Category Archives: The Daily Feed

Media, The Daily Feed
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PETA Says WHCD Can’t Be Green If It Serves Meat

Photo courtesy of
‘Rib Eye Steak Dinner’
courtesy of ‘japes18’

PETA will not be attending this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner stag, as it sounds like the date they lined up will be a big heifer. No, stop groaning. The group is bringing a “cow” to the Washington Hilton on Saturday evening to stand outside the event with a sign that says, “Don’t Eat MEat [sic].”

The animal rights group is decently upset that, even though the organization has said that this year’s event will be the most eco-friendly rendition in the dinner’s history, meat will still be served as an option. Citing “environmental degradation” of the meat process, PETA’s statement noted that there are many negative impacts that occur on the way from farm to plate. They even asked the association to go completely Vegan with their menu.

It may be something to stew on, but wouldn’t count on anything changing come dinner time tomorrow.

The Daily Feed
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Kuwaiti Pups Up For Adoption

Photo courtesy of
‘puppy love’
courtesy of ‘::-::’

If you consider yourself a dog lover, then how could you possibly say no to an adorable face that needs a home?

The Washington Animal Rescue League participated in an international rescue this week, transporting the furry survivors of a deadly fire at an animal shelter in Kuwait that happened last month. The country’s only animal shelter is now no longer in existence, 40 animals perished, but 60 survived. 20 of those survivors our now in our fair District and need a home – that’s where you, the dog lover, come into play.

Most of the dogs are mixed-breeds and are all drop-dead cuties (see photos here).

Interested in adding one of these pups to your family? WARL says that some may become available for adoption as early as this weekend.

For more information, you can visit the WARL website, stop by their location at 71 Oglethorpe Street, NW, or drop them a line via the telephone at (202) 726-2556.

News, The Daily Feed
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Big Trouble for Schools Contract

Photo courtesy of
‘Harrington Signing Contract’
courtesy of ‘Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M’

There are some days that it has to suck to be Michelle Rhee. You’re busting your ass to line up methods to pay for the raises that you want to give to the good men and women working in the classroom in DC School, including doing some outside-the-box thinking to add non-profit stakeholders to the mix and then the DC CFO, who should be providing feedback all throughout the process, comes in and shits all over your parade, saying that the contract can’t stand.

That’s got to be a frustration that can barely be understood. Why wasn’t the CFO, or the CFO’s office inside the School District, cognizant of the problems that this new contract, and the methods for funding it, speaking up before the contract agreement was handled? Is this a place where Michelle Rhee got a little mavericky and didn’t do the due diligence? I don’t think that’s outside my impressions of her leadership style; this is the same chancellor who has said some pretty brash things in her tenure. Or is this a problem inside the DCPS-CFO relationship? The fight over whether or not there’s a surplus or deficit seems like something that would indicate that DCPS’ books don’t match up with the CFO’s books.

Regardless, this means that the contract cannot go in for approval to rank and file teachers, which is another setback for WTU’s George Parker’s tenure as president of the union, and as he faces an election before the end of next month, it’s going to be a priority for him to get the contract done before he can face his membership.

News, The Daily Feed
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Bus Collision Near Tidal Basin

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

We’re hearing reports about a collision between two buses near the Tidal Basin on Ohio Drive. According to reports, bus passengers were able to exit the vehicles, but the two drivers were injured. DCFD and EMTs are on the scene, and area traffic delays should be expected.  More updates to come as information is available.

Update 4pm: According to NBC, there were no passengers on the buses at the time of the crash. Apparently, one of the bus was parked on the side of the road when the other crashed head first into it. One driver was able to be taken out of his vehicle, while the other required extrication by DCFD and Emergency services.  The drivers conditions were listed as serious and life-threatening.  Ohio Drive is closed in both directions.

Entertainment, Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Mount Pleasant Music Festival Kicks-Off Farmer’s Market Season

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Hoffmann’

We’re supposed to have pretty stellar weather, complete with cloudless skies this weekend. With that said, I urge you all to spend the vast majority of your time outdoors.

