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JUNE 2020 H 7

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JUNE 2020 H 9

IN THIS ISSUE JUNE 2020

G R A D U AT I O N SPECIAL

ALL OF US TOGETHER

#CLASSOF2020 CLASSOF2020 53 54

All of Us Together #CLASS OF 2020 Congratulations, Classes of 2020 by Councilmember Charles Allen

War against Rats Shifts to Residential Trash

Meet Your Neighbors at James Creek and Syphax Gardens

by Elizabeth O’Gorek

by Keely Sullivan

Cleaning, Naturally! by Catherine Plume

107

6 Great Escapes Up Along Our River

Middle Schoolers Look Ahead to High School

Dear Class of 2020 – Your Parents Are SO Sad by Jen DeMayo

Gap Years and the Class of 2020 by Becky Claster

High School Memories

From Your Family, Friends and Neighbors to You, Congratulations Class of 2020!

capitol streets 15

Voting Changes: Due to COVID-19 Voting in Person Requires Mask, Social Distancing, and Waits by Elizabeth O’Gorek

Unemployment Insurance in The District Skyrocketing Claims Strain An Ancient System by Elizabeth O’Gorek

War against Rats Shifts to Residential Trash: DOH Works through COVID Crisis, Prepares for Re-Opening by Elizabeth O’Gorek

The Numbers: Apply Recovery Principles to the District Budget by Kate Coventry and Qubilah Huddleston

Meet Your Neighbors at James Creek and Syphax Gardens by Keely Sullivan

Lock-Down Blues: Corona More Than A Virus by Maggie Hall

Jack Wandersee, 1934-2020 by Wendy Blair

Ode to The Cat Man of A St. SE by Gerard N. Henry

In Memorium: David Melendy, Broadcast Journalist by Loma Melendy

Nancy B. Smalley: A Remeberance by Alan Chargin and Emily Hayden O’Connor

by Bill Matuszeski

Due to the COVID-19 virus, What’s On Washington, Community Calendar, Kids and Family Notebook, and School Notes, will not be running this month. 36

Women of Ward 6: Diana McLellan (1937-2014) by Marci Hilt

COVID-19 Update: May ANC 6A Report by Nick L. Alberti

ANC Explores Possibility of COVID Grant-Making: May ANC 6B Report by Elizabeth O’Gorek

Funds Granted for Ward 6 Mutual Aid: May ANC 6C Report by Elizabeth O’Gorek

Housing Assistance: May ANC 6D Report by Andrew Lightman

Bulletin Board by Kathleen Donner

homes and gardens 85

Cleaning, Naturally! by Catherine Plume

The Capitol Hill Garden Club Presents: Dear Garden Problem Lady by Wendy Blair

Changing Hands by Don Denton

arts and dining 95

At the Movies by Mike Canning

The Wine Girl by Elyse Genderson

100

Art and The City by Jim Magner

102

Literary Hill by Karen Lyon

103

Poetic Hill by Karen Lyon

family life 107

Our River: The Anacostia – Six Great Escapes by Bill Matuszeski

110

The District Vet: All About Microchips by Dan Teich

112

CLASSIFIEDS

118

CROSSWORD

on the cover: “Degrees of Freedom” by Claudia Samper Acrylic on canvas, 20” x 20” How much freedom do we actually have? Can we fly free without attachments? Do we really want to be totally free or do we need some degree of attachments? Touchstone Gallery’s location at 901 New York Ave NW is temporary closed, but our website www.touchtonegallery.com is open. Please visit us online and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @touchstonewdc! Be safe!

Next Issue: June 27

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F A G O N

GUIDE TO CAPITOL HILL

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We welcome suggestions for stories. Send queries to andrew@hillrag.com. We are also interested in your views on community issues which are published in the Last Word. Please limit your comments to 250 words. Letters may be edited for space. Please include your name, address and phone number. Send Last Word submissions to lastword@hillrag.com. For employment opportunities email jobs@hillrag.com. 12 ★ HILLRAG.COM

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capitol s ree s t

VOTING CHANGES DUE TO COVID-19

Voting in Person Requires Mask, Social Distancing, and Waits by Elizabeth Oâ€™Gorek

A total of 20 in-person voter centers will be open for the June Primary Elections from May 22 to June 2 (closed May 25 for Memorial Day). Image: DCBOE

DCBOE has suggested alternating voting slots for voters, organized by last name, to help minimize lines and crowding. Image: DCBOE

ike everything else in the District, the 2020 elections are affected by the outbreak of COVID-19. The District of Columbia Board of Elections (DCBOE) encouraged all residents to request a mail-in ballot and vote by mail in the June 2 Primary Elections. Requests to vote by mail had to be received by May 26, and DCBOE must receive completed ballots by June 9. You can still vote in person for the 2020 June primary election, but not at one of the usual 144 precincts. Instead, DCBOE will operate what are usually the 15 Early Vote Centers as well as five additional, larger vote centers. These 20 voting places will be open from May 22 until primary election day June 2. Three in-person sites are in Ward 6, including at: King Greenleaf Recreation Center (201 N St. SW), Sherwood Recreation Center (640 Tenth St. NE), and Kennedy Recreation Center (Shaw, 1401 Seventh St. NW). Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. On Election Day, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting centers will be closed Monday, May 25 for Memorial Day. To minimize lines for in-person voting, to maximize social distancing, and to reduce numbers of people in these Voting Centers, DCBOE wants to stagger voting times by last name. This is only a suggestion; the DCBOE emphasizes that no voter will be turned away. Voters are divided by last name and voting periods into a.m. and p.m. blocks. Voters with last names beginning JUNE 2020 â˜… 15

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from A to L and from M to Z are asked to come in on alternating morning and afternoon schedules. You can see the suggestion in the image below. In light of the COVID-19 crisis, strict social distancing measures will be in place during line-up, registration or check-in and during actual voting at voter centers. Masks will be required to vote. Only ten voters will be permitted inside voting centers at any time, with line markers placed 6 feet apart outside. Those voting in person will have to wait in line, and lines may be long, especially on June 2. Same-day registration will still be available at these voting locations. The voter will have to complete a Voter Registration Application, swear that they are a qualified elector, and present a valid proof of residence. Valid proof includes a copy of a current and valid DC DMV-issued i.d., government check or paycheck, bank statement, current utility bill, student housing statement or tuition bill, a homeless shelter occupancy statement, lease or any government address showing the name and address of the voter. DC DMV has extended the validity of all driver licenses and identification cards that expire between March 1 and the end of the public health emergency. In line with that policy, DCBOE will accept those driver licenses and identification cards that expired after March 1 for same-day voter registrations. For more information, visit the DCBOW June Primary Voter Guide, available at dcboe.org/ Elections/2020-Elections. u

JUNE 2020 H 17

.capitol streets.

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE IN THE DISTRICT Skyrocketing Claims Strain An Ancient System by Elizabeth O’Gorek

t-Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman (I) spends her afternoons on the Seventh Floor of One Judiciary Square. There she sits with 100 other District employees, some employed by DC Department of Employment Services (DOES), many pulled from a range of other District agencies, to answer the deluge of calls related to Unemployment Insurance (UI) claims. Silverman, who is Chair of the DC Council Labor Committee, works in the auxiliary call center set up in the office of the attorney general, making her way through the hundreds of pleas her office receives from constituents made desperate by a bottleneck in the UI application process. “We are seeing just depression level numbers of workers filing for unemployment,” she said. “The system wasn’t built for this kind of capacity.” A look at the District’s UI system reveals a system struggling to keep up with an unprecedented number of requests from applicants. Many have waited weeks for relief to come.

The Unemployment Tsunami With 65,000 jobs lost in DC since March 13, many District residents find themselves applying for assistance for the first time, a situation Silverman said can be scary, confusing and time-consuming. It is an application “tsunami.” Between March 13 and May 21, DOES received 100,499 unemployment claims, almost four times as many received in all of 2019, when DC saw about 27,000 claims. Restaurant dining rooms were closed March 24. Unemployment rose to 11.1 percent from 6 percent in March. More than 40 percent of applicants for District UI are waiting for money. Of the more than 100,000 claims received by DOES as of May 21, only 59,914 people received a check, leaving more than 40,000 people waiting for funds. About 18,000 of those are 18 H HILLRAG.COM

in the appeals process, said DOES Director Unique MorChart showing the number of UI claims made each week in the District, from ris-Hughes at a May 22nd March 13 to May 21, versus the number of payments made per week. Source: press conference. Another DOES/EOM Situational Report May 22 17,000 were received in the 21 days previous, within the hours with DOES before the system abruptly hung time DOES tries to process claims. up. Some found out they had been listed as contractors by their employers when they tried to file, making them ineligible for regular benefits. Dehumanizing The outpouring of unemployment applicaOne in seven District workers are employed in the tions overwhelming DOES is further complicated hospitality industry, which has been decimated by by a recent federally-driven expansion of unemploythe outbreak, especially by the March 24 closure of ment benefits. restaurant dining rooms. Trupti Patel is a bartender who worked her last shift on March 12. Expanding UI She is also the Advisory Neighborhood ComThere is a lot of confusion around UI. UI benefits are missioner for 2A03 and an activist with the Restaupaid by the jurisdiction where the applicant works; rant Opportunity Centers (ROC), an organization only about half of District jobs are held by District that works to improve working conditions and wages residents, Silverman said. The program is funded by for restaurant employees and is now acting as an unofa tax on wages paid by both the employer and emficial unemployment consultant to restaurant workers. ployee. In ordinary times, the self-employed do not Patel filed for UI online a few days after she was qualify for benefits. With the onset of COVID, the laid off and got a notice from the system to call DOES. system has been greatly expanded to include more She spent six on hold to resolve a small clerical erworkers, beginning in March when Congress passed ror. She received a check in mid-April, four weeks afthe CARES Act. ter she applied. She was lucky, she says, because she That bill created three new unemployment prohad savings. grams. These include the Pandemic Unemployment “Director Morris-Hughes keeps saying we need Assistance (PUA) program, which covers many of to be patient with this, but people are starving,” Pathose previously ineligible workers, such as contractel said. “There are people that are still waiting for tors and part time and gig economy workers. The Pantheir benefits, people who still haven’t gotten paid in demic Emergency Unemployment Compensation eight weeks.” (PEUC) adds 13 additional weeks of compensation Patel said the pay of most hospitality workers had for those who exhausted their regular benefits for the already been decimated in the weeks before closure. year. Finally, until July 29, those eligible for UI beneIn her last three shifts, she said, she earned what she fits also receive the Pandemic Unemployment Comusually brought home after only one. Most restaurant pensation (FPUC), an extra $600 a week. workers, having just paid rent and bills prior to the seDC Council passed emergency legislation March rious decrease in pay, were broke at that point. 17 and April 7 that expanded eligibility, eliminating She said the system has ‘traumatized and dehuthe one-week waiting period and a work search remanized’ applicants, many of whom were on hold for quirement. More than $311 million has been paid in

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District benefits since March 13. DOES Director Morris-Hughes said some waiting applicants have very complex situations such as earning wages in another state or holding full-time jobs, in addition to the part-time self-employed pay for which they seek benefits. “We know that there are individuals that have not been paid,” Morris-Hughes said, “but we have to review literally every single claim that’s processed, and it just takes some time.” About 65 percent of completed applications were processed within 21 days, she added.

The UI Obstacle Course UI applicants face a number of obstacles in their quest for benefits. First, the online unemployment insurance portal is at least 15 years old. According to Silverman, it is written in computer code based on an ancient programming language that predates her birth. The system is too old to be accessed via mobile, and applicants were told to apply from a laptop or desktop using Windows Explorer, an obsolete system. The District has had funding to modernize the system since 2012, a project that DOES says is currently underway. Silverman said that the Council Labor Committee has been asking about modernization since well before the pandemic, receiving only “garbled answers.” Aside from the issues of dated technology, many lower income applicants must either cross the digital divide to apply online or use a phone. The closure of DOES offices, recreation centers, senior centers, schools and public libraries, closed for the public health emergency, significantly decreased Internet access in Wards 7 and 8, where broadband has a household penetration rate of under 65 percent. In the absence of a smart phone app or public online infrastructure, many have been forced to apply over the phone. Callers faced wait times as long as six hours. DOES has since asked employees from other District agencies to help, as well as contracting two call centers and emergency staff, including adjudica-

tors. A spokesperson said the wait time now averages less than an hour for initial claims. Still, the process is slow and frustrating.

Failing the Most Vulnerable But unemployment is outright failing the most vulnerable members of the hospitality workforce, Patel said. Undocumented workers are locked out of relief, disqualified for unemployment as well as food stamps. “I spend 30 to 40 hours a week fielding phone calls about how to get basic necessities to members of our industry who are extremely food insecure and have no way to take care of very young children, and babies,” she said. Unlike neighboring Montgomery County, MD, which established a $5 million grant program for residents restricted from UI benefits, no program is offered by the District to support the up to 30,000 undocumented workers who live and work here. Legislative language that would have authorized cash assistance to residents unqualified for relief was cut from the council’s April 7 emergency bill. That provision offered two options, either to create a system parallel to UI or a grant program like Maryland’s. And while Events DC announced in April that it would set aside $5 million for undocumented workers, as of May 24 the sports and entertainment agency has not announced how or when that money will be distributed. For Silverman, the COVID crisis highlights why the District needs to invest in our safety net programs. “I hope that COVID shows the importance of the unemployment insurance system,” Silverman said, “the importance of keeping it modern and maintaining it properly and making the investment that we need so that it works when necessary and at the critical times like these.” Do you have a confusing UI situation? You can reach Councilmember Elissa Silverman via email at esilverman@dccouncil.us or reach her office at 202-724-7772 ◆

JUNE 2020 H 21

.capitol streets.

WAR AGAINST RATS SHIFTS TO RESIDENTIAL TRASH

DOH Works through COVID Crisis, Prepares for Re-Opening

by Elizabeth O’Gorek

epartment of residential areas, as they follow Health (DOH) their noses to food. With peoProgram Manple being at home now, they are ager for Rodent generating more trash leading and Vector Conto overflowing trash cans. The trol Gerard Brown says he has pest control team has seen an been receiving photographs increase in residential burrows from across the District, showand reports of rats in residening rats congregating in small tial trash, some eating their way groups in streets and parks in through the plastic lids. broad daylight, which Brown “It’s not because people said is extremely unusual bedon’t care,” Brown said, “it’s havior for rats. because people have more None of the photos has so trash than their cans hold.” far come from the Capitol Hill The biggest draw for rats area, Brown said. However, as is the food waste, Brown said, the public health emergency and one of the best ways to dedrags on and restaurants remain ter rats is to keep trash cans closed to diners, rats are likely to sealed and keep food waste out get more and more innovative in A rat crawls out of a trash can into the of the cans. recycling. Keeping lids tightly sealed and searching for sources of food. Brown says there are a few how much food waste is avail“Rats are smart, they’re reducing ways to make homes and trash able can help deter visits from the vermin, genius – so they’ll figure it out,” Brown said. Photo: E. O’Gorek/CCN less attractive to rats looking he said. for things to eat. First, if your While the idea of gangs of rats might seem threattrash cans are full, keep food waste inside until just ening to people, they are unlikely to be a danger to before collection times. Second, where possible, put humans, Brown said. Rather, the change in behavior food waste down the garbage disposal. Finally, make shows that the rats are hungry enough to take risks. sure your home is rodent proofed. Rats only need a “The game has changed from when they could sneak space between a quarter and a half inch in diameter to around at night unseen and eat any time,” Brown said.

More Rats in Residential Areas Brown and his Vector Control Team continue to wage war against the pests through the COVID-19 crisis. All 18 full-time pest controllers are working as essential workers and respond to calls to fight rats daily, doing proactive inspections and monitoring areas with known high levels of rat activity. When residents make complaints to 311, they are now received by the Vector Control Team in real time. Rats are also increasingly being seen in 22 H HILLRAG.COM

get into homes, Brown said. Check for daylight under doors or places where pipes and cords enter homes. Fill them with cement or steel wool. Brown and his team will also come out to treat rat burrows on public property, such as tree boxes, and on private property by request. Residents can collect signatures of residents living on a particular block using a DOH petition, and then call DOH to arrange for the team to come out and treat burrows on neighborhood properties all at once, returning monthly to provide rodent treatment until rats are eliminated.

