Category Archives: The Daily Feed

Business and Money, Life in the Capital, News, The Daily Feed, The District, We Green DC
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DC Bag Tax Nets $150,000 For Anacostia River Clean Up

Photo courtesy of
‘Reusable Giant Bags’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

The District’s 5-cent bag tax, which started in January 2010,  netted approximately $150,000 during its first month of enactment. According to the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue, only 3 million bags were issued in the month of January compared to 2009’s 22.5 million bags per month average, and it appears that the new law DC shoppers has been successful in altering  shopping bag habits faster than was expected.

Prior to enactment, the new tax was estimated to generate $10 million in revenue over the next four years and would fund the Anacostia River Cleanup Fund. Given January’s results it appears that consumer behavior has changed so rapidly that this revenue may fall short of its original projection.

The Daily Feed
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Scoreboard Inspiration

Photo courtesy of
‘Nationals vs Braves – Run Teddy! – 7-4-09’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

See that scoreboard? That’s a typical outcome for DC’s most-loved and most-lost mascot. THIS is why we need you to come rally in support of Teddy Roosevelt, his big, fluffy head, and his poor technique. We’ll also drink some beers and generally have a good time.

LetTeddyWin! Join many of your favorite WeLoveDC authors and the founder of LetTeddyWin.com next month for our night at National’s Park.  

Tickets are now on sale for the event taking place Wednesday, April 21 starting at 5:30 with a behind-the-scenes stadium tour at Nationals Park, followed by “Let Teddy Win” related events, and the Nats vs. the Rockies at 7:05.

Dupont Circle, Fun & Games, News, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The Mall
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International Pillow Fight Day

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

I guess that early spring is the time international activity days.  Last week we had Kite Day, which was awesome, and this week we have Pillow Fight Day, which will probably be more awesome, I recommend buy amazon pillows, are the best option for this event. If you struggle with getting your mind to shut off when you’re trying to get comfy and cozy under the sheets, hugging an amazon body pillow may be just what you need. Capitol Improv is organizing a massive gathering on the mall on Saturday to observe pillow fight day.  Thus far, over 1600 people have responded to the Facebook invite. The plan is to gather on the WWII Memorial side of the Washington Monument around noon, at which time a few Capitol Improv folks will engage in a shouting match that will quickly devolve into a pillow fight.  At this point, the general public is welcomed to join in.  After a little while, the fight will be moved to Dupont Circle, where it will continue until everyone gets tired of it.  I missed last years pillow fight which had over 400 participants.  I’m not making the same mistake this year.

News, The Daily Feed
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DC Fire/EMS/Police Communications Down For Five Hours

Photo courtesy of
‘red white and blue’
courtesy of ‘willmeyer’

An electrical problem at the city’s Office of Unified Communications brought DC’s primary radio system for emergency responders to a halt on Monday night around 7:15pm. According to NBC4, system went down for about five hours, causing DC Fire/EMS and MPD to default back to their backup radios.

DC operates a trunked radio system for emergency responders, meaning that there is one master control facility for all the radio communications for the city. There are several transmission facilities, but it’s all routed through the computers near the big antenna cluster by McMillan Reservoir. The whole system went down due to a power problem, forcing responders to their backup radios. While there was confusion for a short while, the city’s policies for maintaining backup radio channels with Arlington and Montgomery County on the 800Mhz band allowed for an easy switch back to working communications centers. DC Fire/EMS set up a temporary command center at 6th and F St NW to coordinate extra assistance during the five hour outage.

Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Bender Arena To Host Wheelchair Basketball Game Supporting Veterns

PUSHFLYER3

American University, USOC Paralympic Military Program, Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity have joined forces to host the Armed Forces Wheelchair Basketball game at Bender Arena on April 1 at 6 p.m. The game features Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s “Wounded Warriors” as they take on the San Antonio’s Brooke Army Medical Center team.

All proceeds from this event benefit the Wounded Warrior Project and Push America, an organization dedicated to helping people with disabilities.

