Thursday, April 27, 2006

Fatal Shooting at 10th and V

MPD is seeking information regarding a fatal shooting of a 17-year old early this morning at 10th and V. According to MPD's press release:
A vehicle of interest was seen leaving the area following the shooting. It is described as possibly being a Nissan or Honda product, silver in color, with Virginia tags JZG 5667.

The case is under investigation by members of the department's Violent Crimes Branch. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call police at (202) 727-9099.

Thanks and be safe!

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Presentations on the District Comprehensive Plan

You may not know it, but The District of Columbia has a long-term plan for the continuing development of our home. Desi Deschaine, from the Executive Office of the Mayor, sent along a note that the Office of Planning has invited the public to comment on the plan.


The Office of Planning invites the public to review and comment on proposed revisions to the District's Comprehensive Plan, the city's long-range policy document on the physical development and redevelopment of the city.

Over the past 18 months, the Office of Planning has made city-wide presentations and conducted ward-wide briefings to solicit resident input into the revision of the Comprehensive Plan. The proposed revisions reflect the input we have received from over 2000 people who attended these meetings as well as smaller meetings with civic and citizen associations.

The Comprehensive Plan Presentations will:


  • Explain major changes in the organization of the revised Plan

  • Describe how the revised Comp Plan incorporates ward level and area specific land-use policies

  • Provide the opportunity for additional feedback from residents on the proposed revisions, including proposed map changes

The Comprehensive Plan Presentations will be held from 6:00 to 8:30 PM on the following dates and at the following locations:

Monday, May 22
Reeves Center
2000 14th Street, NWCommunity Room, 2nd
Flr

Tuesday, May 23
McKinley High School
151 T Street,
NE

Wednesday, May 24
Kelly-Miller Middle School
301 49th Street,
NE

Tuesday, May 30
University of the District of Columbia
4200
Connecticut Avenue, NWBldg 38, Windows Lounge

Thursday, June 1
WVSA/SAIL Public Charter School
1100 16th Street, NW

Monday, June 5
Petey Green Center
2907 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue,
SE

Wednesday, June 7
King Greenleaf Recreation Center
201 N Street,
SW

Thursday, June 8
Emery Recreation Center
Georgia Avenue and
Madison Street, NW

For more information, call +1 202.442.8812, or visit www.inclusivecity.org.

Monday, April 24, 2006

Public Comment Period for Dog Parks to begin soon

The dog lovers in the neighborhood are probably all aware that the Mayor signed a bill last fall that authorized dog parks in the District. The time has finally come for our input - the following announcement is from Sharon Dendy of the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation:

As stated by Director Flowers, we are engaging other District and Federal agencies in a series of meetings pertaining to dog parks. Topics have ranged from siting and the application process to enforcement, maintenance and waste management. These meetings will help determine the rules and regulations for the off-leash areas and once concluded, DPR will begin the process of synthesizing the information into a draft document to be presented to OAG for legal sufficiency review.

In addition to the interagency meetings, approx. 3-4 public meetings will be held to explain the new dog park law and what that entails. These meetings will address the community process for requesting a dog park as well as the roles, responsibilities, and expectations for those agencies and community partners involved. Comments from these public meetings will also be incorporated into the draft document for OAG and upon completion of the review, the rules will be published for 30-days giving residents another opportunity to provide their final comments.

Regarding next steps, the interagency meetings will continue for the next 4 weeks and the public meetings are tentatively set to begin by early April. And once the 30-day public comment period has been satisfied, DPR should be ready to accept applications. But for now, we recommend residents interested in dog parks and learning more about the process to attend one of the public meetings. They should also start to organize themselves and come up with a game plan to help maintain and manage a dog park. DPR will require that each 'sponsor' group play a role in the maintenance and management of their dog park and this forethought will definitely help in the long run.

Please check the DPR website over the next few weeks for updates regarding the public meetings and the application process.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Sharon directly at 202-673-7692 or via email.