Expansion of Rat Sterilization Program

DOH has new tools in their arsenal to control the District rat population. Since December, they have been using the BorrowRx carbon monoxide producing machine, which allows pest controllers to inject gas into rat burrows and kill them instantly. Brown said the tool has been used throughout the District, including on known burrows in tree boxes on the 700 block of Pennsylvania Avenue SE. That product was only introduced in January, but Brown has expressed his confidence in the machine, which kills rats in their homes, making their burrows their graves. A rat sterilization pilot project undertaken in partnership between DOH and pest control company SenesTech has been ongoing for the last year. The company has provided containers of ContraPest, a rat contraceptive, for placement throughout the city. Rats like the chemical, and drink it, chemically sterilizing themselves and helping to lower the rat population. According to SenesTech, under ideal conditions, two mating rats can produce up to 15,000 descendants in one year. Although Brown is reluctant to deem the sterilization project a success, he said that early observations indicate that the District is seeing a reduction in rat popuDepartment of Health (DOH) Program Manager for Rodent and Vector lations. Now the program has been extendControl Gerard Brown at a 2018 meeting of Advisory Neighborhood ed, with SenesTech offering to supply a few Commission (ANC) 6B. File Photo: E. O’Gorek/CCN

Q: How do you buy or sell a home during DC Stay-At-Home orders? A: Safely! Ways to Fight Rats: • Rodent-proof your home by sealing openings larger than ¼ inch in diameter. • Close trash cans tightly. • Avoid keeping food waste in trash cans. • Use garbage disposal as much as possible. • If the trash can is full, keep trash in your house until just before collection. • Contact DC 311 or the DOH Vector Control Team with rat sightings or other concerns. • Request rat abatement in public spaces at 311.dc.gov/citizen/ home Call 202-535-1954 for rodent control information, outreach, educational materials, and enforcement. Find the neighborhood petition for rodent treatment at doh. dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/ doh/publication/attachments/Rodent%20Petition.pdf

JLC Team has sold the following homes using DC set protocols during this time: 7

1. SOLD: 233 34th St NE - Lily Ponds

2. SOLD: 525 Water ST SW - SW Wharf

3. SOLD: 1422 A ST NE - Capitol Hill 4. CONTRACT: 3815 New Hampshire Ave NW - Petworth

1 5

5. CONTRACT: 5359 Call Place SE - Marshall Heights 6. CONTRACT: 714 10th ST SE - Capitol Hill 7. SOLD: 1741 Lanier Place NW - Lanier Heights

Call us if we can help navigate your next move. Jackie Sink 202.352.5793 jackie.sink@compass.com

Libby Clarke 202.841.1812 libby.clarke@compass.com

hundred containers of ContraPest to prepare for the reopening of the District. In Ward 6, ContraPest boxes are currently located on the 200 block of Seventh Street SE, across from Eastern Market and on the 1300 block of H Street NE and Wylie Court. Boxes are indicated by signs and will be listed on the DOH website. Brown encourages the public to call and report rat sightings, especially if they see rats behaving in ways they have not seen before, such as gathering in groups, or congregating in the daytime. “If that happens, we want to increase our inspections and treatment in those areas,” Brown said. “But the only way we’re going to find those areas is if residents are telling us.” ◆

Crystal Crittenden 202.246.0931 crystal.crittenden@compass.com SE E OU R R EV I EW S ON Z I LLOW J LC T E A M .C OM

@ J LC T E A M

Compass is a licensed real estate brokerage that abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Compass is licensed as Compass Real Estate in DC and as Compass in Virginia and Maryland. 660 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20003 | 202.545.6900

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/The Numbers/

APPLY RECOVERY PRINCIPLES TO THE DISTRICT BUDGET by Kate Coventry and Qubilah Huddleston

he pandemic is devastating District families and the local economy. Thousands of residents have tested positive for the virus, and hundreds have lost their lives. But with many businesses closed and residents spending less, the District has fewer resources to meet the increased demand for social services. The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) estimates that DC will lose more than $1.5 billion in revenues—the money the city brings in primarily through taxes and fees—by September 2021. For families to come out of this crisis stronger and to build a just recovery, DC leaders need to preserve and enhance crucial investments in programs that help individuals and families secure safe, affordable housing, maintain economic security, and access high-quality physical and mental healthcare. All options to ensure a just recovery must be on the table, including examining DC’s tax structure, so those communities being hit the hardest by the pandemic—and those who were suffering even before—are not further hurt by severe cuts to critical programs. This would advance racial and economic equity: Black residents have the highest infection and death rates, and they and Latinx residents are likely to be hit the hardest by and the last to recover from economic fallouts. As the Council finalizes the budget, they should use key principles to reduce harm to communities shouldering the brunt of the pandemic and our economy:

Raise Revenue to Avoid Cuts The Mayor and Council should not take a cuts-only approach to maintain crucial programs and services and meet growing needs. Cutting vital programs

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will not only worsen the economy’s fall, but it will also hurt families that are struggling to protect their own health, eat regularly, and pay bills. Budget cuts also undermine our ability to address underlying racial and income inequities that the pandemic is intensifying and respond to the economic harm of a potential second COVID-19 phase. Policymakers’ hands are not tied; they have options for increasing revenue. During a downturn, leading economists tend to favor targeted tax increases that don’t hurt the economy or low-income families over spending cuts to public programs that do. That’s because spending cuts and layoffs take money out of the local economy: when residents lose access to their child care voucher or rent assistance, they have less money to spend. On the other hand, revenue increases can add demand to the economy by protecting programs that help people secure affordable housing and provide for their children. To help balance the budget, policymakers should enact strategic and targeted tax increases on DC’s richest households, large corporations, and real estate developers that continue to have high incomes, profits, and activity even as the economy declines. This would also make the tax code fairer. For example, a teacher earning $60,000 in taxable income pays the same tax rate that a CEO earning $350,000 does. That’s fundamentally unjust and bad economic policy. Asking the wealthy to pay their fair share in taxes advances equity and racial justice—and it’s far preferable to cutting the District budget on the backs of low-income families. Ending special treatment for profitable corporations and businesses would help fix the budget crisis too. Each year, DC wastes millions on ineffective business tax cuts that don’t contribute to

economic growth, including the Qualified High Technology Company incentive, which the CFO determined is ineffective and costly. There’s no single way to address the budget shortfall, but eliminating lucrative tax giveaways will help stave off painful budget cuts.

Tap into the Rainy Day Reserves Given the torrential economic downpour pounding the city, it’s time for policymakers to take advantage of its reserves—or “rainy day funds”—to avoid budget cuts that would devastate communities and delay the city’s recovery. Prior to COVID-19 taking the District by storm, the city had $1.43 billion in its reserves. DC law requires local reserves be repaid within the same fiscal year and the federal government requires that funds be repaid within two fiscal years. DC leaders should waive the local requirement and ask the federal government to waive its requirements so we can fund immediate needs. Policymakers should use some of the $500 million that was leftover in the budget at the end of the 2019 fiscal year. DC law requires some of this money to be funneled into its reserves, while the remaining funds must be split between the Housing Production Trust Fund and funds for capital projects. Policymakers should redirect the capital funds to protect urgent needs.

Preserve Safety Net Programs The District should put people first to protect and strengthen services that help with basic needs like cash and food assistance, housing, and health care. The CFO predicts that DC’s unemployment rate will reach 18 percent, meaning tens of thousands of our neighbors will need more help affording the basics and paying rent. A just economic recovery also

requires policymakers to advance racial justice. Black and brown DC residents are carrying an unequal burden of the virus, reflecting the legacy of racism and ongoing inequitable access to culturally-competent health care, quality housing, and well-paying jobs that could otherwise soften the blow of the health pandemic and economic downturn. During the Great Recession, District leaders took steps that worsened inequities—including cutting cash benefits for low-income families and slashing the education budget. DC cannot repeat this history—policymakers should raise adequate amounts of revenue to pass a budget that protects anti-poverty programs that the city’s most vulnerable families need to survive the pandemic.

Engage the Community in Budget Decisions All Council committees should host at least one live, virtual hearing for public witness voices and accept additional input through multiple means of communication for the budget hearing process. Given the tough decisions policymakers will need to make, the Council should be trying to expand public participation, not limit it, to ensure that the people most impacted by the shrinking economy and public health crisis have their voices heard. Devastating budget cuts are not inevitabilities, they are choices. Policymakers must choose to lessen the harm of the pandemic by making budget and policy choices that help make our city better for all residents. u

JUNE 2020 H 25

.capitol streets.

MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS AT JAMES CREEK AND SYPHAX GARDENS

ll along Half Street SW are hundreds of brick walk-up apartments and townhouses home to hundreds of DC residents. The street is the site for two public housing complexes: James Creek and Syphax Gardens, both owned and managed by the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA), a federal independent agency. By their exterior, the properties have subtle differences. Walking northbound from the 1500 block, visitors might notice three-story apartments transition to two-story units. The awnings flip colors, from Syphax’s primary blue to red for James Creek. Yet despite proximity and similar design, Syphax and James Creek were built over a decade apart. On the inside, the difference is stark. Syphax, according to DCHA, is in “extremely urgent” need of repair. The homes of James Creek, on the other hand, remain overall in good shape.

The Landlord DCHA is an independent federal agency that is almost completely funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The agency controls 56 federally-owned parcels of land, managing over 8,000 affordable housing units. According to DCHA, more than 2,600 of these units are in “extremely urgent” condition, citing decadesold infrastructure and dwindling funds from the federal government. DCHA is managed by an eleven-member board

by Keely Sullivan encouraged to join the board by its former president, Phyllis Martin, whom she worked closely with on ad hoc outreach efforts. “I remember her sending me to Ms. Martin’s house because her heat wasn’t on,” Spencer said. To Spencer, Martin’s and other board members’ compassion was infectious. “They were in the community, and they just loved their community.” Spencer, now president for the last four years, manages resident affairs for 470 tenants in 239 townhomes. In all, the James Creek complex occupies 15.16 acres between M and O Streets SW. It was built in 1942 by the Alley Dwelling Authority (ADA), a federal agency created by Congress in 1938 to redevelop the city’s notorious alley dwellings. The project was designed by Albert Cassell, a prominent African American architect and professor of Howard University. There are 137 two-bedroom, 39 one-bedroom, Christine Spencer, President, James Creek Residents Council receives the Brickie Good Neighbor Award 15 three-bedroom and 27-four-bedroom apartments. Seven units are five or six bedrooms. Six units are used for non-residential purposes. 15 units are vacant of commissioners, five of which are nominated by the and in the process of being readied for re-occupancy. Mayor. Two are appointed by the Metropolitan CenThe majority of James Creek residents are either tral Labor Council and the Consortium of Legal Serdisabled adults or children, totaling 56 percent of the vice Providers, and the remaining four are elected by community. 15 percent of residents are single. An adthe public housing community. ditional 10 percent are seniors. Earlier last fall, DCHA released a 20-year transUnder Spencer’s direction, the James Creek formation plan calling for immediate repairs on 463 Resident Council organizes weekly meals, supply dilapidated units. Another 14 properties were slated drives and holiday events, relays resident feedback by the agency for “modernization and/or redevelopment.” Neither the James Creek nor Syphax Gardens properties made that list. Tenants qualify to rent at James Creek and Syphax based on income, age, disability and number of family members. They typically earn below 30 percent of the area’s Average Median Income (AMI). In DC, the AMI for a family of four is $110, 300.

James Creek at a Glance

James Creek: Built in 1942, James Creek was one of the Washington DC’s first public housing projects of the 20th century.

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James Creek Resident Council president Christine Spencer has served her community for nearly 15 years, though her record far precedes time on the council. She was

Syphax Gardens: Syphax Gardens is located just 2 blocks away from James Creek, yet the properties are distinctly different.

to city and housing officials and facilitates community rehabilitation programs. In the last month, Spencer founded Mother’s Voice, a monthly healing session for members of the community to discuss and process violence in their neighborhood. “They share their thoughts, they ask questions,” Spencer said of participants who attended the inaugural session. “They just open it. It’s like a healing process. You can actually open up.” Spencer’s work earned her a Brickie Award in 2019, a distinction awarded by Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen to celebrate service and good works in the area. “The biggest thing I’m proud of is the food bank,” said Spencer. “But Thanksgiving shines more because we put our heart and soul into that Thanksgiving.” “James Creek is home to me,” she added. “I moved here when I was like 6 or 7. I raised my kids here. Out of anywhere in the city, I would prefer to be right here.” In the last two years, DCHA has spent $270,000 on regular maintenance in James Creek. In a statement to The Hill Rag, DCHA said it has also pledged an additional $10.8 million to the property for building and systems improvements over the next five years.

Syphax Gardens at a Glance Southwest DC was notorious in the 1930s and 1940s for its alley dwellings, which prompted Congress to create the DC Redevelopment Land Agency (RLA) in 1945. By 1953, the RLA had seized much of this property through eminent domain for largescale redevelopment. Whole swaths of Southwest were demolished in just a year, displacing 1,500 businesses and 23,000 residents from more than 560 acres of land. Syphax Gardens was built between 1958 and 1960 by the National Capital Housing Authority, the federal (continued on pg. 35) JUNE 2020 H 27

THE LOCK-DOWN BLUES CORONA MORE THAN A VIRUS

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by Maggie Hall

o, here we are (well, those of us in DC), still on the long road to nowhere. For many I’m sure their endless days are like mine. Where, if you keep a diary, some entries might read: Ate six times, had five naps—and it’s still today. Or you wake-up wondering: what day is it? Is it this day, that day, some other day, who-the-heck cares day? Now that we’re at the stage we can barely recall what real life was like before our lives became plagued by a real plague, I have a “corona” fantasy. It goes like this: I am in California, spending time in Corona (yes, it exists 47 miles SE from LA); I constantly purify my hands with the hand-sanitizer that’s made there by TriDerma (imagine my glee when I bought a bottle and saw where it was from); I’ll enjoy relaxing in the park that’s full of the beautiful sight and perfume of Corona irises, before heading off to The Happy Hour Saloon on Green River Road to toast the town, that’s coping with an awful lot of pillorying, with an ice-cold Corona lager. Sadly, the next total solar eclipse in North America is not until April 18th, 2024, so I’ve had to eject from the day-dream the splendid sight of the glowing white corona that surrounds the sun, that’s only visible to the naked eye when the sun is blocked-out. Meanwhile back in the land of “lock-down” reality I’m so happy that at last the non-stop parody splurge seems to have dried-up. At least my friends know now not to send me all those “laugh your socks off ” YouTube offerings. Though have to admit that I did get a kick out of the poem penned by Britain’s queen of comic prose, Pam Ayres, after the President urged us all to reach for the Clorox bottle. Her reaction to that utter nonsense sped round the globe. She wrote: At last, we have a cure for all! Ailments large and ailments small. Good health is not beyond my reach, If I inject myself with bleach. Radiant, I’ll prance along, Every trace of limescale gone. With disinfectant as my friend, Like him, I’m clean around the bend. Though to be serious for a moment, so many of us on Capitol Hill were sent “around the bend” as our top-favorite, go-to restaurant Montmartre fell victim to the financial crisis created by CV. It was the first of the many pivotal parts that go into mak-

ing our community such a wonderful place to live, to fall under the crushing effect. Fears are high that it will not be the last. Other businesses, we’re in mourning for will, hopefully, come back before long. Like the hairdresser! My hair has never, ever, been so wildly out of shape and stupidly long to even look remotely “good.” I did give in and bought some clippers. They’re still in the unopened box. I even dug out the pinking-shears (long time since they were put to use), thinking they would give something of a sassy, crimped cut. I actually had them, in hand, poised to snip away. But I couldn’t summon up the nerve to tackle the over-grown mess. But I am in no hurry to return to the nail salon. My nails have never looked better or healthier, since that toxic gel manicure was abruptly eliminated from my “beauty” routine. While I do understand the enforced closures (which, fingers-crossed, might be eased soon), one very local crisis “law” is totally off base. What on earth is the thinking behind restricting the weekend farmers’ line at Eastern Market to a mere four hours. Starting at 9:00 am is OK but having to shut down at 1:00 pm. Not on! They barely have time to set-up before they’re forced to pack-up. Everyone has enough to put up with during this trying time without this silliness. Come on, Mayor Muriel, one stroke of your pen and you can rectify this daft situation. The farmers - and their customers - deserve to have the same times as the indoor market. Meanwhile the oft-used phrases, coined to help us feel better are so annoying. What on earth is “normal” about this “new normal”? And as for the “we’re all in this together” mantra, enough is enough. Consider those: being denied medical treatment; living in dysfunctional families or with domestic abuse; in cramped spaces without any outdoor space to call their own; who are vital front-line workers and those who don’t even have a savings account to drain. And after that litany of horrors being suffered by many, my main problem is shamefully pathetic. Anyone out there know how to stop glasses, atop a mask, steaming-up? Have tried all manner of oldwives tips. But to no avail. Need to find one that works. Because even if, by the time you read this, there’s been some relaxation of DC’s CV-rules-andregs, masks are here to stay...for a long, long time. ◆

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.capitol streets.