Not sure what to do? Well here’s an option: The Mount Pleasant Music Festival is this Saturday. The event is FREE. Starts at 2 pm goes until 7 and should prove to be quite the outdoor event considering it’s the kick-off date of the Mount Pleasant Farmer’s Market season!

Interested in picking up some fresh produce and basking in the sunshine as you take in some of DC’s finest local music? Head to the corner of Lamont and 17th sts., NW.

Live acts include: Deleted Scenes, Frau Eva, the Four Horsemen, and more.

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Brooks Laich Is More Awesome Than You

Photo courtesy of
’43/365′
courtesy of ‘brianmka’

Imagine for a second that you’ve just been dealt the biggest setback in your career. Imagine you’ve lost out on that promotion, or had a project fail. You get frustrated. Your vision begins to tunnel as you look for ways to make the bad thing better. And you drive home. And it sucks.

Now, if you’re Capitals Center Brooks Laich, you stop on the Roosevelt Bridge to help a stranded pair of Caps fans change a flat tire in your post-game press conference suit and multi-thousand dollar watch. He then apologized to the two no longe stranded fans for losing the game, for not making it past the first round of the playoffs, and hugged them both.

I don’t usually get my heart warmed like this for sports stories, but readers? This warmed my heart a few degrees. This is the sort of thing that cities don’t forget. Thank you, Brooks, and we’re sorry it didn’t work out against the Habs, too. Next year.

The Daily Feed
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UMC Can’t Pay Bills, But Can Compensate Execs over $1M Each

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

The news from the Post’s Tim Craig are grim: United Medical Center in Southeast DC can’t pay their bills, owing over $1M to Pepco and close to $4M to the IRS, plus millions in payroll taxes to VA and MD. The worst of it is that there are several upper echelon people at UMC fiddling while Rome burns, and getting paid $1M each, according to Attorney General Peter Nickles.

Back in March, the Hospital needed an emergency grant of $120,000 for supplies, and later this Spring, they cancelled the no medical test life insurance policy for employees when they couldn’t make the premiums. The city took full control of the partnership in April, after it became clear that the folks at Specialty Hospital weren’t up to the task.

Look for the accusations and recriminations to fly back and forth over the next two months as the city foots the bill (well, more than the $100M renovation and debt payoff they’ve already done) as this one gets uglier.

Adventures, Business and Money, Crime & Punishment, News, People, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Massage Parlor Leads To Huge Bust

Photo courtesy of
‘I could use one of these right now…’
courtesy of ‘abstract duck’

After a six-month investigation, local sheriffs have made nine arrests and charged the owner of Green Therapy, a Loudon county massage parlour, with operating a “bawdy place” and allowing massages to be performed without a permit.

Two Green Therapy employees were charged with giving massages without a permit and, more seriously, a third employee was charged with willfully touching or fondling a sexual part of a person. Law enforcement additionally charged 5 male customers for frequenting a bawdy place.

The Daily Feed, WMATA, WTF?!
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Metro Looking to Dig More Into Riders’ Pockets

Photo courtesy of
‘Metro Emergency Button’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Wondering what’s next up the track for WMATA riders?

More fare hikes, for one.

WTOP’s Adam Tuss gives a solid rundown of today’s WMATA Board of Directors/Finance, Oversight and Administration Commitee meeting to suggest budget guidance; topping the list is the apparent “resignation” that riders will once again need to pony up to help Metro close its yawning $189 million budget gap for FY2011.

Fares are likely to go up across the board. Peak rail rates will go from $1.65 to $1.90, off-peak from $1.35 to $1.55, and bus rates up $.25. Also discussed was a “peak of the peak” surcharge, placed on riders who travel between 7:30 – 9:30 am and 4:30 – 6:00 pm on weekdays. The surcharge could be an additional 10- to 20-cent fare hike or a 50-cent charge to those who use the busiest stations – Union Station, Metro Center, Dupont Circle, Farragut North, Farragut West, L’Enfant Plaza, Gallery Place-Chinatown, and Pentagon City.