April 2006 LCCA Meeting Photos and Movie

I just uploaded the photos of the April 2006 LCCA meeting. I also took a long movie of Chisato performing for us. You can watch it here.

Many thanks to everybody who worked so hard on that wonderful celebration!

More Press Coverage on Church Parking

As a follow-up to yesterday's post about the rally in Logan Circle, here's a rundown of local press coverage on the issue.

You can watch ABC 7's segment on the rally yesterday here. You may also be interested in today's stories from the Washignton Post and Washington Times on church parking, and yesterday's editorial by Terry Lynch, Executive Director of the Downtown Cluster of Congregations. Finally, check out the DCist for another take on the rally.

A lot of people seem to be asking who they can contact to voice their concerns. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Contact your local ANC Commissioner. For those living in Logan, you can find your commissioner on ANC2F's website.

2. Contact DDOT regarding the church parking proposal. Contact information is available on DDOT's press release and in our prior post.

3. Another resident suggested contacting: William Howland, Director of DPW, and Michelle Pourciau, Acting Director of DDOT.

4. Contact Terry Lynch, Executive Director of the Downtown Cluster of Congregations.

If you have any other suggestions of who to contact, please email us.

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Logan Circle Church Parking Rally Today

In case you were wondering what was going on in Logan Circle Park today, it appears that local clergymembers have organized an interdenominational rally to protest the District's new parking enforcement program, scheduled to begin in Logan Circle today. The Common Denominator's article on today's event can be viewed here.

By way of background, the District began seeking comments on its new parking proposal on March 15, and the proposed parking plan was originally scheduled to be implemented in Logan Circle on April 23, but, as reported by the Washington Times, now appears to be delayed until May 21 in Logan Circle and until July 1 city-wide. As the DCist reports, the delay is being blamed on weather-related delays that have prevented painting of the new spaces on the street.

Robbery Suspect Caught!

The Third District seems to be on a roll lately. This update from our very own Sgt. Emerman:


On Friday night, April 21, 2006, officers from the Third District received several calls for a robbery at Vermont and Q Street and 12th and Q Street NW. A female resident of the community was walking in the area when she was struck along the side of her head and knocked to the ground. The victim was seriously injured as a result of the attack. The assailant grabbed the woman’s bag, containing her personal items and her laptop computer and then fled on foot. Several of the area residents called 911, and were on the scene when the officers quickly arrived. A look-out was broadcasted and the officers began to canvass the immediate area.


At the same time, Third District Sergeant Anthony Washington of neighborhing PSA 305 was working with a citizen in the 1400 block of 10th Street NW when a resident across the street came out and told him that there was a suspicious person in the rear of his home. As Sgt. Washington located and detained the subject, he observed a bag containing a laptop computer and the woman’s personal items, including identification. The subject was identified as the robbery suspect and placed under arrest. A review of his arrest history showed him to be on probation, after serving 6 of 13 years on a robbery charge in Prince George’s County, as well as a previous robbery conviction in DC where he served 30-90 months in jail.

This was another example of the community working with the police to bring about an arrest. Keep your eyes open, watch out for your neighbors and visitors, and stick around so that the police can talk to you on the scene. If these folks had not been there to give a lookout and last known direction of the assailant, he may not have been caught.

Thanks again.
-Sgt. Emerman

Friday, April 21, 2006

Central Union Mission Sold

The Washington Post is reporting that Central Union Mission at 14th and R has been sold for $7M to a developer who intends to build high-end condominiums. According to the article, the Mission has signed a contract to purchase property in the 3500 block of Georgia Avenue NW. The move is not without contraversy:

D.C. Council member Jim Graham, who represents Ward 1 where the mission is proposing to relocate, said that Georgia Avenue is showing signs of rejuvenation and that a homeless shelter would hurt its revitalization efforts. "They should stay right where they are," Graham said. "And I say that as an advocate for the homeless."

