The squeaky wheel gets the field

The squeaky wheel gets the field

Pushing back can work. Last week we reported on a group of Petworth neighbors fighting to prevent a small grassy field inside an alley from becoming a new row home development with 9 units. It appears they were successful.

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Fighting to keep a field inside an alley from becoming row homes

Fighting to keep a field inside an alley from becoming row homes

Step out of Upshur Pool, cross 14th Street between Varnum and Webster Streets, duck onto a narrow path between two row homes, keep walking and you’ll emerge onto what appears to be a typical Petworth alley bordered by trash cans and tiny, fenced back yards. But this isn’t a typical alley, it’s pretty unique.

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What are those bells and chimes so many have been hearing?

What are those bells and chimes so many have been hearing?

With quarantine in DC came a bit more quiet during the day. Less cars on the street, less people walking around, less overall noise. You heard the birds much more (even if they’re actually singing quieter than normal). In May into June, people started hearing bells chiming during the day, bells they thought they haven’t heard before, or heard in a long time.

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New house, new crime victims: a stolen truck and a shooting on Kennedy Street

New house, new crime victims: a stolen truck and a shooting on Kennedy Street

A man showed up at his new house in 16th Street Heights on July 3rd to walk-through the home with the property manager. He parked his truck in the driveway and went into the home. 45 minutes later, he discovered his truck was stolen. Three hours after that, the truck was used in a shooting at 7th and Kennedy Streets NW.

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Lincoln's Cottage slowly reopens to visitors while AFRH stays closed

Lincoln's Cottage slowly reopens to visitors while AFRH stays closed

President Lincoln’s Cottage museum, on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home, is reopening to visitors on Saturday, July 11th with three outdoor tours, after four months of being closed due to Covid.

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Is there a small crew of small people burglarizing area backyards?

Is there a small crew of small people burglarizing area backyards?

For more than a month, the emails have come across the listservs, each with a similar story to share: a bike was stolen from a backyard or a garage. Now, bike theft happens, but there’s been an obvious rash of theft across the area, from Crestwood to 16th Street Heights, Brightwood to Petworth.

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ANC 4C July 8th meeting agenda (virtual!)

ANC 4C July 8th meeting agenda (virtual!)

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4C has its next meeting on July 8th. The meeting is starting 30 minutes later than usual and takes place online via WebEx. The agenda is below (and always kept updated on Google Docs). It doesn’t seem like a particularly long meeting.

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Celebrate Juneteenth with your neighbors, in your front yard

Celebrate Juneteenth with your neighbors, in your front yard

A group of neighbors have put together an event to celebrate Juneteenth — and you don’t have to leave your front yard if you don’t want to. The holiday commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States when on June 19, 1865, enslaved African Americans in Texas were finally told they had been freed, more than two years after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

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June blooms in Petworth, all across the neighborhood

June blooms in Petworth, all across the neighborhood

I’ll start this month off with a couple of succulents... also known as plants that store water in their stems or leaves. We look at St. John’s Wort, Hollyhock, Daisies, Yucca and more.

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A history lesson, given away with love

A history lesson, given away with love

During this quarantine, my husband and I have continued to downsize. Using our wonderful neighborhood listservs from Petworth to Shepherd Park, we have given away or sold items ranging from fresh mint to be transplanted, a grill … and a piece of sculpture.

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Local protest demonstrations continue at Sherman Circle & the Meditation Park

Local protest demonstrations continue at Sherman Circle & the Meditation Park

Area residents and families have been gathering at local parks to show support for the ongoing protests in DC, around the country and around the world against police brutality, in support of equality and to shout out that Black Lives Matter.

Two groups that have stated their intention to keep the demonstrations going are meeting at the Meditation Park at 13th and Quincy and at Sherman Circle in the early evenings starting at 5pm.

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We're hyperlocal-only news, but are you kidding me?

We're hyperlocal-only news, but are you kidding me?

I take it as both pride and necessity to only cover local Petworth area news, avoiding national and citywide news. There’s plenty of news outlets who cover both, and they do amazing work. Petworth News is most definitely not my full time job: it’s a hobby, a way to give to my community, and what I call my “bad habit keeping me up at night” writing articles, sharing tweets, etc. I have a full-time job, a family, other things I do. If I covered more than local, it would take all my time. So, I draw a line. Local new only, and only when I can.

As so many are, I was horrified by George Floyd’s murder. I felt powerless, angry, disgusted, frustrated, depressed.

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Shooting at Georgia & Quincy on Friday night with one victim (updated)

Shooting at Georgia & Quincy on Friday night with one victim (updated)

We are averaging one shooting every four days now.

Add one more shooting to the numbers as there was a shooting at Georgia Avenue and Quincy Street NW around 9:30pm. This was the same location as the scene of a shooting on Monday, May 25th.

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El Torogoz gets a makeover, and gets ready to open patio service

El Torogoz gets a makeover, and gets ready to open patio service

The El Salvadoran restaurant opened as a take-out kitchen in 2000, when the location was originally a used furniture store. In April of 2005, owner David Ventura was able to get the full space and renovated it to become a sit-down restaurant. Fifteen years later and the restaurant is still doing well, but the interior was old and needed a makeover. Now they’re ready to welcome customer back.

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