JACK WANDERSEE, 1934-2020

ack Wandersee died in his sleep on May 6, 2020 at the age of 85. The Medical Examiner said it was a natural death, not COVID 19. Jack was born in Rochester NY of longstanding Dutch immigrant stock. His father, a WW1 veteran, who had played the coronet in the US Army (and is buried, with Jack’s mother, in Arlington Cemetery), owned a printing business. In 1941, after a bankruptcy, he moved his family to DC and work at the US Printing Office, settling on Capitol Hill NE. Jack graduated from McKinley Tech in 1953, working during school at auto repair shops. His sister remembers him “usually under a car in our garage,” or riding motorcycles, and later never missing an Indy 500 in Indianapolis every Memorial Day. At age 19, Jack enlisted in the US Army. The Korean War was ending. He was stationed at Bamberg, Germany, becoming an infantry squad leader. He recalled “beautiful barracks, made of finely crafted wood, which had housed Nazi officers”. Upon return, auto work led to being his own boss driving a cab. “Jack would drive only a Crown Vic, his sister said, “Until his last – a Lincoln Continental, which was the best of all.” But better than all, Ms. Dixon adds, “Was his “personal” car, never used for cab work. It was a neon turquoise Plymouth Fury, which he drove for 30 years.” The Hill Rag captured Jack dusting the heavy snow off his favorite Fury after the huge blizzard of January 5-8 in 1996. Jack Wandersee made his living driving a taxicab for 60 years on Capitol Hill. Ms. Dixon says that the Sizzling Express on Pennsylvania Avenue was “really his home. He deeply missed engaging with people he would see there every day when it closed in 2019.” In appearance, Jack looked almost a vagrant. Eccentrically, he never wore socks, even in winter. Contributing dozens of pairs, Ms. Dixon tried, but had to give up. He shuffled along neighborhood streets in what looked like old bedroom slippers – although Ms. Dixon adds, “They had to be allleather, he absolutely hated any rubber, anywhere in a shoe.” In conversation, Jack never held forth, but friends discovered a man of high intelligence and

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by Wendy Blair Williamsburg, VA. Ms. Dixon states that, because they helped years ago when Jack’s beloved cat, Goldy, died, contributions in Jack’s name may be made to: Humane Rescue Alliance 71 Oglethorpe Street, NW Washington, DC 20011 Phone: 202-723-5730

Ode To The Cat Man of A Street, SE by Gerard N. Henry

wide curiosity. He was reading a biography of Shakespeare the week he died. Einstein fascinated him. So did Hitler. He deeply questioned a German visiting professor who had become a friend, about his boyhood under the Nazis. When conversation about General Lee gravitated to the name of Lee’s horse, “Traveler!” came Jack’s instantaneous response. Jack was thrilled when Amy Klobuchar, whose name he never could pronounce, sent him personal thanks for his $300 contribution to her campaign. He was quiet about his sincere feminism, but would erupt in outrage at current campaigns to curb abortion rights. Among Jack’s possessions, Ms. Dixon said, he leaves more than a thousand books, some of them collectors’ items. An unassuming person who never talked about himself, Jack would be surprised so many people admired him. His friend of decades John Distad, also a man of few words, says it all: “Jack Wandersee was a good man.” In addition to his sister, Jack is survived by a niece, Sue Wandersee Hohneke; and nephew, Billy Wandersee, both of

ack Wandersee of 322 A Street SE was known in the neighborhood as the Cat Man of A Street SE. Shortly after his arrival in the neighborhood eight years ago he adopted an existing colony of 17 cats—or more accurately they adopted him. He assisted in their feeding, neutering, vaccinations and periodic vet visits. In a short period of time the rat and mouse population in a two-block radius of the colony had disappeared and over the years an ever-increasing radius of rodent removal was taking place. With Jack’s assistance all but three of the colony cats were found homes and the remaining three were effectively adopted by Jack with two living next door in a heated tree house in a holly tree and the remaining cat in a nearby abandoned house which Jack visited several times every day. For the last eight years, he is most noted for his 10:00 p.m. cat walks every night with the cats that lived in the holly tree house. These two cats would come down from the tree house to greet him whenever he walked nearby, and walk along side him on these walks. In the last year one of the tree house cats passed away. Undoubtedly Jack is now again taking him for his nightly walks. u

JUNE 2020 H 31

THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA HOUSING AUTHORITY

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING AND COMMENT PERIOD FOR THE PROPOSED 2021 MOVING TO WORK (MTW) PLAN The District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) is providing notice of a Public Hearing and Comment Period to solicit comments on the agency’s proposed 2021 Moving to Work (MTW) Plan. MTW is a HUD program that allows select public housing authorities to design and implement innovative programs and policies with the intent to: 1) reduce costs and improve efficiencies; 2) encourage residents to obtain employment and become economically selfsufficient; and 3) increase housing choices for lowincome families. The Public Hearing will take place online on Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at 6 p.m. Email MTW@dchousing.org to register. COMMENTS Written comments will be accepted through Tuesday, June 16, 2020. Email your comments to MTW@dchousing.org. Alternatively, you can mail comments to: Hanna Koerner, Policy Analyst DCHA 1133 North Capitol Street NE, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20002 To request a copy of the MTW plan, please call (202) 918-1965; send an email to MTW@dchousing.org; or download from the DCHA website at www.dchousing.org/mtw2. REQUESTING A REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION DCHA is committed to providing equal access to this event for all participants & residents with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation or sign language interpreter service, please contact our ADA/504/Language Department at 202-535-2737 or ADA504@dchousing.org with your complete request. Please allow at least 3 business days to make the necessary arrangements. If you need a foreign language translator, please contact our ADA/504/Language Department at 202-535-2737 or email ADA504@dchousing.org. Please allow at least 5 business days to make the necessary arrangements. AVISO IMPORTANTE Este documento contiene información importante. Si necesita ayuda en Español o si tiene alguna pregunta sobre este aviso, por favor llame DCHA al (202) 535–1000. Infórmele al representante de atención al cliente el idioma que habla para que le proporcione un intérprete sin costo para usted. Gracias. 32 H HILLRAG.COM

IN MEMORIUM

David Melendy, Broadcast Journalist

by Staff

avid Melendy,71, a veteran broadcast journalist with the Associated Press, died on April 18 at the George Washington University Hospital after a long battle with cancer. He began his career as a one-person news department at a rural Connecticut radio station, advanced to anchoring positions at Hartford, Connecticut’s WPOP and WDRC, was hired as News Director at WNVR in Waterbury Connecticut, moved on to WCBS-FM in New York and ultimately retired after 33 years with the Associated Press. There he left his mark as a dedicated and respected anchor and special features writer, as well as demonstrating his versatility as a political, business, science, and medical reporter. His authoritative and sonorous voice was heard locally on WTOP as well as around the world on Armed Forces Radio. He especially enjoyed interviewing news makers while covering Congress, the White House, economic trends, medical advances and space launches. He was frequently assigned breaking news and was presented the Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of 9-11. After retirement, David continued his passion for the highest in news standards by heading the National Press Club Podcast Task Force, where he invested much time and effort on press freedom and media literacy causes, producing and hosting podcasts delving into these critically important subjects. That was David’s professional life. Defining, but not the most important thing to him.

Rather, his family was his lodestone. He led by example and his two sons, Seth and Andrew learned the important life lessons of responsibility, loyalty, perseverance, kindness, generosity, selflessness, compassion and humor from him. He loved the outdoors, especially hiking and camping, and he shared that love by enthusiastically imparting his knowledge of nature to his family. Whether it was sailing in the Bahamas with Andrew, rooting on the Washington Nationals with Seth, or encouraging them in their many sports activities, he was always there for his children and relished being a major part of their lives. He called Capitol Hill his home, and as an Eagle Scout himself, he was active in his local Boy Scout Troop, guiding countless other young men towards their own Ea-

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gle Scout achievements. He cherished extended family gatherings, whether large or small, and especially looked forward to spending holidays with them, basking in the love and joy they engendered. His friendships were deep and lasting, with some dating back to college and his early years in broadcasting. He was born in Corpus Christi, Texas to a Navy family and spent his early years in Hawaii and California. While in elementary school, his family moved to Manchester, Connecticut, where he demonstrated an early affinity for broadcasting by wiring and setting up a makeshift radio station that transmitted news and music throughout the house. He attended the George Washington University, where he had his own show on campus radio station WRGW and where he met his future wife, Lorna. During the turbulent ‘60’s, David could be found, microphone in hand, interviewing anti-war protesters as well as the attending law enforcement officers. In addition, he was instrumental in establishing an intercollegiate radio network with the major universities in the area, sharing news, events and music. He subsequently graduated magna cum laude from the University of Hartford. Besides his wife and two sons, David is survived by two sisters, Doriene Steeves and Muriel (Tammy) Tobery, as well as 10 adoring nieces and nephews. A private family graveside service will be held in New Jersey. Friends and colleagues will be invited to join family in a celebration of David’s life in the near future. In lieu of flowers, contributions in David’s memory can be made to Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press or The American Civil Liberties Union. ◆

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by Alan Chargin and Emily Hayden O’Connor

ancy B. Smalley passed away on May 2nd, 2020. Nancy was born and raised in New Jersey as an only child. Nancy came to Washington D.C. and worked in graphic design. She lived on South Carolina Avenue SE starting in the early 1990s – where she met and married her late husband Harold A. Smalley. Nancy was eccentric yet warm. From her blue eye-shadow to unique earrings and bangles, Nancy had an appreciation for art and design. A frequent patron of the Pretzel Bakery, she was quick to offer a sweet hello and chat while enjoying an iced mocha. She befriended many, including young children who were drawn to her friendliness and sense of fashion. Nancy was passionate about animals – her testimony at DC City Council in the 1990s helped result in the passage of current animal protection laws in the city. While Nancy had no children of her own, her friends and neighbors from the Hill East neighborhood will miss her dearly. There is no memorial

Full-Service Landscape Design & Maintenance

Thomas Landscapes (continued from pg. 27) agency then responsible for building and maintaining public housing in the District. It came to house thousands of lowincome residents displaced by federal urban renewal. Syphax is located to the west of Nationals Park across South Capitol Street SE. It spans 3.95 acres between Half and P Streets SW. Distinguished by modernist design, the development comprises 174 units and is home to 310 residents. A quarter of them are considered disabled. A third are children. Eight percent are seniors. 13 percent are single. Syphax has 141 two bedrooms apartments that average 775 square feet each. The remaining 33 three-bedroom units average 980 square feet each. Aside from window replacements, there have been no significant exterior renovations. 24 units are currently unoccupied. DCHA plans to fill these with new tenants. Six units are in use as resident council offices and service units. Syphax is an ongoing beneficiary of the DCHA Rehabilitation & Maintenance Fund, an initiative funded by the DC Council to subsidize ongoing maintenance projects in public housing. DCHA states it has invested $400,000 in the past two years in regular maintenance. Syphax is also slated to receive $10.4 million over the next five years, per a DCHA statement to The Hill Rag. For more information on the DC Public Housing Authority, visit dchousing.org. ◆

service scheduled at this time. Emily O’Connor and her husband, Reilly, and children Grace and Cormick are Pretzel Bakery regulars. They were friends and neighbors of Nancy Smalley. You can reach Emily at hayden.ea@ gmail.com or 202-697-3414. ◆

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/Women of Ward 6/

DIANA MCLELLAN (1937-2014)

by Marci Hilt

une’s Woman of Ward 6 is Diana McLellan, a self-described “jolly pariah” whose Washington gossip column the Ear became a puckish, first-read chronicle of social news and intrigue in the 1970’s and 80’s. The Women of Ward 6 Initiative by the Ward 6 Democrats is a non-partisan recognition of Ward 6’s women, which honors women who have worked or lived in Ward 6 and who have made significant contributions. Diana Blanche Dicken was born Sept. 22, 1937, in Leicester, England. Her father was a British military officer who became a defense attaché in Washington in 1957, and she accompanied him to the city. Her first marriage to Robin Bull, ended in divorce. She wed Richard X. McLellan, Jr., a professor of history, in 1963. The British-born McLellan wrote gossip first for the Star, then for the Post and finally at the Washington Times. She mock-lamented the foibles of public officials (“Where are standards?”). She detailed who was going “wok shopping” (getting married) or “expecting more than the mailman” (pregnant). She didn’t make a fetish of checking out fully every little nugget that came her way. But her mischievous, nonchalant tone made the column a hit as she chronicled the “glamorosos, biggies, the Fairly Devine” of Washington high life. McLellan poked fun at perceived slights. When she was left off a White House party list, she wrote that “Ear’s invitation got lost in the mail, again.” She once erroneously reported that statesman Dean Acheson had attended a party. In her apology to readers, she wrote that “Ear writhed with anguish to learn that Dean Acheson, who it had listed among Terrifics whooping it up at a divine party recently, is a teensy bit dead, and has been for ages.” Chuck Conconi, a former editor at the Washingtonian magazine who for seven years wrote a gossip and celebrity column in the Post, described her as “the best of any of us. She wrote a smart, sassy little column that had this effervescence of British humor.” Conconi said McClellan developed a flippant writing style that drew readers into a Washington social orbit that otherwise seemed

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irrelevant to their lives. “She wasn’t arch, she wasn’t mean, but she was clever.” She once offered advice for those hoping to stay out of the news: Do whatever you want in August. “August is when congressmen go away and drop one wife and marry another, when people build additions to their houses that other people don’t want built, when shops in Georgetown turn into porno shops,” she wrote. “It is sort of the Mardi Gras of Washington, when everybody gets away with everything.” In her post-column years, she wrote for magazines, such as Washingtonian and Ladies’ Home Journal. Her books included Ear on Washington; The Girls: Sappho Goes to Hollywood, which explored the lesbian scene in the film capital during the 1930’s and 40’s; and Making Hay, a poetry collection. McLellan was buried in Congressional Cemetery and her life was celebrated at the cemetery chapel with friends and family reciting poetry and recalling perfect dinners at her home. Jokes flew about her being buried among such famous Washingtonians to get the real stories. At the burial, her spreading a little more dirt around was a quip. Also, as family members placed flowers on the wicker-basket coffin, her daughter Fiona Weeks placed a tube of lipstick on the coffin. The repast was at Mr. Henry’s, one of McLellan’s favorite hangouts. At the memorial service, Roy Forey, a neighbor of McLellan, read a poem, entitled A Night at Diana’s Table, reprinted here with the author’s permission:

A Night at Diana’s Table I was lucky enough to dine at Diana’s table. The invite offered in the most casual terms — “just neighbors and friends and a peasants’ meal” — but it was more than that. Welcomed and introduced to everyone, no one could ever be on the fringes. Plied with liquor and opening chatter we were ushered into the dining area. With candles dribbling hot wax and flickering in the inebriated air, Diana and Dick held court at each end of the table. Diana disappeared behind the curtains and like

Merlin from King Arthur’s court conjured up tureens, filled with wonderful vegetables, beans, and tender meat in a sauce that was always delicious. Quickly we transformed into a huge debating table, where participants fought for their point of view. Speakers’ corner on octane, Algonquin on Constitution Avenue. Then, as the wine flowed and some took to liqueurs, others lit up, engulfing us all and sending us in a time machine to the fifties. On occasion, Edith might be persuaded to play the “old Joanna” and those of us with bigger egos than voices sang the memories of old. We left Diana’s table without a care. We were in the moment, and only our beds beckoned. Of all the tables I have been invited to, Diana’s was the best. Not by an inch – by a mile. Yes, the guests were great, the diversity, the stories, but it was the master of ceremonies, the conductor, the Air Commodore’s daughter who shone the brightest and made an invitation to her table one you would never turn down. – Roy Forey The Women of Ward 6 Initiative is a non-partisan recognition of Ward 6’s women. In partnership with the National Woman’s Party, Capitol Hill Restoration Society and the Hill Rag, the Ward 6 Dems initiative will culminate this year, which is the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. Marci Hilt grew up on a small-scale grain, poultry and dairy farm in Northwest Ohio. She is a retired communications coordinator and press secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. She currently writes and edits EMMCA MATTERS and is treasurer of the Ward 6 Democrats. u

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COVID-19 Update

could not predict what the coming days or weeks may hold under Mayor Bowser’s Stay At Home Order, she did share a battery of statistics, demonstrating to resMAY ANC 6A REPORT idents in ANC6A how closely the DC DOH is monitoring the current health crisis and what metrics the city will have to hit to begin the Mayor’s multi-phase by Nick L. Alberti reopening plan. As of Thursday night’s ANC 6A meeting, accordChair Amber Gove (6A04) convened ing to DC’s primary source for Coronavirus related the May 14, 2020 meeting of Advisory data and resources, Washington DC had 6,871 conNeighborhood Commission (ANC) 6A firmed infections out of 34,339 residents tested. Dr. to order via WebEx with CommissionIyengar shared that DC was experiencing a two-day ers Marie-Claire Brown (6A01), Phil increase in ventilator and hospital bed use, but a three Toomajian (6A02), Mike Soderman day decrease in daily reported incidents and as well as a (6A03), Ruth Ann Hudson (6A05), three-day decrease in virus related deaths. Ward 4 curStephanie Zimny (6A06), Sondra rently has the highest rate of infection, hypothesized to Phillips-Gilbert (6A07) and Brian Albe due to the high number of health care and other escorn (6A08) all in attendance. sential workers living and working in that ward while Ward 3 has the lowest rate of infection. Dr. Iyengar exCoronavirus Conditions plained that the DC DOH believes the peak of infection Across DC to have been on April 24 with an estimated 22% of iniAlthough Preetha Iyengar, MD, from tial infections due to outside travel into the city whereas the Division of Epidemiology Disease the majority of infections now are due to local transmisSurveillance and Investigation for the sions. Males ages 31 to 40 and 51 to 60 are experiencthe DC Department of Health (DOH) ing the highest burden of infection while the over 80 years age group still has the greatest rate of fatalities. Before beginning phased reopening, DC must meet specific criteria based on Mayor Bowser’s reopening guidelines including a 14-day sustained decrease in spread of the virus, a transmission rate of less than 1.0 for three days, (the rate is .9 as of the ANC meeting,) less than 80% of available healthcare facilities can be occupied, (we are at approximately 73% capacity to date), and the ability to contract trace all new cases within one day which includes having the IT infrastructure to manage all of this data. Once we have reached these thresholds, the city can begin the first of a multi-step plan for gradually reopening the city. This multi-phase plan, dubbed ReOpen DC, will be overseen by an advisory group consisting of former Mayors Anthony Williams and Adrian Fenty, DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, Former Assistant Secretary Nicole Lurie, CFO Jeffrey DeWitt, the Mayor’s Senior Advisor Beverly Perry and chaired by Ambassador Susan Rice and Secretary Michael Chertoff who will further be advised by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The initial plan establishes three phases; our current phase referred to as Emergency Response followed Stabilization wherein restrictions will be relaxed but metrics will continue to be closely monitored hopefully leading to Long-Term Recovery, or a return to near-normal operations of the city. Though we are still currently in the initial phase, Emergency Response, Tyler Williams, the Ward 6 Liaison from the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Servic38 ★ HILLRAG.COM

ADVISORY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION 6A AMBER GOVE, CHAIR, AMBERANC6A@GMAIL.COM Serving the Near Northeast, North Lincoln Park, Rosedale, and H Street communities ANC 6A generally meets the second Thursday of the month, at Miner Elementary School, 601 15th Street, NE.

www.anc6a.org ALL ARE WELCOME. COVID Contacts: To locate one of the ten public testing sites across DC, call 1-855-363-0333. If you need assistance self-isolating or are otherwise homebound and struggling to receive food call, 1-888-349-8323. To request a mail-in ballot or to locate your voting center, visit www.dcboe.org. Additional data, updated daily, related to the current health crisis can be found by visiting coronavirus.dc.gov. es reminded residents of a number of services provided by the DC government to assist those in need during this crisis. To locate one of the ten public testing sites across DC, call 1-855-363-0333. If you need assistance self-isolating or are otherwise homebound and struggling to receive food call, 1-888-349-8323. Ms. Williams also reminded the ANC that most grocery stores are offering senior shopping hours, which vary store to store and that DC has also established week-day grocery distribution sites around the city, one of which is located at Eastern High School and runs on a first-come firstserve basis on Monday’s between 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm. The Mayor announced that DC Public Schools will operate remotely for the remainder of the school year which will end early on May 29. The DC Board of Elections is encouraging all residents to request mail-in ballots for the upcoming primary election though voting centers will be open in each ward beginning May 22 through June 2, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Strict social distancing and health precautions will be enforced at all voting centers. To request a mail-in ballot or to lo-

cate your voting center, visit www. dcboe.org. Additional data, updated daily, related to the current health crisis including in-depth demographic and neighborhood breakdowns of those effected as well as a number of resources available through the DC government can be found by visiting coronavirus.dc.gov.

