Substantial Amendments
Dear Amenders:
I’ve written before about blogger Matthew Yglesias. I’ve found
Yglesias to be misinformed and wrong nearly every time that he writes
about local affairs in DC, so I should acknowledge when he’s right.
Yglesias is an advocate of detailed, strict government regulation of
nearly every aspect of life, but on February 9 he wrote sympathetically
about Columbia Heights Coffee’s giving up its attempt to expand to an
adjoining space because “the permitting process was just way too
cumbersome.” Yglesias writes, “But it’s unquestionably my
experience that the volume of regulation on retail establishments —
especially in urban areas — is completely beyond any reason. A city
has a strong interest in making it possible for people to open
businesses. Huge numbers of DC neighborhoods, including Columbia
Heights, are plagued with a bizarre situation in which existing
establishments are unpleasantly crowded and yet there are plenty of
vacant storefronts. Life would be much better if those storefronts were
filled with shops, cafes, bars, and restaurants offering people some
goods and services.” http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/02/deregulation_i_can_believe_in.php.
Comments to Yglesias’s post point out that a regulation process that
is difficult to maneuver gives a huge advantage to chain restaurants
over local businesses, because chains are likely to have the lawyers and
architects (and, I would add, fixers) on staff to get their permits. On
the other hand, even chains are discouraged from opening branches in
cities that have a regulatory process that is as Byzantine and difficult
as DC’s. (Regulation and taxes are two major reasons that most chains
open several branches in the Maryland and Virginia suburbs before coming
into DC, and why many chains won’t locate in DC at all.) Now, can you
imagine investing all the money that is required to open a restaurant;
investing all the time, money, and effort that is required to get
permits; and then risking that on the chance that one bad health
inspection could put you out of business? That’s why restaurants,
coffee shops, and bars will oppose Councilmember Cheh’s Restaurant
Hygiene Transparency Act forcefully unless it is amended substantially.
More on that below.
The Fenty administration is sneaking a huge antigun prohibition into
its Omnibus Anti-Crime Amendment Act of 2009. Most gun-related sections
of the bill increase penalties for using a gun in committing a crime,
but Sec. 220 makes it illegal simply to be in a motor vehicle with a
firearm. The only exception is “except as authorized by” DC Code
Sec. 22-4504(b), but that section of the code doesn’t ever refer to,
much less authorize, any exception for transporting a gun. So the
Omnibus bill as it is written makes it illegal for a person who has a
licensed, permitted gun to drive with it anywhere — to a gun shop, a
shooting range, a training session, a sporting event, etc. People who
believe that the Fenty administration has good intentions and actually
wants to comply with the Second Amendment hope that the code section
reference is just a mistake, and that it will be corrected. Hope does
spring eternal.
School Chancellor Michelle Rhee is attempting an image makeover, as
shown by her op-ed article in the Washington Post (http://tinyurl.com/ab9499)
and her interview with the Washington Examiner (http://www.dcexaminer.com/local/Credo_MIchelle_Rhee_02_0839230997.html).
After two years of bashing and badmouthing DC public school teachers,
and saying that they are responsible for the poor performance of DC’s
public school students, she is now claiming that she never believed any
of those things, and that the press has misrepresented her attitude
(apparently by quoting her directly). There’s been a lot of
speculation about why Rhee would try to change her approach to teachers
so dramatically. I don’t have the answer, because what has made Rhee
popular with those who are her fans in the press and politics has been
her fiery anti-teacher rhetoric; her combative, hostile attitude toward
current employees of the school system; and her promise to undertake
massive firings. A reformed, nice, conciliatory Michelle Rhee would
disappoint her supporters, who want blood in the water; and a
cooperative Michelle Rhee, who wants to work well with others, has
appeared too late to convince her skeptics in public and the school
system, those whom she has been aggressively alienating ever since she
was appointed.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Not Surprisingly. . .
Star Lawrence, jkellaw@aol.com
A recent newspaper story headlined, “The President’s Mayor,”
turned out to mean Richard Daley, not Adrian Fenty. Just sayin’.
###############
Economic Downturn May Impact DC Public Library
George Williams, george.williams2@dc.gov
The DC Public Library is considering reducing service hours beginning
March 2 to accommodate the city’s lower-than-expected revenue
projections. A decision is expected later this week. Ginnie Cooper,
chief librarian of the DC Public Library, notes that the recommended
reduction in hours is designed to have the least impact on the public.