You can read more about Central Union Mission's proposal for the new facility here, which will include a new dental clinic and additional space and facilities so guests do not have to eat in shifts or rush through cramped spaces. According to the press release, the new facility will also improve existing programs, which include overnight shelter and long-term rehabilitation programs, English-as-a-Second-Language classes, providing basic necessities to immigrant families, emergency grocery assistance to senior citizens and working single parents, clothing and furniture distribution, and a camp and outreach to children.

Inside The DC Bubble describes this "another example of a win-win created by the dreaded gentrification." What do you think?

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Car Jacking Suspect Apprehended by Commander McCoy

For those of you who missed yesterday's article in the Post, our very own Commander McCoy apprehended a suspect in the recent spate of robberies and car jackings. From the article:

Cmdr. Larry McCoy was doing paperwork in his cruiser when he saw the tan Chevrolet TrailBlazer pull into the parking lot at Lamont Street and Georgia Avenue. McCoy said he apprehended the driver as he was trying to rip a stereo out of the back of the SUV. The man was apparently going to try to sell the speaker at the pawn shop.

Thank you Commander McCoy!!!!

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Blood Donors Needed!

Here's another great way to celebrate Earth Day (from our neighbors at Church of the Ascension):

Join Us for a Blood Drive

The Church of the Ascension and St. Agnes and the Greater Chesapeake & Potomac Chapter of The American Red Cross Are Sponsoring a Blood Drive on Saturday April 22 from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at

Church of the Ascension and St. Agnes
1217 Massachusetts Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20005
(In the Undercroft)

Call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE – Walk-ins are welcomed. For more information about giving blood, including donor requriements, click here.

Refreshments will be provided, and all donors will receive an American Red Cross Baseball Hat.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Celebrate Earth Day - Logan Style

Here are just a few great ways to celebrate Earth Day in Logan Circle:

Earth Day April 22nd at DC Future Green, 1469 Church St. NW
12 noon - 6:30 p.m.

Be sure to stop by and visit LCCA's table for more information about how you can get involved in events around Logan Circle. With the exception of the swap-o-rama, described below, all events are free of charge.

Swap-O-Rama-Rama Clothing Swap

Bring in a bag or bags with all your unwanted clothes cluttering your closet, and dig through thousands of pounds of clothes from others. Walk away with as much as you like. Alterations are available from our volunteer sewing machine operators. Free workshops on transforming old clothes into fashion statements, bags, and other items. Will have Silk Screening available for drastic improvements.

Admission to Swap-O-Rama is $5 with bag of clothes $7 without. Proceeds go to National Capital YMCA. Leftover clothes will be donated to DC homeless shelters.

Eco-Friendly Fashion Show

See DC locals hit the catwalk in the latest spring fashions that are good for the earth. Clothes include: organic cotton tops and bottoms for men and women, 100% hemp shirts, shorts and pants, silk dresses designed in Manhattan and handcrafted by Afghani women, and more.

Natural Knit-Wit

See DC’s craftiest ladies duel with hooks and needles. They will use yarns from soy, recycled silk, bamboo, and other sustainable fabrics. Future Green accidentally bought eco-friendly yarns from China. Since we cannot verify that they were not made with slave-labor, many of these fine yarns will be reduced to cost pricing, and knitters will work together to make items to send to Chinese orphanages.

Super organic side-walk sale

This will be one of the biggest organic clothing sales to hit the streets!!! Huge savings on organic clothing overstock, hemp, silk & fair trade. Don't miss out on this sale, sizes for everyone including shoes. Also included is live music, vendors showing showcasing fair trade, earth-friend products.

Zipcar and Whole Foods Annual E-Cycling Event (1440 P Street)
10a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tired of staring at that old Sony BetaMax, but don't want to toss itfor fear of it ending up in a landfill? On Saturday April 22, 10am to2pm, Join Zipcar and Whole Foods on P Street for their Annual Earth Day E-Cycling Event!