Motions and Recommendations 1. The Commissioners voted, unanimously to send a letter to the Distrcit Department of Transportation (DDOT) to request that DDOT pursue sidewalk extensions on blocks near essential businesses, including restaurants to allow for safe outdoor seating. Additional requests for extended sidewalks for safely distanced pedestrian activity will also be proposed. 2. The Commissioner voted, unanimously to approve the appointment of Jason Gresh to the Community Outreach Committee. 3. The Commissioners voted, unanimously, to table the recommendation to send a letter of support to the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) for a special exception under the penthouse height requirements and to permit a trellis that does not conform with the side building wall setbacks to construct two three-story buildings with penthouses at 909 and 911 I Street, NE (BZA Number BZA-TMP1070) in the RF-1 Zone, on condition that the applicant make best efforts to get letters of support from the neighbors at 823, 825 and 827 9th Street, NE, that the applicant remove the trellises from the roof deck, remove the side balconies, move the planned solar panels to the back of the roof, and make the back of the roof deck inaccessible.

The Next meeting is 2nd Thursday, June 11th, 7:00 p.m. Due to the current COVID - 19 Pandemic ANC6A will be hosting the June ANC Meeting virtually via WEBEX. Please check our website for further details www.ANC6A.org The committee meetings will be held Via WebEx as Time Sensitive items arise. Please check our website to verify if a meeting is scheduled and to obtain the WebEx information for that specific meeting. Transportation & Public Space Committee meeting 3rd Monday June 15th 7pm Alcohol Beverage Licensing Committee meeting 3rd Tuesday June 16th 7pm Economic Development and Zoning Committee meeting 3rd Wednesday June 17th 7pm Community Outreach Committee meeting 4th Monday June 22nd 7pm We appreciate your understanding and until we know that the emergency has subsided but please check our website www.ANC6A.org for additional information and updates.

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6C P.O. Box 77876 • Washington, D.C. 20013-7787 www.anc6c.org • (202) 547-7168

Check our website for meeting information. June 10, likely by teleconference.

ANC 6C COMMISSIONERS ANC 6C01 Christine Healey 6C01@anc.dc.gov

ANC 6C04 Mark Eckenwiler 6C04@anc.dc.gov

ANC 6C02 Karen Wirt 6C02@anc.dc.gov

ANC 6C05 Joel Kelty 6C05@anc.dc.gov

ANC 6C03 Jay Adelstein 6C03@anc.dc.gov

ANC 6C06 Drew Courtney drewcourtney.anc @gmail.com

ANC usually meets the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00 pm, 214 Massachusetts Ave, N.E. Please check the ANC 6C website for dates.

ANC 6C COMMITTEES Alcoholic Beverage Licensing First Monday, 7 pm Contact: anc6c.abl.committee@gmail.com Grants Last Thursday, 7 pm Contact: torylord@gmail.com Twitter: @ANC_6C_Grants Environment, Parks, and Events First Tuesday, 7 pm Contact: jgmccann@gmail.com

Transportation and Public Space First Thursday, 7 pm Contact: anc6c.tps@gmail.com Planning, Zoning, and Economic Development First Wednesday, 6:30 pm Contact: 6C04@anc.dc.gov Twitter: @6C_PZE

Visit www.anc6a.org for a calendar of meeting times, meeting agendas and other information. u

JUNE 2020 H 39

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ANC Explores Possibility of COVID Grant-Making May ANC 6B Report by Elizabeth O’Gorek

t their May 12th meeting, Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6B voted to explore the legality of creating a one-time grant from its resources to support helping organizations in the community. In two subsequent motions, commissioners voted to convene an ad-hoc group to ensure that it is legal for them to make grants, and then to come up with a granting process. The District Office of ANCs (OANC) sent a memo to commissioners saying that many restrictions to grant-making are temporarily lifted due to the COVID emergency to encourage ANCs to help citizens through the emergency. While some ANCs have grants committees, ANC 6B by-laws and rules currently prohibit the organization from grant-making. Commissioners Kirsten Oldenburg (6B04) and Jennifer Samolyk (6B01) noted that ANC 6B had historically steered clear of providing grants because of problems with process faced by other ANCs, as well as to avoid any perception of conflict-of-interest because of the close ties between the commission and community organizations. However, ANC by-laws and standing rules can be changed with 14 days’ notice from any commissioner, Treasurer Corey Holman (6B06) said. The ANC will hold a meeting by May 22 to assess what changes to regulations would be necessary in order to ensure that grant-making is legally done by the ANC and propose changes to make that possible. If grants are deemed possible, the meeting will also begin work on a process to make grants. The full commission could vote on rule changes and a granting process at their June 9th meeting.

Sidewalk Extensions Commissioners voted to submit a letter of support to the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) for sidewalk extensions near neighborhood businesses and service providers where socially-distanced line-ups have made it difficult for passing pedestrians to also remain distanced from the line. Discussed sites included Ginkgo Gardens, Frager’s Hardware, the UPS Store and the west side of the 300 block of Seventh Street SE 40 H HILLRAG.COM

(where Bullfrog Bagels and Radici are located). Commissioners also asked Department of General Services (DGS) Interim Associate Director John Stokes to consider closing Seventh Street SE on weekends. Currently, DGS sometimes allows streets to remain open during inclement weather, when there are few vendors on the street, rather than closing them for weekend flea markets. Stokes said this was a disImage: Neighborhood Restaurant Group (NRG) Principal and Founder Michael Babin speaks at the May 12 th meeting of ANC 6B, held via Webex. Screenshot cussion DGS could have with the DDOT, which is(BRMS) told him they were unable to use money sued the permit for the flea received as part of a $500,000 façade grant from the market street closures to DGS. Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) for COVID-19 business relief be6B09 Without Representation cause grant rules do not allow for flexibility in the Until 2021 use of the funds. The letter asks District agencies Gottleib Simon of the Office of the ANC (OANC) to grant flexibility to main streets and BIDs to allow told commissioners that a person representing SMD funds to be used for COVID-19 relief during the 6B09 cannot be selected until the November elecpublic health emergency. tions. Constituents of 6B09 have been without representation since Kasie Clark announced she was stepping down as of March 10th. It was expected her seat would be filled in the interim by a candidate elected by residents of Clark’s Single Member District (SMD) at a later meeting. Simon said that there were two reasons why the seat cannot now be filled prior to November. First, legislation governing ANCs specifically prohibits a virtual vote, and large meetings are illegal during the public health emergency. A Mayor’s Order prohibiting gatherings of ten or more people went into effect March 25. Second, legislation states that a vacancy cannot be filled within the six-month period before a general election, or after April 8. Commissioners said they would work together to represent residents of 6B09 until November and encouraged those with questions or concerns to contact any ANC 6B commissioner or the ANC generally via email at 6b@anc.dc.gov.

Letter to Support Use of Grant Funds for COVID Relief The ANC supported a letter to District granting organizations and agencies. Chair Brian Ready (6B03) said that groups like Barracks Row Main Streets

Proposal for Micromobility Corrals The ANC supported a motion by Commissioner Holman asking DDOT to consider two micromobility corrals near two large construction projects in his SMD, the Foulger-Pratt Safeway development (415 14th St. SE) and The Roost (1401 Pennsylvania Ave. SE). Micromobility corrals are spaces in parking lanes designated for ride-share bicycles and scooters. Both are proposed for street areas currently marked “no parking anytime.” One is proposed for either side of 14th Street SE at the intersection with Pennsylvania Avenue SE, near the Roost. The other is proposed for the south side of D Street near 14th Street SE, near to the entrance of the Safeway store. Holman said removing the possibility of illegal parking in the space would increase visibility at the intersections as well as provide alternative parking to the sidewalk for ride-share scooters and bicycles. 100 such sites have been funded and installed in DC. While next year’s budget is sure to be contested, Holman said his request is in part to place these sites at the top of the to-do list.

Photo by Gayle Krughoff

The ANC Voted to Support: •

•

The liquor license for “Culinary Clubhouse” The Roost (1401 Pennsylvania Ave. SE in the Blackbird), with the understanding that a signed Settlement Agreement (SA) is imminent. Assurances were provided at the meeting by Michael Babin, Principal and Founder of Neighborhood Restaurant Group (NRG), the group behind the Roost. The venue includes eight food service counters, two bars and a full-service restaurant venue with a capacity of 480 and a sidewalk café for up to 118. The license includes an interior live entertainment endorsement. Hours are 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday to Thursday, and 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The SA will clarify provisions of the original Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that accompanied the project proposal, including delivery times and locations, as well as hours for interior and exterior sales. A stipulated license for The Roost, allowing the business the option of opening during the 45day public notice period before receiving their liquor license. A stipulated license for Trusty’s, allowing for the restaurant to install and operate the Dragon’s Ascent games of chance. Amendments to the restaurant liquor license were approved at the April meeting of ANC 6B. The change would allow Trusty’s to install and, after restrictions are lifted, operate the tables before the amended license is received. A resolution to DC Council and Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen (D) supporting the allocation of District funds for improvements to Garfield Park, specifically for the replacement of the

park sprinkler system, at an estimated cost of $60,000. Due to COVID-19 safety concerns, ANC 6B held the May meeting of the full commission on Tuesday, May 12th virtually via Webex with a quorum of eight commissioners. Appearing were Commissioners Jennifer Samolyk (6B01), Gerald Sroufe (6B02, Secretary), Brian Ready (6B03, Chair), Kirsten Oldenburg (6B04), Steve Holtzman (6B05), Corey Holman (6B06, Treasurer), Kelly Waud (6B07, Parliamentarian), Chander Jayaraman (6B08, Vice-Chair). Denise Krepp (6B10) was absent due to illness. ANC 6B09 is currently vacant. The next meeting of ANC 6B is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 9. In the wake of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, DC Council passed emergency legislation March 17 making it possible for ANCs to meet virtually. For the most up-to-date information on meetings and how to join a virtual meeting, visit anc6b.org.

Read his story at CapitolHillHistory.org Chris Calomiris was born at home on First Street N.E. where the Dirksen Senate Office Building stands today and worked for half a century as a produce vendor at Eastern Market. Read his oral history interview on our website – and consider joining us as a volunteer.

AN INITIATIVE OF THE CAPITOL HILL COMMUNITY FOUNDATION.

ANC 6B has been working to update its website. You can visit the new site, learn about Commissioners and committees, and subscribe to the newsletter by visiting anc6b.org or connect with the commission via email at 6b@anc.dc.gov or find @ANC6B on Twitter. ◆

Funds Granted for Ward 6 Mutual Aid

MAY ANC 6C REPORT by Elizabeth O’Gorek

t the May 13th meeting of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6C, the commission voted to support a $3,000 grant to the Ward 6 Mutual Aid Network (W6 MAN) made through the auspices of Hill non-profit Serve Your City DC, which acts as a hub for the JUNE 2020 ★ 41

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organization. W6 MAN representative Pranav Nanda, who appeared at the meeting, said that the organization was created by volunteers to safely aid their neighbors during the COVID crisis, working alongside partners such as SYC DC but also Brotha’s Huddle and Momma’s Safe Haven. Since the start of the pandemic, Ward 6 Mutual Aid has distributed $15,000 worth of groceries, more than 1,000 masks, 81 laptops and over 1,000 fliers providing crucial public health information to vulnerable populations. The funds will go to support the work of the organization in providing device and internet access for online learning, as well as masks, PPE and essential supplies to residents of Ward 6. The organization has plans to open a Mutual Aid Network pod on H Street NE to supply groceries, masks and hygiene items to neighbors in need. Grants Committee Chair Victoria Lord said that Gottleib Simon of the DC Office of ANCs (OANC) sent a memo to commissioners saying that many restrictions to grant-making are temporarily lifted due to the COVID emergency in order to encourage ANCs to help citizens through the emergency. In particular, Lord said that OANC has relaxed the rule that the ANC cannot provide funding for items that are provided by other District agencies. If you wish to volunteer or need support through the COVID-19 crisis you can email Ward6MutualAid@gmail.com, or call the Ward 6 Mutual Aid hotline between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. at 202-6839962. Financial donations to the effort can be made at ServeYourCityDC.com.

Charles Allen on Budget, COVID Response Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen (D) appeared before the commission to discuss the District’s response to COVID-19 as well as planning for the June 2 Primary Election. The Mayor’s Order of May 12th extended the Stay-at-Home Order until June 8. Less noted was the fact that the order requires that residents wear masks when they cannot maintain a sixfoot distance from other people. On public space, Allen said he brought the issue of street closures to the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) multiple times over the past months. Allen and Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh (D) are working together on temporarily closing some residential streets to cars because the narrow sidewalks throughout much of the District make social distancing difficult. Allen suggested that DC 42 H HILLRAG.COM

Commissioners are pictured at the May 13th meeting of ANC 6C, the first full meeting of the commission held virtually via Webex. Screenshot: Webex

Council would discuss how to open more space at their meeting May 19. “People are walking in the middle of the street just to give each other space,” Allen said. “We need to do a better job.” Allen said that as of May 12, 50,000 DC residents had requested ballots to vote by mail in the June 2 Primary, about half the number of voters who voted in the 2016 Primary Elections. He emphasized that people should request mail-in ballots, adding that the usual 20 early voting centers will act as the only in-person voting sites, open between May 22 and June 2. Three in-person sites are in Ward 6, at King Greenleaf Recreation Center (201 N St. SW), Sherwood Recreation Center (640 Tenth St. NE), and Kennedy Recreation Center (Shaw, 1401 Seventh St. NW). Allen said that COVID concerns had pushed the Mayor’s presentation of the budget back to May 18. The fiscal year ends in September, and Allen said there will be a more than $700 million hit to the budget over the next three or four months. That will require years of recovery, Allen said. But he added that he does not think an ‘austerity budget’ is the answer. However, he said cuts are necessary, and so District residents and DC Council will have to pick and choose what to postpone or delay. The budget hearing schedule is very con-

densed. Allen chairs the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, which has 42 agencies. He said he has been given 12 hours to conduct hearings. The public can call and leave testimony via voicemail, which can be transcribed. There is also an option to leave video testimony or email. Allen will conduct his Ward 6 Budget Town Hall virtually the evening of June 4 but had no further details at the time of the meeting. Visit www.charlesallenward6.com to learn more.