“Libraries are vital, especially in the current economic downturn,”
said Cooper. “The proposed plan will keep libraries open seven days a
week during times that are convenient for our users and that allow our
programs and activities to continue.” The Board of Library Trustees
asked for a plan because the District’s $250 million projected loss in
revenue this fiscal year means that the Library is likely not to receive
the revenue anticipated. Without that funding, the Library has been
straining to maintain its current schedule resulting in nearly $280
thousand dollars in overtime costs since last October and sporadic
closings of some libraries and some select programs or services in
libraries for lack of staff.
“Over the past couple of years, the Library has gotten busier with
a 30 percent increase in circulation. More people are using the library
computers to hunt for jobs or seek information,” added Cooper. “We
want to be sure we can serve these library users well during the times
the library is open.” Cooper notes that the Library has already
experienced difficulty providing service due to staffing shortages.
While Cooper hopes that additional reductions will not be necessary, the
economic climate may require future reductions. “I do not envy our
elected officials,” said Cooper. “In this tough economic climate
they have to make some very difficult choices.”
Proposed new hours: Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library open
seven fewer hours per week: Monday and Tuesday, 9:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m.;
Wednesday and Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., (currently open until 9:00
p.m.); Friday and Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Sunday, 1:00 p.m.-5:00
p.m. (Labor Day to Memorial Day). Interim and neighborhood libraries
each open seven fewer hours per week. On the two evening weekdays the
library is open they will now open from 12:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. (currently
open Monday and Wednesday, or Tuesday and Thursday 9:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m.).
On the other three weekdays and Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Sunday,
1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. year round. Kiosk libraries each open eight fewer
hours per week. Open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Closed on either Monday or Friday (currently open weekdays from 9:30
a.m.-5:30 p.m.).
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Could the Potomac River Power Metro’s Subway
System?
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com
The other day I got to wondering whether the fall of water on the
Potomac River could provide all of the electrical power for DC’s
subway system. I’m not thinking along the lines of a dam, but rather a
diversion of part of the river underground through McLean — with a
mostly subterranean hydroelectric generating station somewhere in
Arlington — below Chain Bridge. More than a billion gallons of water
passes DC each day, even when the river is at its lowest (http://tinyurl.com/d8nmms).
The fall of water is 130 feet (http://tinyurl.com/cdb88w).
Would such a project be expensive to build? Yes. Would it be feasible?
Yes. Would it be desirable? I don’t know. With plug-in Toyota Prius
cars coming next year, new sources of renewable electrical energy should
probably be on people’s minds.
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Open Letter to Marion Barry, Buffoon
Len Sullivan, lsnarpac@bellatlantic.net
With no redeeming graces left whatsoever, you continue to dishonor
the municipal government you belittle, the national capital you
embarrass, and worst of all, the minority race you stigmatize. Take your
new kidney and your old habits and creep as far away as you can get from
the limelight of this city, a key symbol of our American ideals.
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Mr. Imhoff, You and the Republican don’t have your facts straight
about the Cheh bill [themail, February 8]. It gives the right of
re-inspection in one week and possibilities for further inspections
also. I know this because I asked her about it and this is what she
wrote me back.
[Here’s the actual text of the Restaurant Hygiene Transparency Act
of 2009: http://www.dccouncil.us/images/00001/20090205141516.pdf.
I rely on the text of the bill, not on how Ms. Cheh’s office may
describe it. As you can see, the bill does base the letter grade on a
single inspection, not on a series of inspections, as I suggested should
happen. Ms. Cheh’s office has not quite accurately described the
appeal process. The letter grade placard is prepared on the results of
one inspection, and no reinspection is done automatically. (The
inspector doesn’t tell the restaurant, “Your dishwashing water is
five degrees too cool, and you had a container of flour without a top on
it; I’ll come back tomorrow to see if you’ve corrected those things
before I give you a grade.”) After a placard is delivered for display,
the restaurant has one week to request a reinspection, not to have a
reinspection done. The bill calls for the reinspection to be done within
fifteen days after the request is made, adding up to three weeks. Should
that reinspection come up with a different result, there is no deadline
for preparing and delivering another letter-grade placard. As you can
imagine, that will take at least another week. In the best of cases, a
restaurant may be regraded within a month. And that is the end of the
appeal process. There is no provision for further reinspections, except
for regularly scheduled inspections. That will take months, and by the
time another regularly scheduled inspection comes around, there won’t
be a restaurant there to inspect. I think the Republican Party’s
complaints about Cheh’s bill are right. This isn’t really a grade
system; it’s a pass-fail system, since anything less than an “A”
is a failing grade. And the pass or fail is assigned on the basis of one
pop quiz, not on the basis of an average over time.]
###############
Restaurant Inspection — and Reinspection
Edward Cowan, EdCowan1114@yahoo.com
The DC Republican party, Gary Imhoff, and others complain that the
pending bill to require restaurants to post letter grades showing how
they did on Department of Health inspections is unfair because a
restaurant may be having a bad day on the day it is inspected. So, the
argument goes, there should be a series of inspections. In fact, the
bill would let restaurants request a reinspection (if they do so within
a week), and get one within two weeks of the request. An opportunity for
reinspection gives the restaurant an incentive to clean up its premises
and score higher. Doing that may be a hassle for the management, perhaps
even an economic cost, but it sounds like constructive regulation.
(Perhaps the bill should specify that the department must entertain
repeated requests for reinspection from establishments that score below
A and, presumably, are trying to do better.)
To make the inspection system more likely to produce cleaner
restaurants, the Department of Health could announce that it may
reinspect on its own initiative at any time, even a restaurant that gets
an A rating. In other words, if you earn an A in February, you might be
inspected again in March. The bill might limit to three a year
inspections made on the department’s initiative.
All of this would require more inspectors. With public posting of
inspection outcomes in restaurant windows would come a greater
responsibility to inspect consistently. That would require more training
and supervision. All of that would cost budget money.
###############
Retrocession might make little sense for DC, in terms of public
finance. You get the vote maybe, but DC as a city would probably be
shortchanged by retrocession to Maryland because, whereas DC collects
all the income tax of its citizens today, instead that money would be
collected by the state of Maryland, and a goodly portion would not be
returned to the city of Washington. Maryland does allow counties and
Baltimore City to levy a small additional income tax on residents, which
the state does collect and return to the local jurisdiction. But
property taxes in DC would likely increase to offset the loss of income
tax revenue. (Maryland property taxes for incorporated cities are
relatively high, even though DC would function as both a city and a
county, comparable to Baltimore City. Check out the property taxes for
Takoma Park or Mount Rainier for example; Takoma Park property taxes are
more than double a comparable house in DC, while Mount Ranier taxes are
probably 50 percent higher.
Current state functions such as social and health services would
likely be provided by the state instead of the city, which would reduce
the need for local income tax revenue somewhat. And perhaps, by being
part of Maryland, a community college system could be developed with
Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, comparable to the
multiple-jurisdiction Northern Virginia Community College. The
University of the District of Columbia could become part of the
University System of Maryland. Providing access to a wide ranging
state-supported higher education system would be a big plus for both
undergraduate and graduate students. The state would provide a State
Attorney Office to handle the prosecution of criminal acts. And the
Maryland Department of Transportation would pick up responsibility for
some of the roads and for some of the transit system
Instead of retrocession to Maryland, I like the idea suggested by Washingtonian
Magazine in the November issue, that Northern Virginia become the
fifty-first state and, in a sidebar, that DC join in. The article
suggests a state sized greater than the original 100-square-mile
District of Columbia (http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/9947.html).
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Black History Month Literary Arts Events,
February 13
Maresha Tadesse, maresha.tadesse@dc.gov
The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is proud to promote the
literary arts scene in Washington during Black History Month. Immerse
yourself with icons of past, living legends of today and the voice of
youth sharing their art form at special events across the District.
February 13, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Toni Morrison, former Howard
graduate and professor. “A Daughter’s Return: The Fiction of Toni
Morrison,” at Blackburn Center, Howard University.