University President, Neil Kerwin, will be attending and speaking at the event in addition to wounded veteran and Wounded Warrior Project representative Ryan Kules.

Can’t make the event? The Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity – Theta Eta chapter from American University, the game’s organizers, encourage you to make a donation to the cause online. Again, all proceeds go to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project and people with disabilities.

For more information on the event, the benefiting organizations, and general inquiries, visit the event’s website.

The Daily Feed
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Commemorate Lincoln’s assassination with… free mediterranian food?

Photo courtesy of
’70A #6′
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Okay, these two things have nothing to do with each other beyond a bizarre bit of press release coincidence. Stacked one right after the other in my email today were announcements from Roti about their grand opening and Ford’s Theater about their annual commemoration, both happening on April 14th.

Proving that the evil that men do lives after them while the good is oft interred with their bones, the Lincoln “festivities” will happen again on the 15th while the free food is a one-time thing. Which is good, really, since the two locations are pretty far apart if you’re inclined to go for both. And you can justify both to yourself – while the Lincoln event gets you some culture the Roti free-for-all involves collecting tonations for DC Central Kitchen.

The Daily Feed
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Keeping the Lights on During Earth Hour

Photo courtesy of
‘(275/365) [Explored!]’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

As cities around the world turned the lights off on Saturday to mark Earth Hour, some of our most famous DC landmarks kept the lights on.  Earth Hour was  an international show of commitment to action on climate change, and over 4,000 cities participated.  Here in the District, the Wilson Building, the Reeves Center, the National Cathedral, and the Smithsonian Castle all went dark, but the federal monuments continued to glow.

Check out the amazing before-and-after shots of cities during Earth Hour over at The Big Picture.  Here’s hoping the monuments turn off the lights next year, as I’d love to see how different the Mall would look without the lights shining on the monuments and memorials at night.

The Daily Feed
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Million Militia Man March Probably Not Pushing Through

Via The Washington Independent, we have news of the arrest of nine militiamen for conspiracy to overthrow the government. Among the arrested: Kris “Pale Horse” Sickles, who about a year ago posted — and then quickly pulled — a YouTube video calling for a “Million Militia Man March” on Washington, in which large numbers of Second Amendment advocates would march on the National Mall openly carrying firearms, but doing nothing violent.

Sadly, with the arrest of Pale Horse, it looks like the Million Militia Man March may never come to pass. And that’s how America died and the Illuminazi Muslim Communist New World Order took away everyone’s guns and replaced them with healthcare death panels. Forever.

More from TPMmuckraker.

The Daily Feed
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Complaining about your job at a bar? Unheard of!

Photo courtesy of
‘the worst job in DC?’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Workplace vent site IHateMy9to5.com (think FML for the gainfully employed) is hosting a storytelling happy hour/vent session this Thursday night at Wonderland Ballroom. Comedian Vijai Nathan is hosting, and Speakeasy DC Artistic Executive Director Amy Saidman will be judging vent quality.

There will be drink and food specials, plus a whole lot of people whose job is probably worse than yours. Or at least, more entertaining. The fun starts at 6:30 and the storytelling goes until 7:30, so don’t be late. Or a written warning will be placed in your personnel file.

News, The Daily Feed
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Loose Lips: Vincent Gray to Challenge Fenty

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_8607’
courtesy of ‘dbking’

Mike “Loose Lips” Debonis of the City Paper has a big scoop this morning: Mayor Fenty will have a real challenger in Council Chairman Vincent Gray, starting tomorrow, when Gray files to be a candidate for the September Mayoral Primary.

The big question is: can Gray raise enough money fast enough to offset the over $2M already in the Fenty war-chest, and can he run a campaign based on the Mayor’s executive behavior in his first term and be successful? Gray was listed as competitive with the Mayor in a recent poll this winter listing potential challengers. Another question remains: will At-Large councilman Kwame Brown throw his hat in the ring, either for Gray’s old job as Council Chair, or to try a three-way battle for Mayor. We shall soon see.