Metro’s trying to decide quickly what to do, as it takes approximately 60 days to program and implement fare changes.

Makes me glad I broke up with Metro when I did…

capitals hockey, The Daily Feed
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Ovechkin Named Hart Finalist

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_6331’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

Some upbeat news for Caps fans today from the NHL offices: team captain Alex Ovechkin has been named as one of the finalists for the Hart Trophy. The Hart is given to the league’s MVP, as voted by members of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association. The award is given to the player who was determined as the most valuable to his team during the regular season.

Good thing the voting was already completed for this one before the playoffs began.

The other two finalists this year are Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks.

Ovechkin has won the award the last two years; if he wins his third in a row, he’ll be the first to do so since Wayne Gretzky won eight straight from 1980 to 1987. Ovie notched 50 goals for the third straight season and led the Capitals’ charge into the postseason after being named captain in January.

The Hart will be awarded at the NHL Awards Ceremony on June 23 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Daily Feed
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The Washington Game

Photo courtesy of
‘Livan Hernandez Pitching’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

If you’ve got some affection for both our area and baseball then you might want to go give a listen to the segment from WAMU’s Metro Connection about DC’s baseball history. It’s a fun ten minute bit that roams through over a hundred years of history, but for my money the best part is about the time before baseball’s rules were standardized.

The “Washington game” included a rule variation that allowed the hitter to keep running the bases and racking up runs until the ball was found.

Guest Paul Dickson said “I imagine this was particularly effective at twilight.”

Give it a listen.

Food and Drink, News, The Daily Feed
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Porter’s: Closed? …or Closing?

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Fellow We Love DC author Dave Levy heard word that Porter’s in Dupont (located at 1207 19th Street) was being shut down so I ran outside my office to sneak and peak.

That’s when I ran into the movers. All outdoor and indoor furniture was being manhandled into a moving truck upon my arrival just 10 minutes ago.

We are currently awaiting confirmation from a source providing additional information that the moving truck is related to the bar’s final days at its Dupont location.

Look for more on this story as it becomes available.

Porter's: "Closed for the time being."

Update, 3:33 pm: Porter’s is officially closed for the time being. Ownership respectfully declined further comment. However, Porter’s does hope to re-open in the future. (Photo above taken at 3:27 pm via mobile phone.)

Update, 2:57 pm: Three phone calls made to Porter’s within the last hour were not answered. All calls received a busy signal.

Continue reading →

Business and Money, Food and Drink, News, The Daily Feed
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13 DC Cosis Change Ownership

Photo courtesy of
‘cosi’
courtesy of ‘sara~’

13 Washington, D.C. Cosi restaurants will be changing their ownership from Cosi Inc. to Capitol C Restaurants, LLC in a deal worth $8.4 million, which translates to roughly 4 million Chicken T.B.M. sandwiches and 2 million Signature salads.

Capitol C plans to expand its Cosi restaurant reach by opening  an additional 6  locations in the district.  There are currently 143 Cosi establishments throughout the U.S. and U.A.E., 44 of which, like Capitol C’s locations, are operated as franchises.

The Daily Feed
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Nats On-Track For Winning April, Beat Cubs 3-2, On To Florida

Photo courtesy of
‘9TH_1891’
courtesy of ‘MissChatter’

Here’s a fancy fact: After yesterday’s 3-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs, the Washington Nationals are guaranteed a curly “W” for the entire month of April. The Nats are two games over .500 and are 1.0 game behind the division leading New York Mets (who are hot on a seven game win streak at the moment, knocking the Phillies out of first).

The last time the Nats had a winning record in a season was September 2007. So this whole “being two games over .500” thing is quite a turn-around for a team that’s been plagued by poor ball playing since their inaugural season.

More good news: at least they’re putting it into perspective. Now that the Nats know they can play decent ball and have the man-power to do so, they want more. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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For the Greener Good

Photo courtesy of
‘green roof’
courtesy of ‘(afm)’

Building environmentally sound buildings is extremely important because people spend the majority of their life indoors, and nobody wants to live, work, or play in a space that could be potentially detrimental to their mental or physical health.  Furthermore, even more imperative, is the status of our schools.  A place where children are meant to grow and learn – and be safe – yet, many primary and secondary schools expose children to toxins and other potentially harmful deficiencies.