In Other Business The commission voted to support a grant of $1,328.36 to Peabody Elementary School to support the maintenance of the schools’ gardens, which have been recognized by the National Wildlife Foundation. The funds will be used to replant species, maintain the garden and label plants. Teachers will also acquire insect hotels which would be placed in homes of teachers and watched virtually to teach children about the insect life cycle. The Commission voted unanimously on consent to: • Protest a liquor license application for Pho Viet Restaurant (333 H St. NE) • Protest a liquor license application from Farmbird Restaurant (625 H St. NE) in pursuit of a Settlement Agreement (SA) • Support a letter to DDOT requesting the in-

stallation of an all-way stop sign and crosswalk at the intersection of Seventh with A Street NE, as well as an all-way stop sign at Seventh Street at C Street NE due to safety concerns of immediate neighbors • Submit comments to DDOT about the installation of protected bicycle lanes on K Street between First Street NE to Seventh Street NW (the portion in ANC 6C), drawing attention to the turn from K Street onto First Street, safety under the railway bridges, the interaction with existing and proposed nightclubs on the Unit block of K Street, and for the inclusion of bike boxes and bollards at the places where bike lanes meet one another • Supporting a request for a sidewalk extension on both the M and 12th Street NE sides of NoMA Harris Teeter (1201 First St. NE) during the public health emergency, as well as a letter to DDOT Director Jeff Marootian supporting Allen’s request to close residential streets as well as to consider a temporary maximum speed of 25 mph during the public health emergency • Support an extension to a Planned Unit Development (PUD) at 111 Massachusetts Avenue NW, across the street from the Single Member District (SMD) represented by Chairperson Karen Wirt (6C02). • Support a revised Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) amendment at 22 M St. NE. The applicant had voluntarily revised the application to seek a variance from a provision related to vertical separation between an animal care and boarding facility with the residential areas of the building • Support a Historic Preservation Application (HPA) for concept approval of a threestory addition and alteration of roof line at 630 Lexington Place NE. All members of ANC 6C were present at the May 13 meeting: Christine Healey (Secretary, 6C01), Jay Adelstein (6C03), Mark Eckenwiler (Vice-Chair, 6C04), Joel Kelty (6C05), Treasurer) and Drew Courtney (6C06). Due to technical difficulties Karen Wirt (Chair, 6C02) listened to the meeting but did not participate. ANC 6C usually meets at 7:00 p.m. on the second Wednesday of every month (except August) in the ground floor conference room at the Heritage Foundation (214 Massachusetts Ave. NE).

The next meeting of ANC 6C is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 10. In the wake of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, DC Council passed emergency legislation March 17 making it possible for ANCs to meet virtually or not at all during a public health emergency, ANC 6C is meeting via Webex. For the most up-to-date information and links to join meetings of the ANC and its committees, visit anc6c.org. ◆

Housing Assistance MAY ANC 6D REPORT by Andrew Lightman

dvisory Neighborhood Commission 6D met on May 11 over WebEx. Commissioners Gail Fast (6D01, Chair), Anna Forgie (6D02), Andy Litsky (6D04, vice chair) and Fredrica (Rikki) Kramer (6D05), Rhonda N. Hamilton (6D06) and Edward Daniels (6D07, secretary) were in attendance. Ronald Collins (6D03, treasurer) was absent. Anita Valentine of Housing Counseling Services gave an extensive presentation regarding the programs for unemployed and COVID afflicted individuals related to housing. There is a 60-day moratorium on evictions. No fees can be levied until 15 days after the health emergency has been lifted. Landlords can impose no rent increases until 30 days after the health emergency has been lifted. Landlords of buildings with five or more units must offer a payment plan to resolve arrears. There can also be no utility shutoffs during the emergency. Landlords have no right to ask the health status of a tenant. Tenants have the right to invite a person to help care for them if they are COVID afflicted. Residents of Section 8 housing cannot be evicted until Aug. 30. Then, only having received 30-days’ notice. Rapid Rehousing Vouchers cannot be terminated during the health emergency. Tenants can apply to Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) for up to $4,250 (abled bodied) or $6,000 (disabled) in assistance. Call 202-667-7339 or visit dhs.dc.gov for more information.

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tenant George Donigian, Jr. briefed the commission on public safety. Crime overall, he stated, has taken a 67 percent fall. He attributed this reduction to the pandemic’s stay at home order. There were, however, one shooting on N Street SW that is still under investigation. Chair Fast commended MPD for its supervision of the SW Fish Market. Cheryl Morse, an outreach specialist with the Office of the People’s Counsel (OPC), gave an overview of her office’s work with public utilities. She gave a rundown of their COVID mitigation programs. Commissioners requested Morse look into the issue of utility afterhours construction. Commissioners Daniels and Forgie stated that the crews were not posting permits. Moreover, the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) was granting these afterhours permits to utilities without any consultation with the commission. There were no reports from the chair or treasurer. The commission voted to: • support a license, initially stipulated, a community agreement for the Sandlot’s new location at 1800 Half St. SW; • protest Roy Boys’ (1025 I St. SE) request for extended hours while holding out the hope that a compromise could still be negotiated before the Alcohol Beverage Control Board hearing. • support Tap House’s, public space application at 1250 Half St. SE for a sidewalk café contingent on the removal of nearby benches to ensure adequate sidewalk space; • send a letter to the DC Dept. of Energy and the Environment (DOEE) requesting extensive air quality testing and a public hearing before the agency renews the operating license for Vulcan Concrete’s Buzzard

•

Point Plant; send a letter to the DC Dept. of Transportation’s Public Space Committee expressing the commission’s concerns with the agency’s approval of 5G monopoles on Buzzard Point; send a letter to DCRA asking for increased regulations of food trucks in the Navy Year neighborhood to enforce social distancing and remove sidewalk blockages; send a letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) and the DC Department of Health (DOH) requesting additional resources for the 14,000 residents, who use the Unity Clinic.

ANC 6D’s next meeting will be held on June 8 at 7 p.m. at a place to be determined. Visit www.anc6d.org/ for more information. u

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BULLETIN BOARD Mosaic Announces 2020/2021 Season Mosaic Theater Company at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE, announces their 2021 season: Inherit the Windbag, Aug. 19 to Sept. 20; Remember This— The Lesson of Jan Karski, Oct. 20 to Nov. 1; The Niceties, Nov. 11 to Dec. 13; Borders, Jan. 20 to Feb. 21; Marys Seacole, March 24 to May 2; The Till Trilogy, June 10 to Aug. 22. mosaictheater.org.

Eisenhower Memorial Dedication Postponed In consideration of public health, the Eisenhower Memorial dedication ceremony and associated events, originally scheduled on VE-Day in May, have been postponed until Thursday, Sept. 17, 1 p.m. eisenhowermemorial.gov.

Resilience – Connecting with Nature in a Time of Crisis

On Saturday, June 6, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., join Melanie Choukas-Bradley for an online program based on her book, Resilience— Connecting with Nature in a Time of Crisis. Melanie will share what she has discovered about enjoying nature close to home. Learn how you can enrich your life as a “forest bather” and naturalist in Virtual Capitol your own backyard. The CoronaRiverfront Summer virus crisis limits our physical horizons and slows down the pace Fitness Series of life. As we struggle to come to The Capitol Riverfront BID has terms with this new reality, one of partnered with VIDA Fitness the best things we can do for ourto take the Capitol Riverfront selves is to get outside and tune in Summer Fitness Series virtual to the beauty and wonder around through June 18. Same instrucus. Melanie will share her experitors, same free one-hour classes, Courtesy of the Eisenhower Memorial Commission; Memorial design by Gehry Partners, LLP; Sculpture by Sergey Eylanbekov; Tapestry by Tomas Osinski ence as a nature book author, natubut now in the comfort of your ralist, and forest therapy guide, and own home with yoga (Sundays, 9 will address your questions and Health and Human Services to provide testing to the a.m.), pilates (Tuesdays, 6 p.m.), comments about how your relationship with nature public free of charge to help address the COVID-19 and dance fitness (Thursdays, 6 p.m.). Remember is changing during the pandemic. Participants will be crisis. Patients can make appointments for testing to sign up for each class you want to participate in emailed the link the evening before the online lecture to receive a Zoom link 30 minutes prior to class. at DoINeedACovid19Test.com. Grubb’s and Moroccurs. Registration closes at 5 p.m. on Friday, June To register, go to CapRiv Virtual Fitness Series at gan’s will provide appointment-based, drive-up CO5. This program will be recorded and made available eventbrite.com. VID-19 test collection for pre-screened individuals. for viewing after the workshop concludes. Register at According to the Centers for Disease Control & Preusbg.gov/programs. vention, symptoms may appear two to fourteen days Florida Ave NE Grocery Giveaway On Wednesdays at noon, free, bagged groceries are after exposure. If individuals have a cough, shortness Summer of Service: What Teens available in the parking lot of the New Samaritan Bapof breath or difficulty breathing, fever, chills, muscle CAN do this Summer tist Church at 11th St. and Florida Ave. NE. pain, sore throat or a new loss of taste or smell, they In 1965, AMIGOS launched a movement of peoshould consider testing. ple committed to sharing responsibility for our Updated CDC guidelines now also recommend COVID-19 Testing at global community. Today, as communities across testing for people with and without symptoms under Community Pharmacies the world grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, certain conditions. The test is self-administered with a Grubb’s Pharmacies at 326 E. Capitol St. NE and this work is more important than ever. Young peonasal swab and once the sample kit is sealed, Pharma1800 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE; and Morgan ple crave cross-cultural experiences and the chance cy staff submits the test to the lab for processing. ReCare Pharmacy, 3001 P St. NW, in Georgetown now to act. And they have enormous power to shape sults are ready in three to five business days. DoINeedoffer free COVID-19 testing. The three community our response to the challenges of this pandemic ACovid19Test.com. pharmacies have partnered with the Department of 46 H HILLRAG.COM

in spite of travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders. Because of this, AMIGOS has developed two new experiences: The Community Impact Project and US-based Gap Programs. Read more and visit amigosinternational.org.

Convention Center Becomes Alternate Care Site The Walter E. Convention Center has been converted into an alternate care site to support the District’s coronavirus (COVID-19) medical surge response. The Convention Center’s Hall A, through the coordination of more than a dozen local and federal agencies, can now accommodate 437 beds and is ready to accept 100 patients immediately. This alternate care site will begin accepting low-acuity COVID-19 patients when District hospitals approach surge bed capacity. The site is fully stocked with general medical and emergency medical supplies, including: items from two Federal medical station caches, 50 cardiac monitors and 50 AEDs, pharmaceuticals from the Strategic National Stockpile, ability to do onsite radiology and ultrasounds, multiple nurse stations with easy access to patient rooms and a nurse call system that alerts staff to emergencies in each care space, shower, or bathroom. The site also includes patient showers; dedicated staff showers and lounge area; fire alarm system; IT networks for staff, patients, and equipment; dedicated oxygen system; and multiple redundant power backups. coronavirusdc.gov.

DC’s COVID-19 Hotline District residents who are homebound due to CO VID-19 can request support from the District for

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$500 Cash to Low-Income Families Capital Area Asset Builders has launched an innovative non-conditional cash transfer and financial wellness initiative—DC Family Financial Recovery Fund—to provide liquidity to low-income families, regardless of immigration status, who have recently experienced unemployment and/or have had significant reduction in employment hours and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on their financial health. This initiative is supported by a grant from the Greater Washington Community Foundation. For more information and to apply, contact IDAPurchases@caab.org.

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Get RiverSmart! DOEE’s RiverSmart programs help to reduce stormwater runoff that harms the District’s waterways and the Chesapeake Bay. RiverSmart programs provide financial incentives to help District property owners install green infrastructure such as rain barrels, green roofs, rain gardens, permeable pavers, shade trees, and more. These practices allow rainwater to stay on site and soak into the ground,

where natural processes help remove pollutants. Some programs offer a site evaluation and up-front funding, while others provide a rebate or a discount. Read about programs at doee. dc.gov/riversmart.

AWS RiverSmart Applications Open AWS is partnering with the Department of Energy & Environment to administer the District’s RiverSmart Communities grant program. This program provides complete financial and technical support to houses of worship and non-profit organizations for installing small-scale, riverfriendly landscape features that will beautify the property and provide numerous benefits to the environment. doee.dc.gov/riversmart.

Student Loan Relief Announced Financial relief options have been expanded for District residents who are struggling to pay private education loans due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency. The initiative, launched by the District and several states, will provide qualifying District residents with loan forbearance and other financial protections. Relief options include providing a minimum of 90 days of forbearance; waiving late payment fees; ensuring that no borrower is subject to negative credit reporting; ceasing debt collection lawsuits for 90 days; and working with borrowers to enroll them in other borrower assistance programs, such as income-based repayment. To get details on federal loans and servicers, visit the US Department of Education’s National Student Loan Data System at nslds. ed.gov, or call Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4333243 or 1-800-730-8913 (TDD). Borrowers with private student loans may check the contact information on their monthly billing statements.

Coming Soon!

Folger Theatre Announces 2020/21 Season In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Folger Theatre is altering the programming schedule for its 2020/21 “On the Road” season of plays. In working to ensure the well-being and safety of patrons, Folger Theatre, along with its project partners the National Building Museum and the University of South Carolina, have made the decision to postpone the 2020 summer production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the National Building Museum’s Summer Block Party, featuring the Folger Shakespeare Playhouse, to Summer 2021. Additionally, Round House Theatre and Folger Theatre are rescheduling the East Coast premiere of The Tempest, adapted and directed by Teller and Aaron Posner, to April 2021. Performance dates of Nathan the Wise at Theater J remain the same, with this production now beginning Folger’s upcoming season in February 2021. folger.edu/theatre.

DC Water Helps Residents Pay Bills DC Water has announced that funds are available to provide emergency relief to District residents struggling with unpaid DC Water bills during the coronavirus public health emergency and 105 days thereafter. DC Water residential customers can apply to the DC Department of Energy and Environment for help from the fund established for the Clean Rivers Impervious Area Charge (CRIAC) to help pay all or part of an outstanding water-bill balance and for ongoing monthly CRIAC discounts. doee.dc.gov/service/criac.

Bard High School Seeks Applicants Bard High School Early College DC (Bard DC), a new school in Ward 7 at 4430 H St. SE, is recruiting its second class of students. Bard DC is a four-year public school that offers students the opportunity to take a two-year, tuition-free college course of study in the lib-

eral arts and sciences following the 9th and 10th grades. Through the partnership between Bard College and the District of Columbia Public Schools, students can earn a high school diploma and up to 60 transferable college credits and an Associate in Arts degree from Bard College within four years, free of charge. Bard DC is accepting applications from rising 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students who live in Washington, DC. The process includes an interview and a writing assessment. Visit calendly.com/amanda-washington for an admissions interview. Reach out to Bard DC Admissions Coordinator Amanda Washington at amanda.washington@k12. dc.gov with questions. bard. edu/earlycollege.

WMCA Online Fit & Well Senior Workouts

Workouts include Tai Chi, Basic Training, Yoga, Cardio, Strength and Resistance. New workouts are being added daily. Complete the form at https://forms.gle/Ar21i3BAKKfXx97F7. Find workouts and read more at ymcadc.org/virtual-fit-well.

Financial Services for Returning Citizens Capital Area Asset Builders has partnered with the DC Mayor’s Office on Returning Citizens Affairs (MORCA) to launch a series of Financial Education Workshops and provide Oneon-One Financial Coaching Sessions to DC returning citizens. MORCA clients interested in taking advantage of these virtual services, register at orca.dc.gov/services.

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Calling ALL Eliot Junior High School and Hine Junior High School Alumni by Jen Harris

he Story of Our Schools, a DC-based nonprofit, in partnership with Eliot-Hine Middle School (1840 Constitution Ave. NE), is working to find stories about these two schools from the people that know them best: former students, teachers, staff members. A collection of personal reminiscences will be incorporated into a permanent, museum-quality history exhibit to be installed in Eliot-Hine’s newly renovated building. You can help keep the stories of these schools alive by sharing a photograph and anecdote from your time spent at Eliot Junior High School and/or Hine Junior High School. All submissions are welcome. Please reach out to jen@storyofourschools.org or 202-5580018, if you have something to contribute to the project. Don’t have a personal connection but know someone who does? Please ask them if they are willing to be interviewed. Learn more about Eliot-Hine: profiles.dcps.dc.gov/ Eliot-Hine+Middle+School and The Story of Our Schools: StoryOfOurSchools.org.

Jen Harris is Executive Director and Founder, Story of Our Schools. u

stores and donation centers are closed until further notice. The donation centers have recently closed due to insufficient warehouse storage space. goodwill.org.

Summer Crime Prevention Areas Announced The Metropolitan Police Department announces the six identified focus areas this summer in the 2020 Summer Crime Prevention Initiative (SCI). These areas include: Columbia Heights (PSAs 302/304); Benning Road/Rosedale/ Langston-Carver (PSA 507); Fort Dupont/Minnesota Avenue (PSA 603); Benning Ridge/Marshall Heights (PSA 604); East Congress (PSA 704/705); and Washington Highlands (PSA 706/708). The SCI runs from May 1 to August 31 each year where MPD focuses all available resources and utilizes the latest crime-fighting technology in an effort to eliminate violent crimes in specified areas. mpdc.dc.gov/page/ summer-crime-prevention-initiative.

Online Smoking Cessation Classes Breathe DC, a DC area non-profit organization supporting clean air and healthy breathing, launches free online cessation services to help smokers kick the habit. With smokers at higher risk of getting coronavirus and suffering more severe symptoms, quitting smoking is more urgent than ever. Virtual classes run for four weekly sessions. Participants can choose from morning, afternoon or evening classes. Classes are hosted on Zoom, and offered throughout June on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. Participants can sign up at the Breathe DC website at breathedc.org/cessation. Breathe DC is the only nonprofit exclusively dedicated to cleaner air and healthy breathing. The organization actively advocates for stronger laws and policies to safeguard healthy air and protect lungs from smoke, air pollution and allergens. Breathe DC public health programs empower adults and youth with lung diseases such as asthma to lead fuller, more active lives.

