There are only EIGHTEEN days left in 2021. How will you live up these last days of our total pandemic year? Are you going big on your holiday decorating? Shoot us a line at info@thehillishome.com so you can be added to the #LightUpTheHill map! On with the news.
It may be past the beginning of meteorological winter, but the District is still dealing with the aftermath of a gorgeous fall: leaves, leaves, leaves. There are so many uncollected leaves, it’s rather overwhelming. Unfortunately, the combination of hot cars, dry leaves and unextinguished cigarettes or budding arsonists has made it so several cars have ignited over the past week. These car fires have been happening around the Hill as well as other neighborhoods around town (WJLA-7 and WUSA-9). DCDPW is on it, and moving as fast as they can through the glut of leaves. You can track them on this live map here. If you want to complain about how this map is not very truthful (NO WAY we got our leaves picked up the second week of November, DPW!), go to our Twitter. We’re all eyes.
Emily Lebowitz was having a regular afternoon last Monday, December 6. The next thing she knew, a random man was pushing her down on the floor. The fall broke her teeth and bruised her face and body. Kind neighbors rallied around her and her five-year old daughter, but the incident left her obviously rattled. Her husband tweeted at us and NBC-4 has an interview with her. The man who attacked her, who appears to be a man with facial hair and possibly dreadlocks — according to a photo a bystander took and which you can see at the end of the video– fits the description of a person who’s harassed neighbors in this area recently. If you recognize the person at the end of the video or if you’ve sent messages describing a similar person, please contact the MPD tip line at (202) 727-9099. And dear Emily– we’re so sorry this happened to you.
Just in case you missed it, the Council of DC did their first round vote on the new redistricting boundaries. Washington City Paper has a good recap of the hours-long meeting. One item that was postponed? A vote on stopping Mayor Bowser’s evictions of unhoused people until spring– a frustrating development for advocates. The vote may happen on December 21. DCist
Perhaps the pause came on account of Mayor Bowser’s announcement today that her administration will be exploring turning empty buildings around Downtown DC into housing. A Request for Information was launched today. DC Government
AG Karl Racine said in a press conference earlier today that he intends to hold extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers legally accountable for the January 6, 2021, insurrection and breach of the United States Capitol. Speaking for the broken pavers you can still see all over the east front Capitol, go get them, sir.
Speaking of the USAO for the District, Tyrell Morris, age 24, a man who robbed people at gunpoint on Gales street and on H Street NE this summer, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. USAO-DC release
You may remember that we first broke the sad news that the Harris Teeter supermarket on Potomac Avenue SE would close by January 22, 2022. As it turns out, this store is just one piece in a large puzzle of the changing needs of grocery stores and the acquisition of said groceries. Bisnow reports on the changing face of grocery retail.
It seems that someone gets run over on the streets at least once a day. This young man was hit on Friday while on his bike at 21st and Gales NE– a spot that neighbors and ANC commissioners have demanded to be fixed for some time:
Some are lucky and are able to walk away with just a few bruises, but many do not make it out alive. The intersection where 5-year old Allison Hart was killed by a driver in Brookland back in September, was turned into a chalk-drawn memorial by activists from all over the city, who want to make the streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians. Allison should still be alive. WTOP
However, not everyone is convinced that things like protected bike lanes are good or even safe. Former ANC commissioner and self-described Dupont gadfly Nick DelleDonne penned an opinion on the Washington Post [cached link] that made many activists and especially survivors deeply upset and hurt, especially considering that Mr. DelleDonne fabricated facts regarding an accident involving a young boy who was hit around the Dupont Circle area.
MOM’s Organic, we’d love it if you came into the old Harris Teeter spot. Or at least *I* specifically would. Please?
It’s so heartwarming to see the Washington Post highlighting a program that got started on the Hill, by a Capitol Hill mom. Congratulations to Jenn Mampara and the FoodPrints teams! As a parent, it’s been a true delight to see kids trying new foods and being unafraid to help in the kitchen.
Hatoba in Navy Yard now features a delightful infusion of Hawaiian cuisine thanks to executive chef Katsuya Fukushima and his Hawaiian roots. Can’t wait to have kalua pork with mac salad and two scoops rice, eh? Eater
Waiting for As You Are Bar to open, and it’s so important to remember that safe spaces have been steadily disappearing and are desperately needed for a new generation of LGBTQ people. Washington Post