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Department of Parks and Recreation Valentines
Day Events, February 13
John Stokes, john.astokes@dc.gov
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, February 13-15, Takoma Aquatic Center, 300
Van Buren, Street, NW. 23rd Annual Black History Invitational Swim Meet,
ages 6-18. The Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) and the United
Black Fund, Inc., will host “Make Your Mark!” the 23rd Annual Black
History Invitational Swim Meet, February 13-15, at the Takoma Aquatic
Center. The Black History Invitational Swim Meet is hailed by USA
Swimming, the national governing body for the sport of swimming, as the
“premier minority swim competition in the United States and in the
World.” The 23rd Black History Invitational Swim Meet is approved by
USA Swimming through Potomac Valley Swimming. For more information
contact DPR Aquatics Division, 671-1289.
Friday, February 13, 6:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m., Hillcrest Recreation
Center, 3100 Denver Street, SE. Red and White Valentine Cabaret, ages 55
and up. Seniors will enjoy a night of dancing to their favorite tunes
while wearing the sweetheart colors of Valentine’s Day. For more
information, contact Ben Butler, 282-2206.
Friday, February 13, 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m., Douglass Community Center,
Frederick Douglass Court and Stanton Terrace, SE. Sweetheart Bash, ages
14-19. Youth enrolled in the Supreme Teen Club will enjoy listening and
dancing to the latest music in a safe social setting. For more
information, contact Barbara Jones, 716-9837.
Friday, February 13, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Harry Thomas, Sr.,
Community Center, 1743 Lincoln Road, NE. Just Us Girls. The young ladies
will socialize and learn table manners and food handling while enjoying
various flavors of tea and finger foods. For more information, contact
Tameka Borges, Recreation Specialist, 576-9237.
Friday, February 13, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Malcolm X Recreation
Center, 1351 Alabama Avenue, SE. Sweetheart Pageant, Ages 12 and up.
Youths will enjoy running for king and queen. For more information,
contact Zakiya Brown, 391-2215.
Friday, February 13, 4:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Bald Eagle Recreation
Center, 100 Joliet Street, SW. King and Queen Dance, ages 12 and up.
Youths will enjoy competing in a contest to be crowned King and Queen.
Certificates and awards will be given and light refreshments will be
served. For more information, contact Robert Washington, 645-3960.
Friday, February 13, 6:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m., Joseph H. Cole Recreation
Center, 1200 Morse Street, NE. Black History Basketball Tournament, ages
13-19. Each team of teens will represent a famous black historian in Joe
Cole’s very first black history basketball tournament. For more
information, contact Kyanna Blackwell, 724-4876.
Friday, February 13, 5:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m., North Michigan Park
Recreation Center, 1333 Emerson Street, NE. Valentine Sock Hop, ages
6-12. Youths will show off the latest dances in a fun filled atmosphere.
For more information, contact Joseph Clark, 541-3522.
Friday, February 13, 5:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m., Arboretum Recreation
Center, 2412 Rand Place, NE. Sweet Heart Ball, all ages. Come out in
your best dress and enjoy music and food with your sweetheart. Donald
Perritt, 727-5547.
Friday, February 13, 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m., King Greenleaf Recreation
Center, 201 N Street, SW. Girls’ Valentine’s Day Party, ages 6-12. A
fun-filled day where girls nibble on sweets and treats in celebration of
sweethearts day. For more information, contact Shannon Campbell,
645-7454.
Friday, February 13, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Watkins Recreation Center,
420 12th Street, SE. Valentine’s Day Dance, ages 6-12. Youth will play
games, dance and listen to music. Hot dogs and juice will be served. For
more information, contact Brian Cobbs, 724-4468.
Friday, February 13, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Fort Stevens Recreation
Center, 1327 Van Buren Street, NW. Valentine Day Sweets for the Sweet
Party, ages 4-12. We will have sweet time, baking and decorating goods.
For more information contact 541-3754.
Friday, February 13, 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m., Douglass Community Center,
Frederick Douglass Court and Stanton Terrace, SE. Sweetheart Bash, ages
14-19. Youth enrolled in the Supreme Teen Club will enjoy listening and
dancing to the latest music in a safe social setting. For more
information, contact Barbara Jones, 716-9837.
Friday, February 13, 7:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m., Kennedy Recreation Center,
1401 7th Street, NW. Teen Night/Valentine’s Day Dance, ages 13-19.