Councilmember Allen’s Ward 6 Budget Town Hall Kids in front of Hine. DCPL Washingtoniana Collection

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On Thursday, June 4, 7:30 to 9 p.m., on Facebook Live, join Councilmember Charles Allen for a virtual Ward 6 Town Hall on the proposed

FY21 DC Budget. Before the Council votes on the budget, hear from Councilmember Allen on what’s in it for Ward 6, where he’s focused in the budget debate, and what comes next in budget decisions. The Town Hall is also a great opportunity to ask your budget questions and share your own priorities before the votes are cast. Read more and RSVP at charlesallenward6. com/ward_6_budget_town_hall_2020.

Teen Alcohol Awareness for Students Now Online Washington Regional Alcohol Program’s popular Alcohol Awareness for Students has moved online during the COVID-19 pandemic. The multi-media outreach effort using an interactive PowerPoint presentation, video and Fatal Vision goggles to educate teenagers and young adults about the dangers and consequences of underage drinking and impaired driving as well as the importance of making safe, healthy decisions is now available, in both original and Driver Education editions, via WRAP’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/user/WRAPSoberride/videos. wrap.org.

“DCPS Persists” Supports the Class of 2020 and Beyond Mayor Bowser and DC Public Schools Chancellor Ferebee have announced DCPS Persists, an innovative program that will provide students in the Class of 2020 and beyond a guaranteed support network as they embark on the next chapter of their educational journey. The program is the nation’s first college persistence initiative led by a traditional public school system. Eligible students who plan to go to college will be provided with a network of supports that ensures they have the guidance and resources they need to succeed to earn a degree. Starting with the Class of 2020, 750 college-bound DCPS graduates will be able to get connected to a DCPS Persists coach to help them navigate the transition to college. Coaches will assist students with academic, financial, and other resources available on their college campus. They will also support and check in with students regularly throughout the first two years of their college experience. dcpsgoestocollege.org/dcps-persists. u

Categories: Best Overall Photos Darling Dogs Finest Felines Cleverest Caption Best Buddies - Human & Pet Best Buddies - Pet & Pet Hill Haunts Pandemic Pics

MAKE YOUR PET A STAR!

TO ENTER

Send us your favorite pet photos for a chance at fame! Winning entries will be published in the July Hill Rag, our Special Pet Issue, and on our website at www.hillrag.com.

• Email to pets@hillrag.com OR mail to POBOX 15477 Washington, DC 20003 (make sure your photo is over 300 dpi, photos cannot be returned)

Deadline to submit photos 6/16/20

• Maximum of two photos per entry. Include your name, a phone number, the name of your pet, a caption for the photo and/or category.

JUNE 2020 ★ 51

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F O ALL

USE R

H T E TOG

! 0 2 0 2 F O S S A L #C JUNE 2020 â˜… 53

ALL OF US TOGETHER

#CLASSOF2020 CLASSOF2020

Dear Class of 2020,

t is my great honor to have the opportunity to address so many of you here in our community newspaper and to wish you the very best as you mark this important milestone on your educational journey. With the many changes and closures brought by our response to the spread of the coronavirus, your celebrations will look very different than the ones you had anticipated. Graduates at every level are missing out on the opportunities to gather with their school community, friends, and family to celebrate past achievements while anticipating the next endeavor. Elementary school students were not able to say goodbye to their very first school. Many eighth graders missed the chance to celebrate the end of middle school with friends who are off to different high schools. Our high school seniors have missed so many iconic and traditional rites of passage, and the same goes for our college students who have graduated into an uncertain job market. None of this is what any of us anticipated, and we all wish it were different. As students, you quickly adapted to a whole new way of learning. I know that all your teachers, coaches, administrators, counselors, and parents worked so hard to make online schooling happen as smoothly as possible. From Zoom projects, Teams class meetings, and House party orchestra rehearsals to the very first at-home AP exams, the class of 2020 can say they were the first for many things. While it was not easy and maybe you did not love every part of it, online school allowed you to finish out the year and close this chapter. This ability to work hard and be flexible is a lesson you will carry with you to the photo: Andrew Lightman next step of your journey and throughout your life. I have to acknowledge the many parents and grandparents who are also missing their moment to cheer (loudly) for you. As a parent myself, I know that they are heartbroken for the celebrations and ceremonies you have had to miss. Many families and school communities have scrambled to pull together last-minute events which may be smaller than what they had planned but are bursting with as much pride and love as ever. Class of 2020, while this is an unusual way to mark commencements, I have great hope for your futures. As you take your next steps, I hope you do so knowing that your community is incredibly proud of what you have accomplished, and we look forward to seeing what you do next.

Congratulations! Councilmember Charles Allen, Ward 6 Chair, Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety

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Middle Schoolers Look Ahead to High School

Gabriela Suescum

Missing Out, But Looking Ahead by Gabriela Suescum

Capitol Hill Day School 8th graders celebrate their graduation to high school. Photo: CHDS

am an eighth grader at Friends Community School in College Park, MD, and I will be graduating next week. Throughout my years at FCS, I learned and experienced so many things, creating so many amazing memories. These past three months have been especially difficult because I was hoping to spend my last days of eighth grade with my friends, at school. There was so much that I was looking forward to. For example, in early May the eighth graders traditionally go on a three-day trip funded with money we raised from pizza sales throughout the year. We were supposed to go to Ocean City, and we were all so excited; but then the trip was canceled. (I note that we decided to donate the pizza money we raised to a Covid-19 charity and scholarships for our school.) Despite being away from my friends, I have learned that we can still

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communicate and have fun. Although I have had a lot to get used to with this new way of living, I think it has given me a chance to look around and appreciate everything that I have. In addition, I am really excited to start a new chapter of my life. Looking ahead to high school, I hope to participate in the student council, and be active in the life of my school. I would love to learn a new sport such as field hockey and get better at lacrosse. I am excited to have more independence and to make new memories. u

Looking forward by Emily Erickson

am an eighth grader at Friends Community School in College Park, MD. I started at FCS in third grade and it has been an incredible journey. I always looked forward

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE

FCS CAPITOL HILL GRADUATES!

Emily Erickson

to eighth grade. It seemed like such a fun time when I would be able to relax with my friends and we would be kings of the school. It did not exactly play out the way I had expected. I did not think that I would have to start online classes in the spring because of a global pandemic, but I do not think anyone did really. It was definitely a little scary and I was really disappointed to have my senioritis celebration cut short. However, as time passed, I grew more optimistic. I now had time to pursue my passions: drawing; playing music; and the arts. I grew even closer to my friends and became more focused and grateful. I am realizing that eighth grade is a celebration of my hard work over the years and I am growing more and more enthusiastic about high school. I am starting at Elizabeth Seton High School in the fall and although thinking about high school is nerve-racking, FCS has prepared me so well, I know I can handle it. I am leaving eighth grade with a feeling of simplistic melancholy. Of course, I am sad to leave the school that has made me who I am, but I am also very hopeful and excited about the future. ◆

Hill Graduates with their 8th grade class and Head of School, Angela Garcia Back row (left to right) — Emma Anderson, Omar Sheikh Middle row (left to right) — Emily Erickson, Marissa Wilson, Charlie Strada, Nate Gorham, Gabriela Suescum, Izzy Petty Front row — Zengo Rosenthal

Lifelong Learners Courageous Risk-Takers Joyous Peacemakers

w w w. f r i e n d s c o m m u n i t y s c h o o l . o rg

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ALL OF US TOGETHER

#CLASSOF2020 CLASSOF2020

Dear Class of 2020 – Your Parents Are SO Sad

he events are still in my calendar. I put them into my phone as soon as they were confirmed during the winter. This was of course during the Before Times. I stopped making “plans” in March and my personal calendar is empty for the foreseeable future so all that I see when I pick up my phone is Prom May 21. A few weeks later there is Graduation June 16. I know I should delete them! Even though our current stay at home orders expire June 8th we all know my son’s graduation from School Without Walls is not happening on June 16th. Just like there was no prom in May. No matter what happens we are not going to be packing throngs of adoring relatives into a cramped theater anytime soon. And yet. I cannot bring myself to hit DELETE. Right now you are no doubt thinking “Lady! Get a grip!” And you are 100 percent right. This catastrophic global pandemic has hit everyone in the country in some way. Most horrifically thousands of people have died and thousands more have lost loved ones. Millions are unemployed. The economy is tanking. Everything is scary. Right now, the most fortunate members of our society are those who are still able to work and earn a living from the safety of home. Maybe these folks had to adjust to doing yoga in the living room while taking advantage of this time at home to really level Prom Then up their baking game. Raises hand. There has been so much loss and many more life events postponed. The Olympics. Jazz Fest. So many weddings! In the light of all this loss it feels more than a little indulgent for me and my fellow class of 2020 parents to mourn these more frivolous events. Anyone who actually went to their senior prom will tell you the experience falls somewhere between “Just fine” and “Don’t ask.” The evenings can be expensive and disappointing, so we can tell ourselves that they are not missing much. However as someone who attended proms in late 1980s New Jersey I understand the

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by Jen DeMayo

perverse pleasure of looking back at my photos of tragic fashion and truly inexplicable hairstyles. Fine. I’m not proud of this, but I will admit it. I was looking forward to it. My elder son did go to his prom with his friends, but he only allowed me to take one grim solo photo before he took off. His younger brother, with his large, loud posse of goofball friends was likely going to indulge my pathetic desire to take pictures and assist with corsages. (Do kids even do corsages anymore? I WILL NEVER KNOW.) While there are plenty who don’t attend prom, most high school seniors do participate in some kind of Graduation. The whole Cap and Gown - Pomp and Circumstance - Follow your dreams - Toss the cap in the air - Smile with proud parents -Where are

a big public school like the Hill’s own Eastern High School or a small independent school like Blythe Templeton, our culture marks this transition as the end of childhood. Unlike other events that may be able to be postponed until a later date, for the class of 2020, this is it. The world will eventually move on and a new senior class is waiting to take their stage. The class of 2020 was experiencing the early symptoms of Senioritis and about to hit their stride when everything just stopped. No spring sports. No spring musicals, or Senior Skip Day and final projects. It all just vanished in a way they could never have anticipated. When I asked my son what his school’s HSA could do to honor the class, his response, “Cure Corona,“ was a blunt gut punch. As parents of teenagers we have known for a while that we cannot just make things better. These issues are all beyond our limited control. No signs or floats or Zoom parties will not make up for what they are missing. So here we are. Parents, neighbors, community institutions, and celebrities scrambling to give these young adults the opportunity to mark this passage in a way that feels memorable. As if they would ever forget it! The class of 2020 will be bound like none other. How many graduating classes will be able to boast national ceremonies led by LeBron James, Barack and Michelle Obama and John Krasinski? While nothing will make up for the loss of their senior year, my hope is that the class of 2020 knows how loved they are. While the online celebrations are fun, I hope they my FRIENDS ritunderstand just how much EVERYONE is ual?! We all know thinking about them and cheering for them. Prom Now it. It is all so cliAll of these strangers taking the time to acché. But this time knowledge their unique loss and hoping that was going to be their turn to wear the gown and pose better days will surely come. I want them to carry the with grandma. It was their turn walk across the stage love and support and weirdness of this time always. and be mortified by, yet secretly enjoy, their embarMy hope is that all of this awfulness means that while rassing mamaarazzi. Their turn to throw the hat! the class of 2020 must take their first steps onto the Our secular culture lacks opportunities for stage of adulthood uniquely alone but together, they shared milestones and rites of passage, but high school will share an outsized capacity for grace, compassion, graduation is one event that is marked in some way by wonder and joy. ◆ the majority of Americans. No matter if the school is

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ALL OF US TOGETHER

#CLASSOF2020

Gap Year and the Class of 2020

s a college and gap year counselor, I always get excited when high school students ask me about the possibility of taking time off after graduation before starting college. They have exciting ideas about travel, internships and all kinds of enriching experiences they want to have before resuming their academic work. But like so much else this year, gap year conversations right now are different. Most students I’m talking to would much rather be on campus in the fall, but they’re concerned either that that won’t happen or won’t be worthwhile. They’re asking, if I request a deferral for a gap year, will it be approved? If not, should I take my chances on reapplying in the next cycle? And most importantly, what should I do for the next year of my life if I’m not going to college? Even for students who were planning gap years before COVID-19 hit, the discussions are different since we aren’t sure what programs will be operating and whether it will be safe to travel. My first piece of advice, however, is the same as it always is: gap year students should start by identifying and articulating their goals for their time away from school. This is even more important for students who are motivated by not wanting to be on campus or studying online in the fall. Even if this is your primary rationale for a gap year, try to focus on the opportunity you’re creating for yourself. Are there specific skills you want to learn or strengthen, like a foreign language or wilderness first aid? Do you have projects you’d like to complete, such as artwork or writing, or a robot or other item you’d like to design and build? Are you hoping to beef up your resume with an internship or service project, or are you interested in a cultural immersion experience? Are there people you’re hoping to spend time with before you start college? It’s certainly possible to have a good gap year without thinking too hard about the big picture, but your experience will be richer if you invest in some reflective goal setting up front. The next step is to develop a plan that is

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by Becky Claster aligned with your goals, which might be a more challenging task this year since so many options are unavailable or unclear. As I write this, many summer programs have been canceled and we don’t know which ones will be running by fall, or even what criteria program operators will be using to decide whether to open. However, more options will likely be available by next spring and summer, and students should keep in mind that most gappers don’t do one single thing for the entire year anyway. Plan your time in phases based on what you might be able to do at different points in the year, also keeping your goals in mind as you plan. Take a student whose goals include improving her Spanish, experiencing the culture of Latin America, and participating in a service project with her best friend. In 2019 she might have spent the summer and fall working to pay for travel, with a big trip to Peru planned in the winter and spring and the following summer at home getting ready for college. In 2020 she might instead spend the summer and fall studying Spanish through remote learning opportunities and volunteering online for a community-based organization that serves Latino families in her area. As public health conditions improve and local restrictions are lifted, she might get a job, and perhaps continue volunteering in person, which could offer additional opportunities to develop her Spanish. And if there’s a vaccine by March or April next year, she and her friend might be able to travel from May to July, with a few weeks back home before the fall 2021 semester starts. While it may not be her dream itinerary, this student could start college having met her gap year goals. If students have a strong commitment to service, I always encourage them to consider AmeriCorps. The AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) program is a team-based program for 18-24 year-olds and is accepting applications until June 30 for a ten-month term of service beginning in October 2020. Not only would this opportunity boost your resume and give you a meaningful experience serving your country at

a time of great need, it also offers a stipend while you’re serving, an education award for college, the possibility of domestic travel if conditions allow, and time to spare before enrolling at college in the fall of 2021. The NCCC program has additional start dates at other times of year as well, and other AmeriCorps programs are run by national and local nonprofits serving communities around the country. Visit www.nationalservice.gov to learn about opportunities that might be a great fit for you. Despite their benefits, gap years are not right for everyone and there are some unique considerations this year. Students who have committed to a college should be certain they understand their school’s policy about whether they can defer admission or whether they’ll have to reapply this fall in order to enroll next year—and note that a previous policy may have changed. If you’re planning to take classes during your gap year, keep in mind that most colleges won’t allow you to enroll elsewhere during that time. In fact, if you complete credits at a community college or another local or online institution, you might have to reapply as a transfer student. Students with physical or mental health conditions will also want to make sure their gap year plan includes the support they need. The Class of 2020 has demonstrated strength and creativity in coping with the curveball that’s been thrown at them, and those of you who choose to take a gap year will be well-served by these qualities as you define your goals and plan the upcoming months. The experiences you have during your gap year can offer insight into yourself and your values that will build on the talents you’ve already developed and enrich your college experience when you enroll. It’s well worth it to invest the time and thought now so you’ll get the most out of your gap year before, during, and after the experience. Becky Claster is an educational consultant and a member of the Gap Year Association. She can be reached at becky@clastereducation.com. ◆

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ZACHARY DENTON! Congratulations Zachary for obtaining your Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh! We are so proud of your efforts to completing in four years, a major in Finance and minors in Economics and European History. Like many kids on Capitol Hill you began your education at The Hill Preschool and then on to St. Peter’s where you received excellent preparation for high school. St. John’s College High School also provided the solid footing you needed to move on to Pitt and have a successful college experience. We look forward to this summer as you begin the next chapter in your life as a Financial Analyst with the Bank of New York Mellon.

Much love, Mom, Dad and Shelby

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CongratUlations Mason loots!

University of PittsbUrgh Class of 2020 Born, raised and educated in the District of Columbia and lifelong resident of Capitol Hill, Mason is a proud graduate of School Without Walls, and now the University of Pittsburgh School of Business, dual majoring in Business Information Systems and Supply Chain Management. Mason interned during college at Capitol Hill’s DC Access and the Hill Restaurant Group, and could be found during school breaks working at H Street Country Club, Pitango Eastern Market, and volunteering with the campaign of At-Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman. Perhaps most inspiring, he also has shared his considerable musical talents busking with guitar at Eastern Market and performing piano solos of classical and original works at Capitol Hill Arts Workshop and Capitol Hill United Methodist Church. What’s next? In these uncertain times who knows, but certainly it will be a great adventure. — Jim and Barbara Loots

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ALL OF US TOGETHER

#CLASSOF2020 CLASSOF2020

Senior Corner The Last Day of High School

Missing Out

by Robert McFarlane (SWW, 2020)

S Spice Girls on Spiri t Day at Washingto

n Latin.

Becca Kurtz with a ﬂick past her opponent at the 2019 DCSAA Ultimate Invitational.

ometimes when I sit at home with nothing to do staring at the blank screen of my laptop, I think back to the Friday before school closed. At the time I didn’t know it, but that day would be the last day of high school for me and all my friends. I think back to when I naively celebrated not having to do any homework over the weekend. The first week of online school was unorganized and not nearly cohesive enough to be taken seriously, which I certainly did not. The first week of school being closed, no one understood the severity of our situation and what was about to come. I am forever grateful that I was able to fully take advantage of that first week and see all the friends I wouldn’t be able to see for the next two months. ◆

Thanks to all our parents and schools who made this special issue such a great success!

by Luca Christiansen

y senior class and I have been stripped of just about every commemoration and milestone marker that, prior to now, seemed to be inseparable from the American high school experience. However, in my eyes this goes beyond some excuse to be sorry for myself or my peers in how we got “totally robbed” or “cheated” (don’t get it twisted, I’ve spent enough time on this already). What worries me on a greater level in how my class is stepping into the world from an uncharted perspective. Without the physical benchmarks like a graduation or the last day of senior year for us to appreciate the times we’ve had or the friends we’ve made, will it be the same for me looking back on my coming of age as someone else who has had these experiences? While this may be another anxious worry of mine during a time of great ambiguity, the simple matter is that like so many other factors we can choose to ponder over right now, we just don’t know. Everyday I’m coming closer and closer to the perspective that we should try to come terms with and get closure on the situation we’re dealing with now, to make it easier down the road. Luca Christiansen is Senior at School Without Walls HS. He will be attending the University of Pittsburgh in the fall. ◆

St. Jerome Institute students working together. The school is a classic text-focused high school in the Catholic tradition.

the trophy for Zach Barrette holdst Walls Soccer ou ith W the School . championship 2019

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Eastern High’s Yahnae Riddick, winner of the DC Water drain contest, gets some help from visual arts teacher Ms. Lee in completing her winning design.

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Amber Whetstone; Elizabeth Seton High School. Samuel John Lappas-Collins, The International School of Ulaanbaatar (ISU)

Dante Stasio, Edmund Burke School

Chloe Jacqueline Pine, School Without Walls

From your Family, Friends and Neighbors to You, Congratulations Class of 2020!

Mary Jane Schmidt, BASIS DC. Bryn Mawr College

Annika Przystawik, graduating from SWW, heading to Appalachian State University

Seth Sabar, School Without Walls High School

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Leah Silverman, School Without Walls

Jalil Brodie, graduating from Eastern High School

Isaiah Schuham-Anders, Georgetown Day School

ALL OF US TOGETHER #CLASSOF2020 CLASSOF2020

Congratulations on graduating Luca Christiansen! School Without Walls, Class of 2020 Luca, I’ve loved growing up with you and know you’re going to kill it at the University of Pittsburgh. I look forward to seeing the person you will become and the good times we will have in the future. – Nico

Campbell Hodges We couldn’t be more proud of your accomplishments and of you. We are so excited to see what the future holds for you and are thrilled we’re on this wonderful journey with you. Next stop Pace University and your NYC dreams. We love you Campbell!

– Dad, Heather and Cece

Booker Viso & Ellery Grimm Growing up on Capitol Hill Graduation 2020

Annika Przystawik School Without Walls 2020 From your 1st day with Ms. Frances to your last at Walls, you’ve been my adventurous, fearless, funny, chart-your-own-course girl, and I’m so proud of you for knowing what you want and pursuing it. Congratulations to my No. 1 Daughter on your graduation and your acceptance to Appalachian State!

– Love, Mom

Arboretum • CHAW • Stix On The Hill • Skyline Pool • Ms. Kaufman • Tennessee • Folklife Festival • Jasper-Northeast Library • Jacobs • Latin • Skateboarding at RFK • 15th Street • Protests • Wyatt • National Book Festival • Mr. Henry’s • DC United • Burke • Running the Classic • Scout • Lincoln Park • Lacy • SOTH • Oxon Hill Farm • Mr. Jensen • Pride Parade • Capitol Hill Montessori • Lexington • Capitol Hill Little League • Cheverly • Lily • Ms. Henderson • Marty’s • Music On the Hill • 10th Street • Congressional Cemetery • MLK river clean up • Biking to Washington Nationals games • D Street • Capitol Hill Basketball • Mrs. Bennett • Pepper • 16th & H Streets • Ms. Steele • Family • Friends • Forever

JUNE 2020 ★ 67

Rebecca Kurtz, School Without Walls

Solomon Redo, School Without Walls, attending George Mason University

Dagny Fisher, Georgetown Visitation

Nora Sweeney, Elizabeth Seton High School.

India Berry, Edmund Burke School

Zoe Crute, Washington Latin

Levi Kay, Woodrow Wilson HS Maya McGuire, Duke Ellington School of the Arts

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Theodore and Beatrice Mott; Washington Latin

ALL OF US TOGETHER #CLASSOF2020 CLASSOF2020

Congratulations Luca! School Without Walls Class of 2020

Smart. Funny, Spirited. Loyal. Kind. THIS is what a scientist looks like! Connor J. Monke, Templeton Academy

Congratulations, Connor! You’re an amazing scholar, and we can’t wait to see what you’ll do. Though your path may twist and turn, know that it’ll take you where you need to be. Believe in yourself. Step forth boldly, take failures in stride, and set the world on fire!

We are so lucky and so proud of you! We know that you will do amazing things!

– Hail Pitt! xoxoxxox Mom and Dad

– LOVE, MOM & DAD

Celebrating the

Highs and Lows of

Graham Annika Cunningham Wilson High School Class of 2020 Congratulations! We are very proud of your accomplishments and resilience. You are a true scholar athlete – earning a top GPA while excelling at both ultimate and soccer. But it is your optimism and resilience that are the most impressive. No Dungeons and Dragons club? You made one. Broken elbow? You came back stronger and took up Frisbee. You will take Ohio State University by storm. There are many other students, but none are Graham. Work hard, have fun, and don’t be afraid to lay out.

– LOVE, MOM & DAD JUNE 2020 ★ 69

Maisie Arlotto, Wilson HS

Bryan E. Terry, Cesar Chavez High School

Marcus Dockery. Brewster Academy, Wolfeboro, NH

Hannah-Grace Henson. Graduating from BASIS DC.

Emma Floyd graduated from School Without Walls.

Alec Vinson, Eastern Class of 2020

Grace Dodd, graduating from Maret

Kai Moeller, BASIS DC Xavier Hill, graduating from School Without Walls. Going to Brooklyn College

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Zoe Wolfel, Washington Latin PCS

Paul Robert Colvin, DC International School

ALL OF US TOGETHER #CLASSOF2020

WAY TO GO, HELENA! Helena Webb, Washington Latin Public Charter School, Class of 2020 We are incredibly proud of your accomplishments and achievements. This year was very hard for you, but also a great year. We have enjoyed watching you grow up into a mature and wonderful, young woman. We love you so much. Good luck in art school!

India Elizabeth Berry Edmund Burke School

With deep gratitude to all of your teachers, educators, and coaches,

Well Done India!

– Your Loving Family

It seems like only yesterday when you were learning about cows and apples in Annie and Bobbi’s pre-K class at CHDS. Now you are graduating from Burke and heading off to Kenyon College. We are so proud of all your accomplishments and the amazing young woman you have become.

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about CREATING YOURSELF.” — George Bernard Shaw

– LOVE, MOM & DAD

Congratulations, Jonah!!! BASIS DC Public Charter School, Class of 2020

We’re so happy for you! Yay! Congratulations, Isaiah!!! Congratulations on graduating from high school! We have loved seeing you as a happy student at Little Scholars, CHDS, and GDS. And we are thrilled as you get ready for college. Most of all, we are so proud of you as brother and son. Your love, joy, kindness, and care always shine.

– Much love, Gracie and the Dads

We’re so proud of all your hard work and excited for the adventures ahead of you! Keep blazing your own trails, embracing life with open arms, staying true to your ideals, brightening our days with your laughter, inspiring us with your energy, asking the tough questions, finding unexpected sources of joy, and celebrating the wonderful friendships you’ve made along the way. We love you and we can’t wait to see where your journey leads.

With tons of love, pride, and joy, Mom, Dad, Layla, and Suukyi JUNE 2020 ★ 71

Jonah Axam, BASIS DC PCS

Jewell Glen, Woodrow Wilson Senior High School

Kalani Takamura; School Without Walls

Lela Trainer, Maret School

James Catron, Maret School Ophelia DeStefano graduating from BASIS DC; will be attending Syracuse University.

Kai Matthews, Eastern Senior High School

Anna T. Ceballos, St. John’s College High School, she will be attending the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor

Jamie Quinn, Fusion Academy

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Alex Ertel, DeMatha Catholic HS; rising Freshman at University of Richmond

ALL OF US TOGETHER #CLASSOF2020

We’re Proud of You Khari Great Job! Khari, you’re not ours, but you’re important to our family. You’ve got a great heart, remarkable resiliency, and charm. The Marines will be lucky to have such a strong, loyal, and respectful person in their ranks. Keep killing it at chess to honor your grandma.

– Hugs, The Management

Congratulations, Levi!

You did it.

We are so proud of you! We wish you all the success for the future. – Love, Mom, Dad and Lila

“And there’s a million things haven’t done,

But just you wait, just you wait.” -Hamilton Congratulations Maisie! CH Playschool to Ms. Frances to Peabody to Watkins to Stuart Hobson and finally Wilson. The last of the Arlotto kids, you’ve done it all with grace, resilience, and humor.

We are so proud of you!

Woodrow Wilson High School, Class of 2020

Mom, Dad, Andrew, MaryGrace, Metro, NoMa, and Decker Onward and upward to Rhodes College, Lynx Lacrosse Wilson International Studies Program, Honor Roll, 4 years Varsity Girls Lacrosse, 4 years Varsity Girls Lacrosse Captain, 2 years Yale Model Congress Camp Strawderman JUNE 2020 ★ 73

Kaﬀe Grimes, Eastern Senior High School

Brian O'Neill, School Without Walls. Joining the Tufts Class of 2024.

Emma Morris, School Without Walls, going to University of California Santa Barbara

Nicholas Mahr, School Without Walls High School

Ashley Cheung; Graduating from School Without Walls. Will attend University of Wisconsin Madison

Henry Ryan, Gonzaga

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Taibria Turner, graduating from Eastern Senior High School. Feeling free.

Perrin Brady, graduating from Washington Latin Public Charter School

Justin Wallace, BASIS DC

Kelly Garramone, British International School Washington

ALL OF US TOGETHER #CLASSOF2020 CLASSOF2020

School Without Walls Ultimate Frisbee Team Congratulations to the Class of 2020 members of the Flightless Bird Squad, the School Without Walls ultimate frisbee team! It was going to be a great season!

We Are So Proud of You, Olivia!

Captains: Luca Christiansen, Leah Silverman, Robert McFarlane

Olivia Geno, Maret School It is amazing to see all that you have accomplished during your four years at Maret! Your fierceness on the soccer field stands out, but you also found a passion for technical theater, learning, and leadership. Most importantly, you have grown into a smart, kind adult who will do great things.

Seniors: Maddie Breeden, Ashley Cheung, Oliver Gwynn, Murphy Harllee, Alejandro Jorge, Becca Kurtz, Max Lagenbacher, Alex Landinez, Henry Logan, Brian O’Neill, Anna Pelletiere, Colin Pirillo, Emilie Plofchan, Annika Przystawik, Isabel Mejia Roberts, Mathieu Rebour, Mendel Socolovsky

– LOVE, MOM & DAD

Robert McFarlane School Without Walls Class of 2020

Born, raised, and educated in Capitol Hill. You did it and are ready to soar! We’re very proud of you, Robert.

Great Job Olivia! Olivia, we’re so proud! Not only for your hard work and success in school and sticking with ballet for 10 years, but we’re impressed with YOU – how you’re your own unconventional person. You have an innate creativity, amazing clarity of thought (and expression of those thoughts), empathy (or edge) for those deserving, great care for animals, and you unapologetically follow your own beat. You have a fearlessness and strength of character that will always set you apart. You’ll make an amazing mortician, artist, and whatever else you want to be. Stay weird.

– Lots of love, The Management

Your parents, Sonja and Alastair Your brothers and cousins, Daniel, Jaap, & Jordan Your aunts, Karin and Linda Your grandparents, Margaret, Judith, Luther, & Jakob JUNE 2020 ★ 75

Graham Cunningha, Wilson HS James Holladay DeMatha Catholic High School. Attending Barton College. Two Hill Seniors-buddies since pre-K. Will Kully (left) and Robbie Dyson(right), both graduating from Edmund Burke School.

Emma Olson who is graduating from Washington Latin Public Charter School

Nona Douglas, Washington Latin PCS Lizie Quinn, Choate Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, CT

Theo Lezla, Yorktown High School in Arlington, VA. Will study Engineering at George Mason University

Kiamsha Taylor Tate, Duke Ellington School of the Arts Eli Whalen, Georgetown Day HS

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Chance Legere, Wilson HS

ALL OF US TOGETHER #CLASSOF2020 CLASSOF2020

Congratulations Tatsie Masters! You are now a 2020 graduate of Georgetown Visitation High School. It seems like yesterday you were a Butterfly at The Hill Preschool, then a student at St. Peters grade school. Visitation HS kept you busy with SGA, Gold/White and all the community service projects. We are so proud of you and look forward to your future adventures in politics and Fordham University. Tatyana, you have grown to be dignified and true. Be brave, kind and happy.

We are so proud of you. Congratulations, McKinley!

– Dad, Mom, Tema, and all of our family. We Love you!

You have worked incredibly hard and grown into a wonderful young woman. You are kind, smart, and beautiful and we couldn’t ask for more!

– We love you so much, Mom and Dad.

GREAT JOB NORA! Elizabeth Seton High School Class Of 2020 You were born into the light of a beautiful fall morning to be our light. Your name is perhaps your destiny: Nora, from the Greek, meaning light. You have grown in light.

Congratulations Zach!

CONGRATULATIONS, VALEDICTORIAN!

You are a Gentleman & Scholar (a true Stag)!

And now to college, to “mind the light”.

Four years at DeMatha went too fast. Seems like yesterday you graduated from middle school as a St. Peter’s “lifer.” We are proud of you and looking forward to your Barton College adventures.

We are so happy for you, our light.

— Much love, Mom & Dad

With all our love and joy and pride, Mommy, Daddy, Tessa, Sarah, The Rabbit, AyAy, Nana, Papa, Abuela, Granddad and everyone else

JUNE 2020 ★ 77

Joseph Paci, Graduated from St. Anselm's Abbey School. He is headed to Rice University in the fall where he will be part of the Navy ROTC program. Booker Viso, Burke

Sadye Moore, graduating from School Without Walls

Robert McFarlane. School Without Walls High School

Abigail Svetlik, School Without Walls

Tatsie Masters, graduating from Georgetown Visitation

Lydia Daly, School Without Walls

McKinley Conru-Knudson, The Field School

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Zachary Drozdowski, DeMatha, Barton College Class of 2024

Ian Patzman-Rivard, St. Anselm's Abbey School Zack Barrette, School Without Walls

ALL OF US TOGETHER #CLASSOF2020 CLASSOF2020

Great Job oe! Congratulations on your graduation from Washington Latin!

GRACE DODDProud of You! Great Job! We’rea tin

– Chris, Jackie and Chris

We couldn’t be more proud of you and everything you have already accomplished. We wish you all the best at Middlebury and wherever your dreams and hard work take you in the future.

– Love Mom, Dad, and Alex!

Congrats Amber! We are so proud of you and all of your accomplishments. We know you will do well in any endeavor you choose. Remember to love yourself - always be true to yourself and trust your inner compass to guide you.

– Love, Mom, Dad, Autumn & Sophie

Danté

Your road through high school has been set with obstacles you never could have imagined. You have had some “bang ups” and “hang ups.” You have come down with a “bump” and been left in a “slump.” “Un-slumping yourself was not easily done.” But you did it many times.

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are but tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

“Now you are ready for anything under the sky because you are that kind of guy… Will you succeed? Yes, you will indeed Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way.”

- H.S.Haskins

“Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” – Dr. Seuss

The world is full of wonders Lydia.

I always have your back. And you always have my love.

Congratulations & with much love, Mom, Dad and Nicholas

– Mom JUNE 2020 ★ 79

Myles Nelson, Edmund Burke School

Dominic Kittel, BASIS DC. Attending University of Massachusetts Lowell, Honors College

Helena Webb, Washington Latin PCS with her dog Hazel

Alexis V Johnson; graduating from Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School Sahara Trask, Washington Latin PCS

Max Giesecke, School Without Walls High School

Jacob Graham. DC International PCS Ely Sterling Lettow, The Potomac School

80 â˜… HILLRAG.COM

Roger Richardson, McKinley Technology HS. Headed to Colorado State

Emilie Plofchan; School Without Walls. University of Colorado, Boulder

ALL OF US TOGETHER #CLASSOF2020 CLASSOF2020

Hooray MJ! We are so proud of you and your achievements! And thrilled that you have “Veritatem Dilexi.” – With love from Mom, Dad and Jack

We are so proud of you!

Congratulations ach!

You have always been pure sunshine so it’s no surprise you’re off to California!

