All this for 3 percent of the population?
In the long run, building a path away from the roadway will be a win-win
for everyone.
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In response to Jim McCarthy's posting in the last issue of themail,
I'd like to point out a few things. 1) We should treat Rock Creek
Parkway like a road because it is in fact, a road. (Or, with apologies,
a road is a road is a road.) It was designed as a way to access the
hiking trials and picnic areas, but also as a way for people to
incorporate beauty into the routine errands of daily urban life. I
totally agree that it should not be a speedway commuter route, which is
why I support rush hour HOV restrictions and strict speed controls.
Keeping traffic at 25 mph should be very simple. A radar gun, speed
cameras, $100.00 fines, speed bumps, even pace cars (one driver going 25
will hold up all the speeders behind him.) Are all our officials too
dimwitted to staunch a cut finger without amputating an arm?
2) It is absurd for officials to consider such a drastic plan as
full-time closings when they have publicly admitted they have absolutely
no idea how many people will use the closed roadways on weekdays. Why
haven't they done a survey of weekend use? Since I am out on Beach Drive
every single weekend, I've been counting lately. On days of less than
ideal weather (overcast, hot/hazy/humid, spring drizzle) I see an
average of 25-30 people in a two-hour period. (This is on the lower
section between Broad Branch and Joyce Road.) Even on sunny winter days
I have skated the entire length of the park and seen less than a dozen
other people.
3) Why should the elderly, infirm, or otherwise mobility restricted
be confined only to walking on the road every single day? It is a nice
weekend deviation, but why should they not allowed to walk in the cool
of the woods on a nice level trial right beside Rock Creek where the
temperature is ten degrees cooler? The hill-less part of this trail can
only be accessed by driving and parking by the Rapids Bridge. On a 95
degree day, the road absorbs heat. Why should a mom with toddlers have
to drag her kids up and down steep hills or walk three quarters of a
mile up this hot road from Broad Branch road to the rapids bridge where
she can cross over into the cool woods? Why should a paraplegic not be
allowed to drive through the park just to experience the beauty from her
car, pull over somewhere and eat her lunch in the car? Why should the
maid driving home between her job in Chevy Chase and her home in
Columbia Heights not be allowed a respite by stopping along Beach Drive
just to sit by the creek for fifteen minutes? This happens — I see it
every day.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Schedule of CHIME Programs on DCTV, June 5 and
following
Dorothy Marschak, chime-dc@erols.com
These programs are part of a series of twenty-two free programs
presented at eleven branches of the DC Public Library between September
2002 and May 2003. Programs that will air on Comcast 5/Starpower 10 --
Great women jazz singers, presented by singer and actress Cynthia Lin on
October 5, 2002, at the Benning Branch of the DC Public Library:
Saturday, June 7, 2:30 p.m.; Wednesday, June 11, 1 p.m.; Saturday, June
14, 5 p.m.; Thursday, June 19, 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, June 21, 11:30 p.m.;
Thursday, June 26, 3:30 p.m.; Saturday, June 28, 5 p.m.; Wednesday, July
2, 5 p.m.; Thursday, July 3, 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, July 5, 3 p.m. Songs
and traditions of Chinese New Year, presented by singer and actress
Cynthia Lin on January 18 at the Martin Luther King Jr. branch of the DC
Public Library: Saturday, June 7, 12:30 p.m.; Tuesday, June 10, 2:30
p.m.; Friday, June 13, 5 p.m.; Thursday, June 26, 6 p.m.; Saturday, June
28, 9 p.m.; Saturday, July 5, 5 p.m. Raga time music of South Asia,
presented by sitarist Brian Q. Silver on January 25 at the Petworth
Branch of the DC Public Library: Wednesday, June 11, 3 p.m.; Sunday,
June 15, 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday, June 18, 3:30 p.m.; Sunday, June 21, 10
p.m.; Wednesday, June 25, 1:30 p.m.; Friday, June 27, 10 p.m.; Sunday,
June 29, 5:30 p.m.; Wednesday, July 2, 11 a.m.
Programs that will air on Comcast 6/Starpower 11: Music of the Arab
peoples, presented by Grant Chamberlain on January 11 at the Francis
Gregory Branch of the DC Public Library: Thursday, June 5, 1:30 p.m.;
Saturday, June 7, 1:30 p.m.; Thursday, June 12, 5 p.m.; Saturday, June
14, 2 p.m.; Thursday, June 19, 3:30 p.m.; Saturday, June 28, 3:30 p.m.;
Thursday, July 3, 3:30 p.m. History of gospel music, presented by singer
and actress Angela Polite on February 8 at the Francis Gregory Branch of
the DC Public Library: Saturday, June 7, 3:30 p.m.; Wednesday, June 11,
5:30 p.m.; Friday, June 13, 7 p.m.; Sunday, June 15, 5 p.m.; Tuesday,
June 17, 3:30 p.m.; Tuesday, June 24, 2 p.m.; Friday, June 27, 7 p.m.;
Sunday, June 29, 3 p.m.; Thursday, July 3, 11:30 a.m.; Saturday, July 5,
10 p.m.
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Diamond Skills Day, June 7
Pat Bitondo, PBitondo@aol.com
Announcing the third annual Diamond Skills Day. It's free! Saturday,
June 7. Register between 9:00 and 9:45 a.m. at Guy Mason Recreation
Center, Wisconsin Avenue and Calvert Street, NW. Youths from 9 to 12
years of age Try your skills hitting, pitching, running. Sponsored by
Cal Ripken Baseball and hosted by Glover Park Citizens' Association in
cooperation with the Department of Recreation. Questions? Call 337-2843
or E-mail pbitondo@aol.com.
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McLean Gardens Yard Sale, June 7
Trudy Reeves, trudyreeves@yahoo.com
McLean Gardens lawn sale, Saturday, June 7, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.,
Porter Street, one block west of Wisconsin. On left, half a block past
the fountain. Large lawn sale put on by McLean Gardens residents.
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Annual Shepherd Park Community Yard Sale, June
7-8
Ralph Blessing, rblessin88@hotmail.com
The annual Shepherd Park Community Yard Sale will be held on Saturday
and Sunday, June 7th and 8th, 9 to 3 each day. It consists of more than
fifty individual yard sales throughout Shepherd Park and Colonial
Village. List of sales and directions can be found at http://www.alixmyerson.com
or at participating yard sales. Homes with yard sales are in the area
north of Walter Reed Hospital to Eastern Avenue between Rock Creek Park
and Georgia Avenue.
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The Restoration of Russel Wright’s Home and
Studio, June 11
Kristi Dangoia, kdangoia@nbm.org
Manitoga is the home and landscape created by Russel Wright, arguably
the most influential mid-20th-century designer in America. In his Guide
to Easier Living (Gibbs-Smith, Publisher), Wright espoused a fusion of
modern design and informal living that changed the way the middle class
lived. Bruce White, Manitoga's director of restoration and corporate
partnerships, will discuss the home and Wright's work, with a special
focus on the challenges and difficulties of restoring a modern house.
National Building Museum, 401 F Street NW (Judiciary Square Metro, Red
Line), Wednesday, June 11, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. - Tickets, $12, museum
members and students; $17, nonmembers. Registration required. For more
information, call Kristi Dangoia or Jill Dixon, 272-2448, or log on to
http://www.nbm.org.
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“Ghosts” at Shakespeare Theatre, June 28
Robin Larkin, rlarkin@footlightsdc.org
“Ghosts,” by Henrik Ibsen, depicts the agony of a philanderer's
widow — long protective of her late husband's reputation — who must
now confront his legacy of disease, both physical and spiritual. The
New York Post called “Ghosts” “one of the most powerful and
disturbing plays in dramatic history.” The New York Times called
it “one of the greatest tragedies of all literature.” This week, the
Shakespeare Theatre will open a new production of “Ghosts,” starring
Jane Alexander and directed and adapted by Edwin Sherin (“Law and
Order,” “The Great White Hope”). Footlights — the DC area's only
modern-drama discussion group — has a handful of deeply discounted
tickets for the Saturday, June 28 matinee. Normal price is $49. Our
tickets are $26 — less than you'd pay at TICKETPlace. The deadline for
receipt of payment is this Friday, June 6. Send your check, payable to
“Footlights,” to Robin Larkin, 5403 Nibud Court, Rockville, MD 20852
(301-897-9314 and rlarkin@footlightsdc.org).
[Normally, to keep the length of issues down a bit, themail runs
notices of events only once. However, I run this notice in the last
issue with the wrong date, so this is being run as a correction. —
Gary Imhoff]
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CLASSIFIEDS -— HELP WANTED
HIPS Seeks Outreach Director
Jon Katz, jon at markskatz dot com
Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive (HIPS) seeks an Outreach
Director to direct its Outreach Program. The ideal candidate is mature
and creative, with experience in providing harm reduction based outreach
and health education to sex workers, LGBT individuals or other
marginalized communities. Salary: mid to high 20's DOE. Please E-mail
cover letter and resume by 6/13/03 to HIPS at HIPS.org attn: Outreach
Director Search or fax to 232-8304 please, no phone calls. The full job
posting is at http://www.markskatz.com/hips-outreach.htm.
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CLASSIFIEDS -- HOUSING
Basement Efficiency Apartment for Rent
Pat Bitondo, pbitondo@aol.com
Glover Park. Ground-level, airy, spacious basement, private entrance,
pleasant garden. Air conditioning, washer/dryer. $750 per month. Call
Pat at 337-2843.
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CLASSIFIEDS — VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers needed in NE location for editing, web site updating,
organizing, or any other areas you might like to volunteer for.
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