The Daily Feed
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Obama To Throw First Pitch On Nats Opening Day

Photo courtesy of
‘President Barack Obama winds up for the first pitch 2’
courtesy of ‘sportsreference’

President Obama will be throwing the ceremonial first pitch at the Nationals home opener against the defending National League Champion and division rival Philadelphia Phillies Monday, April 5 for the 1:05 day game.

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announced that this is the 100th anniversary of Presidential participation when it comes to the historic First Pitch.

Politics aside, at least Obama’s had some practice with throwing out the first pitch. He didn’t bounce it at the 2009 All-Star game. He made it over the plate. Forget Health Care Reform and whichever side you choose on that front, at least we know the guy won’t embarrass D.C. in front of the flocks of Phillies fans who will be making the four hour-ish trip to town for Opening Day.

Individual tickets for opening day are no longer available, but 400 level seats in section 401 and 402 will be available for $5 starting at 10 a.m. on game day.

The Daily Feed
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Stair Climbing as the Next Trendy Sport?

Photo courtesy of
‘Many steps program’
courtesy of ‘spiggycat’

Here’s one more reason to stand to the right on Metro escalators– that guy running up on the left might be training for an upcoming stair-climbing competition. WTOP reports that stair-climbing competitions have taken hold in Virginia, with people training for 25, 50, or 100-flight races.  The article even mentions tips on stair climbing, like putting your heels down first instead of your toes to protect your knees.

With Metro’s escalator outages, we’re all getting a lot of stair-climbing training in, but be advised: climbing up stopped escalators is much more difficult than climbing stairs for a couple reasons.  The riser on escalators is a few inches greater than that of typical stairs (so you have to take about a 2-inch higher step on every step), and the tread-to-riser (the tread is the part of the stair you step on) ratio is out of proportion on escalators.  So if you’d like to join in the April 25th stair-climbing competition in Norfolk, it’s probably a good idea to stick to traditional stairs.

News, The Daily Feed
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Prince George’s Officer Not Charged in Suspected DUI Crash

Photo courtesy of
‘Prince George’s County Sheriff’
courtesy of ‘scoutnurse’

A local paper is reporting this morning that a Prince George’s Sheriff’s Deputy was released without charges in a suspected DUI incident. The officer’s personal vehicle was found in a ditch, and the deputy failed field sobriety tests, but he was let go without any charges in early March. A sergeant with the Sheriff’s Office ordered the release, and is now serving a suspension for the decision.

The creepy part of the story? The person who brought this decision to light? Sgt. Rafael Hylton, the brother of the current PG County Police Chief Roberto Hylton. Guess who’s running for Sheriff? Sgt. Rafael Hylton. Sgt. Hylton is currently claiming that he’s suffering from a hostile work environment for failing to support his boss’ candidacy for County Executive in PG County. Don’t you feel safer already?

In other news,

Freeman Klopott of the Examiner has the eagle eyes. Late yesterday, he spotted a series of dropped cases by D.C Attorney General Irvin Nathan, all of which were DUI cases. Last Spring, the Intoxilyzer 5000 series blood alcohol testers fell under serious scrutiny when 8 of the department’s 10 units were suspected of producing faulty results. Since then, the Police Department has been trying to get the new Intoximeter machines certified with the medical examiner’s office, but failing that, they were pulled off the street last week.

Police were collecting evidence using the Intoximeter machines, but according to internal police emails presented by Klopott, not presenting those results in court as certified evidence, due to the conflict with the medical examiner’s officer over certification. As an intermediary measure, police are now collecting urine samples from suspects to use in court. If you have been charged with DUI, read here the steps you will need to take to ensure a successful defense.

I think there’s something doubly scary here: 1) That Police can’t trust their own equipment to give them solid results and 2) even if they could, watching case after case be thrown out while the potentially irresponsible go free without punishment will have an effect on morale.

The Daily Feed
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Can Teddy Win?

Photo courtesy of
‘Reflective Teddy’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Do we even want him to win?

It’s questions like these that we’re hoping the founder of LetTeddyWin.com can shed some light on when he joins us next month for our night at National’s Park.

