’20_16A’
courtesy of ‘m hoek’

Weeks have passed since the horrific earthquake in Haiti leveled much of their capital city, and caused significant strike for an entire nation. There was a lot of work done in the immediate aftermath of the quake, but attention has waned significantly, with an 8+ quake in Chile, with the Oscars, with the start of Spring, and I fear that much of DC’s attention has drifted away with the rising temperatures.

Tonight, Roots of Development is holding their annual fundraiser to help raise money for their efforts in Haiti after the quake. They’ll be working in concert with the Inter American Development Bank to deliver significant aid and structural assistance to the beleaguered nation this year. It’s not too late to RSVP, so think about doing some good this evening, as well as getting ready for the Cherry Blossoms. It may be warm outside, but it’s good to feel warm inside, too.

‘Smoke, Farragut Park Washington DC’
courtesy of ‘Photos by Chip Py’

And for the 17^th day of March, Mayor Fenty said, “Let there be light on the tips of all cigars in closed quarters for two and ONLY two events in the District of Columbia on St. Patrick’s Day,” …or something close to that affect.

Fenty has signed legislation allowing an exception to the District’s smoke-free law for the annual Irish holiday due to a bill sponsored by D.C. Council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), member of the all-male Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. Which, when you think about it, is pretty shocking considering Fenty introduced and championed the workplace smoking ban in 2006.

The two events allowing lit cigars include the Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick’s  annual gathering of Washington’s business and government elite as well as the Fight for Children event in which a professional boxing fundraiser takes place.

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courtesy of ‘strangelv’

The news came quickly this afternoon when Councilman Tommy Wells tweeted that a new grocery store would be coming to Northeast DC, near the Safeway at the corner of Benning and Bladensburg Road in the Hechinger Mall. The new addition will be a first for DC: an Aldi’s store. It is worth noting that Aldi’s and Trader Joe’s are kissing cousins, both owned by the same parent company, the Albrecht Trust. We’re still trying to get word direct from Aldi’s itself, but if true, this represents a significant improvement for the nearby Atlas and Trinidad neighborhoods.

‘Greg Engert Tells a Story About Beer’
courtesy of ‘snapzdc’

Congratulations to Greg Engert of Birch & Barley/Churchkey (who Kirk profiled in January) and John Wabeck of Inox in McLean (who we haven’t profiled yet but Katie and Cathy visited Inox for Capital Chefs) for making Food & Wine‘s Sommeliers of the Year list. There are but 7 sommeliers on this list, so to have not one, but two locals appearing on it is pretty exciting.

‘Orchids’
courtesy of ‘flipperman75’

Our friends at Bread For The City let us know about a City Blossoms new garden project happening in NW on Marion Street. They are turning an empty lot into an “intergenerational community garden with education opportunities for children, youth and adults.” They’re looking for a few good workers to help them build it out.

There will be vegetables, herbs, native plantings, butterfly gardens, fruit, rain gardens and more that will be used to host workshops for area residents and schools. All produce will be shared freely through workshop participation but first year yields are not expected to produce enough to donate to places like Bread For The City.

Urban gardens are an important part of neighborhoods, not only for improving the look of an area but also for encouraging local food production. However, you should take care of your garden and maintain it to avoid pests, according to Sustainable Pest Systems Charlotte. On a larger scale, cities like Detroit are turning huge swaths of abandoned housing into semi-rural areas. Eat local!