Tonight, the National Building Museum is hosting For the Greener Good Lecture Series on Sustainable Schools, where expert healthcare, design, and education panelists will convene to share ideas for building schools – discussing the art and science of the education environment.

Learn why greener schools mean a brighter future for everyone.

For the Greener Good Lecture Series: Sustainable Schools will be from 6:30 – 8:00 PM. The cost is $12 for members and $20 for non-members, Free for students with valid ID. You can purchase tickets here or at the door.

capitals hockey, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Heartbreaker in Chinatown

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_9124’
courtesy of ‘jessie.whittle’

As I exited the Verizon Center this evening, I saw a few things that spoke to what I had just witnessed.  Dejected Caps fans covered their Ovechkin jerseys with jackets and pull overs.  I walked past a sign showing a basset hound with its ears held out straight; “SURPRISED?” it asked. Frankly, yes.  Surprised, shocked, slightly embarrassed; the Caps, the best team in the NHL, had just been defeated by a number eight seed in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.  How did it happen? I’m sure there a dozen perspectives.  Mine is that the Caps never quite figured out how to get inside the Canadien’s defense and play the net. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Washington, DC: Birthplace of Television?

Photo courtesy of
‘Televised War’
courtesy of ‘Karon’

From the “Things They Did Not Teach Me In School” file comes this interesting bit of DC trivia (hat tip: reader Al McGilvray):

The first licensed television station in the US, W3XK, started right here in DC on July 2, 1928. It originally broadcast 5 nights per week from Charles Jenkins Laboratories at 1519 Connecticut Ave. NW, which is now the home of Gallery 10. By 1929, the station had moved to Wheaton (that location is now a private residence). The station broadcast electromechanical television, first in 48 lines of resolution, then 60, before finally being liquidated in 1932 by RCA.

By 1934 Philo T. Farnsworth was demonstrating electronic television, which is the electrons-and-cathode-ray-tube-based technology of our youth. So technically, DC is the birthplace of failed television technology, but never you mind about that.

Jenkins also has the dubious distinction of airing the first TV commercial, for which he was fined by the government as it was a violation of his broadcast license.

News, The Daily Feed
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Giant Duct Crashes Down on Cafe Owner’s Cars in Dupont

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If you work in Dupont Circle near 18th and Connecticut odds are you heard a loud thud not too long ago. My co-workers and I looked out our window to see that a giant duct fell off the side of a building on the corner of N St NW and Connecticut so yous truly went to investigate.

It appears a duct vent connected to the 1800 Cafe located on N St came crashing down this afternoon and totaled 1800 Cafe owner Mike Choi’s car. The duct also crushed the glass of his father’s windshield. Both cars were located in their usual parking spaces in the alley behind the cafe.

No one was hurt.

More photos after the page break. Continue reading →

Media, The Daily Feed
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WaPo Exec.: “Wait And See” Before Pay Walls

Photo courtesy of
‘Irony’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

For District residents who spend a lot of the day in front of computers, refreshing news sites or even just clicking the occasional link from a friend, an open way to get to content on local newspaper sites is pretty crucial. If you are one of those people, you are likely wondering if it will stay that way forever here in D.C., especially since other major newspapers are either planning or have already built subscription models that will impact how and at what cost we can have access.

Of course, given the prestige of the Washington Post in the journalism community, there are lots of people interested more than just cube dwellers about what its business plains entail in this regard. The answer? To be determined (and not in the Albritton kind of way). Speaking to a collection of student journalists from the Harvard Crimson over the weekend, Washington Post Co. Vice Chairman Boisfeuillet Jones, Jr. said the paper would “watch and see what happens before we jump into something like [the New York Times’ upcoming metered model].”

Jones did mention that something is likely in the works, but there is at least a little bit of time before we know for sure what will happen to the news we get from WashingtonPost.com.