Tickets are now on sale for the event taking place Wednesday, April 21 starting at 5:30 with a behind-the-scenes stadium tour at Nationals Park, followed by “Let Teddy Win” related events, and the Nats vs. the Rockies at 7:05.

What do you think about Teddy and his losing streak? What happens if and when he wins?

The Daily Feed
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Heightened Metro Security Today

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

Due to the attack on the Moscow subway system earlier today, Metro opened today with heightened security. So if you saw dogs, more Metro police, etc., that would be why. Acting Metro Transit Police Chief Jeri Lee says that the heightened security will last at least through the Nuclear Security Summit scheduled for April 12-13.

Unrelated to the Moscow attack, there will also be a Metro emergency response drill at RFK stadium today simulating a bus explosion. So don’t freak out if you’re over there.

The Daily Feed
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Top Three Rotation Spots Locked, Says Riggleman

Photo courtesy of
‘Goes Well With Apple Pie’
courtesy of ‘gfpeck’

(via @AdamKilgoreWP on Twitter) Lannan, Marquis, Stammen will be the #Nats first three starters this year, Riggleman says. Livo a likely 4th. Mock, Martin, Olsen for 5th.

This is Lannan‘s second year starting as the Nationals Ace for Opening Day.

Marquis has been shaky this Spring Training, with a 14.40 ERA. His attitude remains upbeat despite the not-so-brag-worthy start to run with the Nats. “Whether you have the No. 1 spot locked up or the No. 5 spot locked up, you still want to go out there and compete and not embarrass yourself or your teammates,” Marquis told WaPo’s Adam Kilgore. “Hopefully that’s what you do you when it comes close to the end of spring training.” Let’s not forget, Maqruis was an All-Star in 2009. If he doesn’t show he’s got the arm, then we’ll see how long he stays in Washington.

There’s something about Stammen though. When I spoke with him at NatsFest back in January he said something that struck me. “The Nationals empire is coming soon,” Stammen said. “The Verizon Center is always packed because the Caps and the Wizards create a winning product. It’s our time now.” Stammen had no clue he’d be starting for the Nats in January. He just loves to play and loves to play for a team that wants him there.

Riggleman is still working the last two spots for the five man rotation. Opening Day at Nationals Park is next Monday. So those names should be in by then.

Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, People, Special Events, The Daily Feed, The Mall
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Photos From The Smithsonian Kite Festival

Circle

The National Mall is a place I don’t visit nearly often enough. Today was an exception to that. A childhood friend of mine surprised me with a call Friday afternoon saying she’d be in town for the weekend and wanted to picnic on the Mall — during the KITE FESTIVAL!

Thanks to her, I got to play tourist for a day (something I haven’t done for a very long time). Here are some highlights from the Smithsonian’s Kite Festival and parading about the National Mall after the page break Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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That Settles That: Grunfeld Says Arenas to Remain

Photo courtesy of
‘Introducing Gilbert Arenas’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

The word is out this evening, and it seems that Arenas’ season suspension will be his only punishment from the Wizards. Truth About It has the word from Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld: Arenas will remain a Wizard, and the team will not seek to terminate his contract. The Wizards have four years and about $80M left on Arenas’ contract.

The Daily Feed
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Cheers to Cherries

Photo courtesy of
‘Pretty in Pink [Explored]’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

Here’s an idea to get your DC spring weekend off to a good start: cherry beer.

Joining the list of 2010 cherry culinary delights is Cherry Blossom Fest from District Chophouse, first served last night at the Slow Beer Tasting put on by Slow Food DC and on tap for the next two weeks.

This ruby-red, slightly sweet creation is a filtered wheat ale made with a puree of real cherries — 294 pounds of cherries total, more than 1 pound per gallon.

Said Head Brewer Barrett Lauer, “This beer is a great beer to start off with, or end with, and has a delicate cherry aroma that compliments chocolate very nicely. It also tastes great with a touch of Oatmeal Stout in it.”

Two good beers at once? That’s a combination worth trying. Cheers to the cherry blossoms!