Zipcar will be on hand collecting old technology items to be recycledin partnership with the DC Department of Public Works. The items will be collected and taken to Carter Barron Amphitheatre for safe disposal. Come by the Zipcar table to find out about the environmental andcommunity impacts of car sharing, plus enter to win great Zipcarprizes like memberships, T-shirts and tickets to the DC Improv.

Acceptable items for disposal: Audio/visual equipment, Camcorders, CD Rom Drives, Cell phones, computers, connectors, cords, wire, copymachines, fax machines, floppy drives, hard drives, memory chips, modems, monitors network/video/sound cards, pagers, power supplies,printers, scrap computer plastic, scrap computer metal, tape drives, TVs, VCRs. Please no broken CRT tubes.

Monday, April 17, 2006

ANC2F Committee on Crime and Public Safety - Suggestions Welcome!

A note from ANC2F's Committee on Crime and Public Safety co-chairs, Jennifer Trock and Mike Sheaffer. (In the interest of full disclosure, Jennifer is also president of LCCA, which maintains this blog.)

Neighbors and Friends -

Below is an announcement of ANC2F's first public meeting of its Committee on crime and Public Safety.

We are looking for community input on issues affecting crime and safety that you would like to see us address. You can see some of the progress we've already made (including the successful removal of scaffolding at 12th and M, streetlight repair, graffiti removal, and community input on the sentencing and prosecution of criminals in our area) by visiting our website at http://www.anc2f.org/ccps.asp.

If you are unable to make the meeting, please feel free to email us at anc2fccps@gmail.com with your suggestions.

******************************************

The ANC2F is pleased to announce that its Committee on Crime and Public Safety (CCPS) will conduct its first public meeting on April 24th at 7:00PM at the Washington Plaza Hotel at 10 Thomas Circle NW. The Committee was established October 5, 2005 by a unanimous vote by ANC2F and is to advise the Commission with respect to matters of crime and public safety which may affect the community, with a view of abating crime and increasing public safety.

Sunday, April 16, 2006

House Tour 2006 Committee

From Heather Vargas, the chair of the LCCA 2006 House Tour Committee:

The House Tour is Logan Circle Community Association's biggest fundraiser of the year. It's also the time of the year when we can appreciate the great homes in our neighborhood, catch-up with our neighbors and invite others to spend a little time during the busy December in Logan Circle for a fun afternoon.

This year's House tour will be on Sunday, December 3, 2006. Join your friends and neighbors for the first planning committee meeting of the year.

Please join me on Tuesday, April 25th at 7:00 pm to kick-off this year's planning. The meeting will take place at my condo located at 1224 13th Street NW, #001.

Please email me at heathervargas@10forward.com to RSVP or if you have any questions! If you are unable to attend the first meeting, but would like to participate as a committee member, please let me know.

I look forward to building on the success of past years and adding new highlights to make this year's event even better. Let's work together to make the Logan Circle House Tour the place to be in December 2006.

Thank you for your dedication and commitment to the Logan Circle Community.

Heather Vargas


The house tour is a fantastic way to get involved in the community. There are so many great homes, both old and new, in our neighborhood. I have a feeling this year's house tour will be the best ever!

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Have a Garden You'd Like to Share?

We received this request from the Washington Post. Please contact us at logancirclenews@gmail.com if you're interested or you know someone who might be:

I'm a reporter working on a story for the Washington Post's Sunday Source section about gardening, and I'm looking for gardeners to profile who wouldn't mind being interviewed and photographed (along with their gardens) for the Source. The ideal candidate would be a 20s-30s urban dweller with a cool garden that they designed/tend to themselves. Balconies, rooftops, and other tiny spaces are welcome. If you know of anyone who fits this profile (or is close), would you mind either passing along their contact info to me or asking them to contact me?


The reporter would like to scope out potential gardens this weekend, so please let us know soon if you're interested!

