It’s a beautiful Tuesday and it’s the Buzz. Despite nature’s best efforts, mosquitoes are not dead yet, but we keep going forward. What’s going on in the area?
First up, if you have a child ages 5-11, they can get their COVID vaccine. (!!!) Need to find a location? Visit the District’s Coronavirus portal or the Federal government’s vaccine portal.
Speaking of child (and adult) things to do, the Department of Parks and Recreation just opened their winter programs. Click here to sign up and for more information.
Traveling around town via Metro on Veterans Day? Service will be a little slower than usual. More info here.
Popeyes would like you to know that the poor hygiene at their now former restaurant on Barracks Row is not representative of their brand or all their other restaurants. A part of me is feeling very protective of the H Street Popeyes. WUSA-9
Over on Twitter, we had what many thought was entirely too much rat content and I solemnly promised not to keep it going. However, I’m leaving this item here on a rat who saved many lives detecting bombs. That’s the kind of rat we all need. BBC
If you are into real-life horror stories, why not take some time to look through our rat-story-filled timeline? Start here:
As announced last week. two developers will work on building Reservation 13 into a place with more affordable housing, retail and other businesses (more on that next item), but there may also be a playground named in memory of Relisha Rudd. Washingtonian.
Relisha should have turned 16 two days before Halloween; instead she is gone and feared dead. If you have not listened to WAMU’s excellent and sad Through the Cracks podcast, please do.
At a press conference yesterday, Mayor Bowser not only announced Black Restaurant Week in the District, but she also announced that there will be several new restaurants and at least one market in Wards 7 and 8. At least one of them, however, is opening in the western part of Ward 7, which doesn’t need as much economic stimulus as the rest of the ward.
Speaking of food, the Redye Night Market may have been too successful this past weekend. The event ran out of food and many attendees had to go look elsewhere, which honestly just sounds like… you bill an incredible event and everyone comes– AND the downtown restaurant industry gets a stimulus as well. What’s not to love? WCP
You may remember the story of our neighbor Sara and her stolen pumpkins. You know, this story. WTOP’s Scott Gelman retold Sara’s story. By the way– a rep from Jose Andres recently reached out to Sara, offering to cater her Thanksgiving feast. The generosity out there is really incredible.
In gun violence news, this story takes a couple of turns. Over in Rosedale, a woman pretended to be a FedEx delivery person and shot a woman (non-fatally), then tried to kill herself. Hope she can get the help she needs. NBC-4
Speaking of help, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Thomas and Louie Gohmert visited the DC Jail last week and shared some special moments with some of the prisoners, such as singing the National Anthem. Is this the farthest east they’ve ever ventured in the city? DCist
The prisoners Thomas and Gohmert visited are held in a separate area from the prisoners held in the Correctional Treatment Facility of the DC Jail (because they are under a different jurisdiction). However, the J6 prisoners’ complaints have yielded inspections on the terrible conditions at the DC Jail. Consequently, many of the CTF prisoners– about 400 or one-third of the prison population– are in the process of being removed from the compound because it’s simply not safe to live there. (DCist) Among the prisoners who are slated to be moved is ANC commissioner Joel Castón, who also happens to be up for parole.
The worst part? Aside from getting uprooted and losing his commission, Commissioner Castón will not be able to testify at a hearing on just how bad the conditions at the DC Jail are. Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen explains:
If you would like to help our neighbor, here is information from his attorney on how you can do so: