Happy Tuesday! Over on Twitter, we’ve been reminiscing about our pre-pandemic selves and what that looked like.
We’ve also been sharing the daily coronavirus data from the office of the Mayor. It’s interesting to note that the transmission rate has gone up in the past few days. The daily case rate has also gone up. I’ve made the data into a thread so you can see the day-to-day changes easily:
It’s been seven years since 8-year old Relisha Rudd disappeared from DC General (NBC-Washington) and MPD is no closer to finding her now than they were back then. The article includes a MPD-generated graphic showing what Relisha might look like today. I’ve mentioned WAMU’s podcast “Through The Cracks” in previous Buzzes, but if you haven’t listened, you should. It’s extremely well researched and heartbreaking. Listening to her little young voice will affect you deeply.
Having a more progressive administration in power means that you get to see things like Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg riding a Capital Bikeshare around Navy Yard. #BikeDC was eager to point out that his seat was too low and we all lost our minds when he acknowledged the tip (WUSA-9). Seeing figures in powerful positions seemingly being “like the rest of us” — like First Lady Jill Biden dropping by the Sweet Lobby or, most recently, a small Black-owned coffeeshop in Richmond, VA, is exciting, (Washington Post) but it’s also a cleverly calculated move to support causes dear to their hearts. And if those causes are cleaner forms of transportation and supporting small and Black-owned businesses, it’s a great use of your star power.
A project on 17th and Benning will soon take off after being sold to a new developer (Bisnow). We may live in a more progressive timeline, but a project that has only 8% of its 180 units deemed affordable in an Opportunity Zone makes you really go hmm. And by hmm, I mean, Hmm, 14 units out of 180 doesn’t sound like enough units, DMPED.
In food news, Washingtonian highlights Shilling Canning Company’s Ampersandwich pop-up, which you can order from here. I may have to indulge and get a McReid at some point in the very near future. Eater noted the end of Finn MacCool’s. Hill Restaurant Group is letting the property go and a new business will be leasing the space. HRG also fully acquired (re-aquired?) Boxcar Tavern recently. Interestingly, in the same article, Tom Johnson, who is the managing partner of HRG, said this of revamping Willie’s Brew and ‘Cue: “We felt that we needed to offer a more upscale modern ambience along with a more sophisticated menu to stay competitive… Barbecue was too blue collar for the Yards — it got to be too bougie.” Somehow, I think Big Frank’s BBQ, still popping up on Barracks Row, would beg to differ.
Don’t mess with Chick-Fil-A… or their security guards. A private guard shot a man who had just robbed the fast food establishment at gunpoint. Washington Post
Are we still mad about the Capitol fence, fifty-six days later? Of course we are– reader Mallory B. suggests we have actually crossed into livid territory and I would have to agree. While we understand that there are very real security concerns, the fence mostly just presents an inconvenience for people around town and keeps the Capitol away from the people. It’s perhaps not a comforting thought, but if insurrectionists have had help from the inside, a fence could make a bad situation worse. This Buzzfeed article exploring how many of the insurrectionists from January 6 have come to be arrested is a pretty great read. The Washington Post takes a look at local frustration with the fence. If only the razor wire came down, at least!
Incidentally, a fence topped with barbed wire (and purportedly, razor wire) is illegal in the District of Columbia. Thank you to reader Joanne K. for sharing.
We had a few moments of joy yesterday, thinking that the razor wire topping the Capitol fence was coming down. As it turns out, they are just replacing one fence with another and the razor wire will be back up soon. Boo.
Finally, if you tried to get a vaccine appointment and you did not succeed because TECHNOLOGY, you are not alone. (WTOP) When DC tried to open the vaccine appointments to more people, a combination of technical and website-related factors colluded to make it impossible for many to book an appointment. Keep trying and best of luck, you lucky duckies. Right now, I’d honestly settle for a Johnson & Johnson vaccine myself. But I’m not complaining too much: I’m okay being younger and healthy and until I can get a vaccine I will be staying home and double-masking.