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Biker Attacks Getting Noticed

It seems that the pattern of attacks on bikers has not gone unnoticed. Councilmember Graham finally took notice after the City Paper wrote about the incidents, which both we and DCist have been reporting for a while. A snippet of MPD's response from Councilmember Graham's site:

I will instruct PSA 304 officers to give this location speciall attention during these hours. Housing Police agreed to do the same. The Housing Police office/post telephone number adjacent to the area is 202-673-7355, officer Brooks works the 1430-2300 tour of duty Sun - Thur. Sgt. Jeter

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

April LCCA Membership Meeting

Think PINK! Sushi and Sake Reception

Wednesday, April 12, 2006
The Washington Plaza Hotel
7 PM

It's time to celebrate the beauty of the cherry blossoms and the Logan Circle environment. Join members of LCCA as we celebrate the efforts of our volunteers during last weekend's neighborhood clean-up day, and our recent award of cherry trees by the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Enjoy sushi and sake while listening to live Japanese music and celebrate the arrival of Spring.

Guests of Honor include:

Chairman Linda Cropp
Councilmember Jack Evans
Ashley Neeley, National Cherry Blossom Festival
Lillian Iversen, National Cherry Blossom Festival
Liz Tylander, D.C. Greenworks
Chisato Morohashi, Musician

Domo Arigato Gozaimasu!

Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you!

Sunday, April 09, 2006

A Rainy Day of Mufflers, Kitchen Sinks, and Cherry Trees



Thanks to those of you who woke up early to brave the rain and cold on Saturday and clean up our neighborhood. We met at National City Church for some quick coffee and then took our tools to the street, cleaning up N Street from 15th to 11th, then Vermont between N and M and M between 11th and 14th. We ended the clean-up on the tiny stretch of Mass Ave next to City Church - what a block! We found all kinds of things from half chewed dog bones to old mufflers to old shoes, and yes, we even found a kitchen sink! Thanks to Office Catering for donating lunches for our volunteers. . .we certainly worked up an appetite.

Later that afternoon (and after a change to dry clothes from earlier in the morning), a few hearty volunteers from LCCA, the Scott Montgomery School, and the East Central Civic Association met at Scott Montgomery to plant the cherry trees LCCA received from DC Greenworks. It was hard work digging holes large enough to accommodate the 150 lb. trees, but it was worth it! The trees are Kwanzan Cherry Trees (also known as Sekiyama or Hisakura Cherry Trees) and flower a few weeks after the Yoshino Cherry Trees. The trees already have a few buds on them, so we may even see a few flowers this year!




Thanks to all of you for making our clean-up day a success and for those of you who came out to help us plant our cherry trees!

Friday, April 07, 2006

Reminder - Neighborhood Cleanup and Cherry Tree Planting Tomorrow!



SATURDAY, APRIL 8
8:30 AM -12:30 PM
Meet at National City Christian Church
5 Thomas Circle, NW

Help spruce up Logan Circle! We need volunteers to help sweep the sidewalks, inventory the number and condition of the tree boxes with "LCCA" signage, and plant new flowers in the tree boxes.


2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Scott Montgomery Elementary School
421 P Street, NW

Help plant LCCA's gift of a trio of cherry trees from the National Cherry Blossom Festival® at Scott Montgomery Elementary School as part of our community building efforts with East Central Civic Association. Refreshments and lunch will be provided. To volunteer, please e-mail nckaos@aol.com.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Good News - An Update from Candida's World of Books

Below is an update from Candida today on the pedestrian access situation she alerted us to earlier this week. Thanks to all of you for your support, and thank you to Charles Reed and our ANC for following-up on this:

I am happy to be able to share this news with you:

Thanks to Charles Reed's mediation, Holladay Corp. have provided us with written representation that they will be able to create a pedestrian path in the area of their construction site on evenings and weekends, after construction working hours, hence alleviating the most immediate and serious threat to my bookstore's continued viability.

They have also expressed their willingness to help me finance the installation of a vertical banner outside my store to help with visibility, and will work with me on temporary signage on the South end of their property, to help direct customer traffic to the store, when the pedestrian passage is available.