Teens will celebrate Valentine’s Day with a Valentine’s Day Dance
during Teen Night. This will be a night of music, dancing, fun and
refreshments for teens! For more information contact Rochelle Bradshaw,
671-4794.
###############
Historical Society of Washington, DC, February
15
Ed Bruske, euclidarms@yahoo.com
Sunday, February 15, 2:30-4:00 p.m., 801 K Street, NW, at Mt. Vernon
Square. HSW Author and Lecture Series: The Paper Bag Principle: Class,
Colorism, and Rumor in the Case of Black Washington, DC. This
poignant book considers the function of oral history in shaping
community dynamics among African American residents of the nation’s
capitol. The only attempt to document rumor and legends relating to
complexion in black communities, The Paper Bag Principle looks at
the divide that has existed between the black elite and the black “folk.”
While a few studies have dealt with complexion consciousness in black
communities, there has, to date, been no study that has catalogued how
the belief systems of members of a black community have influenced the
shaping of its institutions, organizations, and neighborhoods. Audrey
Kerr examines how these folk beliefs — exemplified by the infamous “paper
bag tests” — inform color discrimination intra-racially. Kerr argues
that proximity to whiteness (in hue) and wealth have helped create two
black Washingtons and that the black community, at various times in
history, resulted from “Jim Crowism” and created some standard of
exceptionalism in education and social organization. Kerr further
contends that within the nomenclature of African Americans, folklore
represents a complex negotiation of racism written in ritual, legend,
myth, folk poetry, and folk song that captures “boundary building”
within African American communities.
Dr. Audrey Elisa Kerr is a professor of English at Southern
Connecticut State University. She has published over fifty articles and
book and theater reviews, and her journal articles have appeared in The
International Journal of Learning, Quodlibet: The Journal of
Christian Theology and Philosophy, the Journal of American Folklore, and
Rhetorical Society Quarterly. Dr. Kerr’s second book, This
Life: HIV/AIDS, Chaplaincy, and an Inner City, was completed during
her five years as a chaplain at a facility for people with AIDS. She
received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Rutgers
University, a masters and doctorate in English literature from the
University of Maryland and a second masters from Yale Divinity School.
Audrey Kerr is a native of New York. Ages sixteen to adults.
RSVP@historydc.org or 383-1828. Free admission.
###############
For the Greener Good, February 18
Jazmine Zick, jzick@nbm.org
February 18, 6:30-8:00 p.m. For the Greener Good: A Green World is a
Safer One. Listen to architect Ed Mazria discuss his ambitious 2030
Challenge, which promises to reduce building carbon emissions by 50
percent in 2010. Then hear John Podesta, former Chief of Staff for
President Clinton and co-chairman of the Obama-Biden Transition Project,
talk about the impact of sustainability on the world political climate.
$12 member; free student; $20 nonmember. Prepaid registration required.
Walk-in registration based on availability. At the National Building
Museum, 401 F Street, NW, Judiciary Square stop, Metro Red Line.
Register for events at http://www.nbm.org.
###############
Environmental Health Group (EHG) Events,
February 19
Allen Hengst, ahengst@rcn.com
World War I munitions, bottles filled with chemical warfare agents
and contaminated soil have been found in and around the Spring Valley
neighborhood of northwest DC. The Environmental Health Group (EHG) seeks
to raise awareness of the issues and encourage a thorough investigation
and cleanup. To access the content at the EHG web site and participate
in the discussion, you may register at http://groups.google.com/group/environmental-health-group-spring-valley-?hl=en
Every Sunday, 1:30 p.m., please join the Environmental Health Group
for an informal discussion about Spring Valley issues. At Glover Park
Whole Foods Market, 2323 Wisconsin Avenue, NW (one block south of
Calvert Street).
Thursday, February 19, 7:30 p.m. Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton
is the guest speaker at the February meeting of the Ward 3 Democrats.
Saint Columba’s Church, 4201 Albemarle Street, NW (two blocks west of
Tenleytown Metro, Red Line).
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MOMIE’s TLC’s Children’s Black History
Gala, February 22
Ingrid Drake, ingridnatasha@yahoo.com
Please join us Sunday, February 22, from 4:30-6:30 p.m., at All Souls
Unitarian Church, 2835 16th Street, NW (16th and Harvard Streets).
