November 22, 2015

Upshur restaurants: It's going to be a full menu of options in 2016

November 22, 2015/ Drew

Upshur Street along the 800 block is becoming restaurant row. We already have the critically and customer acclaimed Crane & Turtle, the long-standing neighborhood favorite Domku, and the local hangout Petworth Citizen. There's Dannie's and Cuzzin's for quicker take-out, and on the non-food side, Town & Country convenience store, Bentley's Antiques, Phillips Shoe Repair, Willow Fashion, Fia's Fabulous Finds and the hair care storefronts.

Coming in late Spring and early Summer 2016, Upshur Street will see the opening of four new restaurants. Read more about the new restaurants, after the break:

November 22, 2015

Funny cabbie, here's your pic!

November 22, 2015/ Drew

When I was at 7th and Decatur taking pictures around Sherman Circle yesterday, a city taxi drove up to the corner and started calling out to me. I realized he was saying "Take my pic!"

I went to oblige him when I noticed, sitting right above him on the roof, was his snack: a container of red grapes. "You might want this first," I said, grinning and handing it to him. He was totally confused at first, then he laughed.

"You're the Petworth News guy, right?" he said, "Yeah, I know you. I live right up there, a few streets back!"

We both had a good laugh, and I took his picture as he offered me a grape to share. Unfortunately, another car came along and I didn't get the chance to ask him his name, but he wanted to see his picture. So, here's your picture funny cab man!

November 21, 2015

A terrible assault and a group of neighbors working for change

November 21, 2015/ Drew

I heard from two readers that there was an assault and attempted robbery in the early evening of November 19th just above Sherman Circle at 7th and Decatur, so I spent time trying to figure out what happened since it didn't appear in MPD's email crime stats. Here’s what I’ve pieced together from multiple sources about the assault.

Read about what happened, and what happened next, after the break:

November 20, 2015

MPD outlines steps for dealing with burglaries in PSA 407

November 20, 2015/ Drew

Lieutenant Anthony Washington took over Police Service Area 407 a few months ago and has been getting up to speed on area issues. Beyond dealing with the spike in gun shots in the Delafield area, he's also looking at addressing burglaries. He pulled recent and historical trend data to determine how best to allocate his resources, and sent me some info on his next steps on dealing with on burglaries in PSA 407.

Read more about Lt. Washington's next steps for dealing with burglaries after the break:

November 19, 2015

Notes from ANC 4D November meeting

November 19, 2015/ Drew

The November meeting of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4D was a good evening, with all commissioners in attendance. ANC 4D has $12,572.80 in the bank — a big deal for 4D that shows their frugality with extraneous expenses has paid off. They've drastically reduced the amount of rent they pay and have decreased other office expenses. Now it’s time to give out some grants!

Read more from the ANC 4D meeting after the break:

November 17, 2015

Get your dance on and help support the Petworth Dance Project

November 17, 2015/ Drew

Sara Herrera-Kopetchny, who started the Petworth Dance Project this past summer, is looking for ways to bring the dance and non-dancing communities together, while supporting the Project. Her solution is a dance class series for all levels to enjoy. And while you dance and enjoy, you also get to help fund the 2016 season. Pretty cool. And it starts this Friday, Nov 20th at 7:30pm.

Learn more about the dance classes for everyone -- and how you can support this great Project >

November 16, 2015

MPD update on gunshots at Emerson & 7th (Updated 11/18)

November 16, 2015/ Drew

PSA 407 manager Lieutenant Anthony Washington reached out to me today regarding the recent gun violence around 7th Street and Emerson to say that he's well-aware of the area and resident concerns, and is taking steps to address the issue.

Read more from the lieutenant, after the break:

November 16, 2015

Not OK Corral: Gunshots continue at Emerson & 7th Street

November 16, 2015/ Drew

After last week's shooting and subsequent arrest of two suspects, one would think things would quiet down near Emerson St and 7th. Turns out, not so much

Read more, after the break:

November 14, 2015

A calmer evening: Notes from November ANC 4C meeting

November 14, 2015/ Drew

The November meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4C was, at least from the commissioners point of view, a calmer meeting than last time. Perhaps having the executive director of the Office of ANCs, Gottlieb Simon, watching with a video camera recording the proceedings helped. From what I hear though, the behind-the-scenes communications between the commissioners continues to be fraught with anger and accusations. Upon his own request, the ANC decided not to accept Taalib-Din Uqdah's resignation as Secretary and he remains in that position.

Read the full notes and see lots of pictures, after the break...

November 13, 2015

What's up with those lights? Getting a headcount of the nocturnal among us...

November 13, 2015/ Drew

Don't panic at the bright lights! Starting tonight and continuing tomorrow evening, the Fisheries and Wildlife Division (FWD) of the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) will be conducting a nighttime survey of wildlife population in the area. They'll be driving around the area with spotlights looking in trees and around properties looking for deer, raccoons, foxes and other nocturnal animals...

Read more about the lights >

November 10, 2015

Civics, happy hour and culture: It's a busy Tuesday in Petworth

November 10, 2015/ Drew

Tuesday night has a full schedule of events, from civic to professional to cultural.

- ANC 4C meets at the Petworth Library at 6:30pm for its November session. Unlike October's turbulent meeting, this should hopefully be a calmer meeting. (See the draft agenda.)

- Join CM Brandon Todd and other neighbors at the Ward 4 Young Professionals Happy Hour at The Pitch Tavern, 6:30pm

- Resident Roshani Kothari presents an exhibit and discussion: “Dreaming of Cuba” at Petworth Citizen Reading Room, 6:30pm

November 09, 2015

"Pride and Promise of Petworth" at the Annual Conference on DC Historical Studies

November 09, 2015/ Drew

Want to learn more about the history of the Petworth neighborhood? Join a discussion about Lois Cooper's film, "Pride and Promise of Petworth" being screened at the 42nd Annual Conference on DC Historical Studies this Friday.

Read more, after the break:

November 08, 2015

Getting a taste of Alfie's Thai cuisine - a pop-up dinner with Alex McCoy

November 08, 2015/ Drew

I had the pleasure of going to a pop-up dinner hosted by Alex McCoy, the former Food Network Star competitor opening up the new Alfie's restaurant at 845 Upshur St NW. It gave me the opportunity to taste some of the dishes we should expect to see when Alfie's opens.

Read more about the dinner, the expected date of opening, see pics and more, after the break:

November 06, 2015

"Better Know a Commissioner!" Krystal Branton, ANC 4D05

November 06, 2015/ Drew

It’s time for “Better Know a Commissioner!”, my blatant rip-off of Stephen Colbert’s old series. With these interviews, I hope to give Petworth residents an opportunity to learn more about the ANC 4C and 4D commissioners who represent you as constituents. The interviews are voluntary, and my hope is to have all the commissioners do one.

This time I’m pleased to introduce Krystal Branton, the Treasurer of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4D and commissioner of Single Member District 4D05 (bounded by Ingraham on the north, Allison Street on the south, North Capitol on the east and 4th Street on the west.

Read the full interview with Krystal, after the break:

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