Charles feels this is a reliable representation of their willingness to cooperate with my concerns, as well as the concerns of the community, that needed access to the sidewalk during non-copnstruction hours. He therefore suggests we take this item off tonight's ANC agenda and I concur with him.

I would also like to express my deepest, humblest and most heartfelt thanks to every singe one of you, who heard my predicament and rushed to my aid. I am indeed fortunate to have become a part of this community and to have earned your trust and support. I look forward to continue running a neighborhood bookstore that serves and reflects this amazing community and remain open to all of you.

Many many thanks.

Whenever possible, please stop by the store, so I can thank you in person!

- Candida Mannozzi

Monday, April 03, 2006

Candida's Needs Your Help

For those who attended LCCA's Diversity Dinner in February, you'll remember the powerful remarks of our neighbor, Candida Mannozzi, owner of Candida's World of Books, when she reminded us of the value of diversity through language and culture. Now Candida has asked for our support, and has sent us the following open letter to post:


Dear LCCA members, My Neighbors and Friends:

I'm sorry to have to share this news with you, but I'm hoping you will agree to support me in my current predicament:

I'm facing a very serious situation with the builder next door, one that risks putting me out of business, if they're allowed to go through with the sidewalk and street closures they say they have obtained permits and ANC approval for

I found out Friday (03/31) morning from Holladay Corp., builders of the "Matrix" site (1529 14th St. NW), that they have a permit to close off the sidewalk, a curb and a traffic lane (i.e. sidewalk, plus 2 of 3 car lanes) for the next 2-3 months NONSTOP, in order to carry out heavy duty work on their construction site.

Every time they block the sidewalk and the street off to operate their crane or larger machinery (which they have done for 1-2 days at a time in the past months), my sales take a nosedive, because all pedestrian and car traffic to the store are severely impeded.

The prospect of making this a permanent situation for 2-3 months, without any passage for pedestrians, even when Holladay is not working there (evenings and weekends) means my business will be in jeopardy. I have asked Holladay to at least work with me and other businesses/residents by re-opening a passage for pedestrians on evenings and weekends, and they are not cooperating.

There are precedents on this very street, in fact on this very block between Q and P Streets, with other builders providing at least a jersey-barrier protected passage for pedestrians, a passage that was available at all times, not just on their off-time. Holladay tells me they can't do the same on their site. I find this hard to believe, considerig what I (and most of us in the neighborhood) have witnessed at other construction sites here over the past two years.

I have called the City government to see if this is an acceptable situation and an inspector is coming on Monday (April 3) to take a closer look at their permit and what exactly Holladay is doing. To the City government, I've also mentioned that with 2 of 3 traffic lanes blocked and no access to the sidewalk, people are getting on & off the bus (there's a bus stop right outside my bookstore, SE corner of 14th & Q) in the leftmost traffic lane of the street, as the buses can't pull into the stop. The lady I spoke to at the Office of Infrastructure Oversight said this closure sounds wrong. We shall see what, if anything, gives.

In the meantime, I wanted to share this alarm with you.

I am working with the wonderful folks at the ANC and LCCA to get Holladay to redress their current plans. It seems Holladay Corp. may not have been as forthcoming with this dire situation to the ANC (when they applied for ANC approval of the closures and how this would be executed). The attitude I encountered talking to Holladay this past Friday is very different from the spirit of cooperation promised to me and to the ANC.

I'm sorry to be breaking this news to you, but my bookstore is truthfully facing a threat to its continued viability.

I hope that I can alleviate the situation. If I have to move on to signature-collection or petitions, I hope I can turn to you for support.

I'm trying my best to get to a solution without having to bother all of my wonderful neighbors and supporters. I'm hoping that inspectors and public officials can see the need for a more moderate approach to these closures. This is not just a question of the bookstore's viability, it's also a question of public safety and public access that affects all of us as we move between Q and P Streets: with our heavy shopping bags, strolling our pets, navigating our strollers, etc.

If my current efforts don't work, you will hear from me, as I will have to ask for additional public support.

Thank you,

- Candida Mannozzi -