Featuring performances by Tri-Flava and Jali-D, this family affair will
honor some of DC’s sheroes and heroes: Devin Walker with the People
Before Profit Community Healthcare Project, Leandrea Gilliam with the
Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (SMYAL), and Fabian Barnes with
the Dance Institute of Washington. Bronze cosponsor is the DC Statehood
Green Party. There will also be a chance to tour the Children’s
Gallery of Black History. This year’s gallery will explore several
aspects of citizenship at home and abroad through the eyes of visionary
minority leaders who have struggled to preserve the rights and freedoms
of people from around the world. Featuring great persons including
Frederick Douglass, Marian Wright Edelman, Julius Hobson, Majora Carter,
Aung San Suu Kyi, and Enrique Cobham. The CGBH engages children and
families in active learning about history, culture and activism through
self-guided explorations.
For tickets, to cosponsor, or vend your merchandise, contact Ayize
Sabater at 545-1919, or info@momiestlc.com.
###############
Sixth Annual Dance DC Festival Application
Deadline, February 25
Masresha Tadesse, masresha.tadesse@dc.gov
The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is proud to announce its
Sixth Annual Dance DC Festival. Gotta swing? Love to dance? Apply! We
need a wide array of musicians and dancers to apply for traditional
dance forms practiced by local area ensembles and artists. From hip-hop,
salsa, swing, and clogging, show us your dance form so we can share it
with our city! Application deadline, February 25, at 7:00 p.m. Must be
delivered (no postmarks) by this date and time to DC Commission on the
Arts and Humanities, 1371 Harvard Street, NW. For an application go to
http://www.dcarts.dc.gov. Mark your calendar for August 28-30 for Dance
DC Festival performances. For more information, call 724-5613.
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Dr. Gonzalo Palacios, author of Desde Watergate hasta Chavez:
diplomaticos, espias y farsantes en la capital del Imperio, will
read from his book at the Kensington Row Bookshop, 3786 Howard Avenue,
Kensington, MD, on Thursday, February 26, at 7:30 p.m. Recently
published in Caracas, the book has already created some controversy as
Dr. Palacios writes about the protagonists in US-Venezuela relations
from 1974 until 1999. “A most interesting book in which Palacios
writes about the presence of the CIA in Venezuela, describes the
presidents he met both in Caracas and in Washington, including Hugo
Chavez who confided in him (in 1999) that Venezuelans would soon be
under his dictatorial rule.” The author will read and sign his book
and will answer questions in either English or Spanish. The event is
free of charge.
Gonzalo T. Palacios was born in Maracay, Venezuela, in 1938. He
studied architecture both at The Catholic University of America
(Washington, DC) and at the Universidad Central in Caracas. He received
his MA in philosophy from the Gregorian University (Rome) and his Ph.D.
from The Catholic University of America. He was posted at the Embassy of
Venezuela in Washington, DC (1974-1999). Dr. Palacios founded the
Association of Iberoamerican Cultural Attaches. Presently he teaches
philosophy at Prince George’s Community College and presides over the
Erasmus Group, a small number of intellectuals who discuss issues such
as Darwinian evolution and free will. Dr. Palacios is working on an
essay on “Mysticism for Atheists and Non-Atheists.”
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — GRANTS
2009 Capital Region Touring Program
Charles Barzon, charles.barzon@dc.gov
The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is currently accepting
applications from nonprofit organizations for the Capital Region Touring
Program (CRT). The program, in collaboration with the Maryland State
Arts Council, provides funding to District of Columbia presenters to
book performing artists included on the Touring Artist Roster of the
Maryland State Arts Council. The program goals include expanding the
pool of performing artists presented in the District of Columbia,
furthering the artistic development of these performing artists by
enhancing their marketability beyond their home states, and promoting
the unique cultural traditions of both Washington, DC, and the state of
Maryland.
Application deadline is Friday, March 6, at 7:00 p.m. It must be
delivered (no postmarks) by this date and time to the DC Commission on
the Arts and Humanities, 1371 Harvard Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009.
A link to the program guidelines and the Maryland State Arts Council
artist roster are currently available on the home page of our web site
under “Agency News” at http://www.dcarts.dc.gov.
For more information, contact Charles Barzon at 724-5613 and Charles.barzon@dc.gov.
###############
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