We love you so much and are incredibly proud of you. You bring such joy to our family and brighten each day. We are inspired by how you meet life with a sense of curiosity and a positive attitude. Congratulations on your graduation!

We love you, Emma Jane Morris

– Love, Mom, Dad, and Aubrey

You did it, Luca! Great Job! We are beyond proud of your accomplishments and so excited for the many great things yet to come. You are our greatest investment, and wish you exponential growth in college and beyond. Most of all enjoy the ride... The University of Vermont awaits! We love you!

Well Done oe We Are So Proud of you! When life throws you curve balls, you just catch them and keep on moving! So proud of your tenacity and strength. – Love, Mom & Papa

Congratulations, NORA!

Congratulations, Gwyneth!

Great Job Maddy!

The British International School of Washington.

We Are So Proud of you!

We are so very proud of you! World traveler, chemist, linguist, climber, painter, comedian, occasional musician and more. You are amazing! You have worked so hard, confronted many a challenge, and have stayed true to yourself throughout. You are a joy, and we look forward to your journey ahead wherever it may lead! We love you! – Mom, Dad, and Fluffy

Congratulations to our smart, beautiful, and talented daughter on your graduation from Washington Latin Public Charter School. You have brought joy and light to the world, and we cannot wait to see what the future holds for you.

You have worked so hard all these years of school, and we are SO PROUD of how you have grown! Here’s to all the bright and beautiful years ahead! – Love, Mom, Dad, Aoife and Daniel

We love you, Maddy Katz! – Mom, Dad, and Juno dog

JUNE 2020 ★ 81

CLASTER EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CONGRATULATES THE CLASS OF 2020! You have shown tremendous strength and creativity in the face of unprecedented challenge and have worked hard to meet your goals. I am so fortunate to be part of this community and have been honored to get to know many of you. You have much to celebrate and be proud of, and a bright future ahead of you. I wish you all the best.

– Becky Claster

Congratulations Emma! You did it! We couldn’t be more proud of you. Your sheer grit, perseverance through difficulty, creativity, compassion & drive are all part of what make you who you are – a star to us! Keep shining beautiful - the world needs your light! – Love, Mom & Dad

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2020!

From all of us here at the Congratulations Chloe! This year’s graduation is like you - one of a kind. You’re wonderful, intelligent, passionate, beautiful, kind, an amazing sister, daughter, friend and empowered woman. We are so happy and proud of you. You will shape an extraordinary future. Go for it! Capital Community News, Inc. Publisher of:

82 ★ HILLRAG.COM

MIDCITY MID

F A G O N

GUIDE TO CAPITOL HILL

– Mom, Dad, Jack, Adam and Sean (and Mattie!)

ALL OF US TOGETHER #CLASSOF2020

Congratulations Anna! Great Job! Congratulations on all of your amazing achievements at St. John’s College High School. You took on so many challenges and conquered them all! As a part of the National Honor Society and the De La Salle Scholars program, your coursework was the most challenging St. John’s offers and you aced it! You decided to work on the school’s newspaper - the Sabre- and ended your run as the paper’s sports editor. And your commitment to athletics led you to become a valued member of the cross country team. We are very proud of all you have achieved and look forward to your future success at the University of Michigan and in life!

Great Job! We are so incredibly proud of you. Continue to aim high, work hard, and dream big! We are excited to travel the next steps of life’s incredible journey with you.

“Whatever you want to do, if you want to be great at it, you have to love it and be able to make sacrifices for it.” – Maya Angelou

– Love Mom & Dad

– Love, Dad, Mom, Mama, Montez & Family

Congratulations Maya! “An opera begins long before the curtain goes up and ends long after it has come down. It starts in my imagination, it becomes my life, and it stays part of my life long after I’ve left the opera house.”

–Maria Callas

Congratulations, Lily! We’re so proud of you and excited to see where your next adventure takes you.

We love you and are proud of you! – Mom, Dad and Edwin

We hope COVID-19 doesn’t deprive us of the opportunity to miss you next year.

Love you,

– Mom, Dad and Alice

Congratulations Alexis! We are so proud of you! YOU ROCK! Graduation is the beginning of a beautiful Journey. Take pride in how far you’ve come, have faith in how far you can go, and most of all - enjoy life. Stay Unstoppable..... A1 since day one!! We LOVE you! JUNE 2020 ★ 83

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home and garden CLEANING,

NATURALLY! by Catherine Plume

t’s an interesting paradox that while many people are moving towards organic foods, household cleaners— which are often filled with toxins— are kept at the ready in many homes. With everyone, including kids and pets, spending more time at home these days than anyone ever imagined, reducing the number of toxic chemicals in your home makes a lot of sense. But, in these days when hygiene and cleanliness are of paramount concern, which natural cleaners really work? White vinegar is a cleaning staple in our home. Straight white vinegar in a spray bottle will make your stainless steel appliances shine, while a douse in your laundry will work as a fabric softener substitute. I put a half cup of vinegar in my dishwasher and run it on the “quick wash” cycle every few weeks to keep food particles from building up inside the machine. A half cup of vinegar mixed with a cup of water, two tablespoons of oil (grapeseed, olive, coconut, etc.), and a drop or two of your favorite Citrus peels added to white vinegar will give your cleaning essential oil will give your wood furniture a solution a sprite and pleasant smell. Credit: C. Plume beautiful glow. Put equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle, and you’re ready to ing, baking soda is an excellent light abrasive. I tackle almost any cleaning project in your home buy it in bulk, so I have it on hand for any project. from cleaning windows and mirrors to counter(You can purchase it online at Ace Hardware and tops. Though white vinegar doesn’t have a lingerhave it delivered to Frager’s for pick up.) Baking smell, you can add some citrus peels to some ing soda will bring shine and cleanliness to any vinegar, set it aside for a couple of weeks, and number of things – from your kitchen and baththen add a bit of it to your vinegar and water soroom sinks, the bottom of your grimy pots and lution for a clean, citrusy smell. And the addition pans and even your grandma’s silver or that old of those fruit acids to the vinegar will increase the brass doorknob. I use it, or cream of tartar, to solution’s ability to clear stubborn stains. get rid of the scratches on my older dishes from When you need a bit of grit for your cleantime to time. (It works!) And, it will even work

as a stovetop and oven cleaner. Apply a paste in your oven, leave it for a few hours and return for a quick clean up. When baking soda is mixed with vinegar, it becomes two new chemicals - carbonic acid and sodium acetate – a fizzy concoction that kids will love to watch. A one to two ratio mix of these two ingredients will create a mixture ideal for cleaning toilets and keeping drains flowing. Thyme oil – and more specifically “thymol” found in thyme and bee balms among other plants—is proving to be another excellent natural cleaning/disinfecting

White vinegar, water, and baking soda, and you’re ready to clean. Credit: C. Plume

JUNE 2020 ★ 85

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product that can be used as a cleaning product throughout your home, though research indicates that it is ineffective against COVID-19. It, like neem oil, however, can also be an effective natural pesticide for household and outdoor plants. Sometimes natural cleaners need a bit of a boost to do an effective job. I’ve found that a solution of 70% isopropyl alcohol (which is what stores commonly sell), soap, and water can give my granite countertops a shine that a simple vinegar and water mix can’t. Meanwhile a dash of hydrogen peroxide added to a laundry load will make colors brighter, or diluted in water, it can be an effective disinfectant. If you’re trying to disinfect for COVID-19, remember that just like a good soap and water wash will kill the virus on your body, a good soap scrubbing will kill it on any surface. A March 2020 Consumer Reports article reminds us that using or adding anti-bacterial soap to the mix has no added value against the COVID-19 as it is a virus versus a bacteria. And, hydrogen peroxide, isopropyl alcohol, and bleach can destroy the virus when in the right concentrations while vinegar, vodka, and tree oils, can’t. While using natural cleansers will help you minimalize the chemicals in your house, you’ll also save money. A gallon of white vinegar costs less than $3 while baking soda costs around $10 for a 13lb. bag. You’ll be able to get a lot of cleaning done with those quantities, and you’ll have a lot fewer toxins in your home. Catherine Plume is a lifelong environmentalist, a writer, and blogger for the DC Recycler: www.DCRecycler. blogspot.com; Twitter: @DC_Recycler. She is also the Chair of the DC Chapter of the Sierra Club, however, perspectives expressed are her own and do not necessarily represent the positions of that organization. ◆

Building Smart from the Start

Interior Renovation and Space Planning Whether remodeling, new construction or simply rearranging your current layout we handle complex and simple projects with equal care. We integrate the design and construction disciplines, so all your needs can be addressed with one point of contact. We keep costs in check and projects on time.

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CHECK OUR GALLERY AT: thomasdesignconsultants.com JUNE 2020 â˜… 87

Additions & Basement Experts BUFFALO COMPANY, LLC www.buffalocompanyusa.com For all your Construction Needs ADDITIONS

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Dear Garden Problem Lady, by Wendy Blair I need annuals for color in my perennial garden – but I don’t like orange – so please don’t suggest Nasturtiums. Zinnias come in all colors, even, weirdly, blue. Cosmos and Cleome come in white and pinks from pale to dark. Lacy Ortaya is a slightly lower, whiter flower than Queen Anne’s Lace. For shade, Torenia is a lovely blue. Then – drum roll please – Nasturtiums – which bloom brightly from now to late fall, and now come in very pale yellow AND absolutely stunning reds. As you probably already know, you can also eat the entire Nasturtium plant – from its tender peppery leaves similar to watercress, to its milder, sweet flowers. Even the seeds, though hot and fragrant, are edible too.

My tall zinnia seedlings are coming along nicely, but their brilliant colors are not going to stand out well against our hideous fence. They need some sort of tall backdrop plant – but what? Have you considered Artemisia (common name is ‘Wormwood’)? Treasured for its silver gray-green leaves, the tallest of many Artemisias is called “Artemisia ‘Silver King’. It grows taller than a yard. Plant several somewhat closer together than the one-yard-apart recommended, to form a backdrop. Consider a soil barrier, though, for unwanted spread by rhizomes and/ or self-seeding. We have a sunny stone wall with holes and cracks. I’d love to see something tiny, but interesting, dripping out of these – but what?

Artemisia (common name is ‘Wormwood’)

88 ★ HILLRAG.COM

EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF CAPITOL HILL & BEYOND Have you tried the brilliant succulent Portulaca? It’s low, has neon colors and clings. My neighbor sprays Roundup over patio cracks. She claims that Roundup is not harmful to the environment – only to the foliage and roots of weeds. The EPA this year announced that Roundup does not cause cancer, contrary to its previous ruling. Has something changed for this herbicide? Not Roundup’s chemistry. Nor its worldwide use. The patent expired in 2000, so other products now contain its active ingredient, glyphosate. When used as intended, to kill weeds by spraying directly on their leaves and nowhere else, Roundup is not harmful to humans, animals, soil or as runoff. However, it does kill fish, and is highly toxic if ingested or touches sensitive tissue such as eyes. Monsanto, the originator of Roundup, lost lawsuits over claims that it caused cancers. What have changed are Roundup’s ownership, now the super-wealthy German corporation, Bayer – and the attitude of the EPA, now under President Trump. Bayer is currently impeded by COVID-19 in its ongoing attempt to appeal some lawsuits. The home gardener might consider two safe, simple home remedies instead: cover weeds with either salt, or a strong solution of three parts vinegar to one part water. Weeds should wilt or die, and come out easily by hand.

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Meetings of the Capitol Hill Garden Club have been postponed until further notice. See capitolhillgardenclub.org. Feeling beset by gardening problems? Your problem might prove instructive to others, and help them feel superior to you. Send them to the Problem Lady c/o dearproblemlady@gmail. com. Complete anonymity is assured. ◆

JUNE 2020 ★ 89

. home & garden.

CHANGING HANDS Changing Hands is a list of residential sales in Capitol Hill and contiguous neighborhoods from the previous month. A feature of every issue, this list, based on the MRIS, is provided courtesy of Don Denton, manager of the Coldwell Banker office on Capitol Hill. The list includes address, sales price and number of bedrooms. NEIGHBORHOOD

PRICE

1340 Kenyon St NW #1 1340 Kenyon St NW #3 1390 Kenyon St NW #728 1419 Shepherd St NW #3 1420 Clifton St NW #306 1432 Perry Pl NW 1435 Chapin St NW #5 1437 Monroe St NW 1451 Park Rd NW #313 1469 Florida Ave NW #4 1510 Park Rd NW #3 2535 13th St NW #5 2560 University Pl NW #PH 2560 University Pl NW #UNIT 1 2656 15th St NW #305 2910 Georgia NW #401 3318 Sherman Ave NW #T1 3514 13th St NW #1 3516 New Hampshire Ave NW 3533 New Hampshire Ave NW 3565 Holmead Pl NW 3602 Rock Creek Church Rd NW #8 3718 13th St NW 3900 14th St NW #708 3900 Kansas Ave NW #6 3900 Kansas Ave NW #7 4011 13th St NW 4012 13th St NW 4120 14th St NW #6 625 Park Rd NW #302 625 Park Rd NW #C5 732 Lamont St NW #302 770 Park Rd NW #201 770 Park Rd NW #302 770 Park Rd NW #303 923 Quincy St NW

14TH STREET CORRIDOR 2032 15th St NW #2

$310,000

$590,000 $462,000 $378,000 $383,000 $365,000

2 1 1 1 0

$450,000 $465,000 $499,900

4 3 3

$409,000 $375,000 $117,700

3 2 2

$875,000 $850,000 $799,000 $735,000 $490,000 $396,000

4 2 3 2 2 1

$420,000

$274,900 $399,900 $492,500 $565,000 $758,277 $808,580 $710,200 $892,500 $1,000,000 $618,000 $1,495,000 $879,000 $1,862,500 $320,000 $399,999 $1,500,000 $474,900 $530,000 $963,000 $915,000 $920,000 $799,000 $482,000 $325,000

0 1 2 2 2 2 3 2 3 2 5 4 4 1 1 5 1 2 3 3 3 3 1 1

ADAMS MORGAN 1719 Euclid St NW #1 1794 Lanier Pl NW #410 2440 16th St NW #205 2440 16th St NW #312 2550 17th St NW #604

ANACOSTIA 1502 Ridge Pl SE 1633 W St SE 1919 T St SE

BARRY FARMS 1495 Morris Rd SE 2344 Hunter Pl SE 2636 Wade Rd SE #3

BLOOMINGDALE 10 Randolph Pl NW 2213 Flagler Pl NW 1924 1st St NW #1 2304 1st St NW ##1 241 Florida Ave NW #4 149 W St NW #13

BRENTWOOD 2328 15th St NE

CAPITOL HILL 101 North Carolina Ave SE #305 1020 Pennsylvania Ave SE #101 1209 G St SE #10 1237 Potomac Ave SE 1313 Potomac Ave SE 1322 Emerald St NE 1336 K St SE 1410 North Carolina Ave NE 142 Kentucky Ave SE 1510 Massachusetts Ave SE 155 E St SE 1712 D St NE 226 8th St SE 311 4th St SE #1 32 15th St NE #32 326 E St NE 401 13th St NE #407 410 11th St NE #18 413 3rd St NE 417 4th St SE #2 418 5th St NE 440 3rd St NE 626 Independence Ave SE #301 634 North Carolina Ave SE #A

90 â˜… HILLRAG.COM

$690,000 $1,425,000 $585,000 $750,000 $281,000 $660,000 $605,000 $1,050,000 $457,000 $758,900 $700,000 $537,500 $1,100,000 $665,000 $369,000 $513,000 $349,900 $531,000 $965,000 $895,000 $794,000 $364,900 $1,175,000 $357,500 $719,900 $675,000 $940,000 $980,000 $286,000 $689,000 $505,000 $349,900 $799,000 $849,000 $884,000 $655,000

2 4 2 3 1 4 2 4 2 2 4 2 3 2 1 2 1 2 4 3 3 1 5 1 3 3 4 4 1 2 2 1 3 2 3 3

CONGRESS HEIGHTS

643 Morris Pl NE 708 Maryland Ave NE 810 D St NE 908 East Capitol St NE

$765,000 $615,000 $799,950 $1,015,000

3 2 2 2

CAPITOL HILL EAST 1709 D St SE 513 17th St SE 901 D St NE #205

$750,000 $670,000 $935,000

3 3 2

$540,000

CENTRAL 601 Pennsylvania Ave NW #307

1254 Barnaby Ter SE 130 Chesapeake St SW 3206 5th St SE 3902 1st St SE 809 Chesapeake St SE 819 Yuma St SE

COLUMBIA HEIGHTS 1107 Clifton St NW 1128 Columbia Rd NW #2 1234 Girard St NW 1249 Kenyon St NW #1 1300 Park Rd NW #4 1308 Clifton St NW #209 1331 Taylor St NW #2 1331 Taylor St NW #3 1332 Park Rd NW #A 1335 Harvard St NW #1 1339 Irving St NW #PH

$993,900 $1,032,000 $875,000 $570,000 $740,000 $419,000 $750,000 $880,000 $477,500 $775,000 $896,850

4 3 6 2 3 1 3 3 2 3 3

$230,000 $329,000 $414,000 $485,000 $391,000 $385,000

3 2 3 3 3 3

$335,550 $475,200 $335,000 $410,000 $345,000 $486,000 $150,000 $549,000 $389,000 $390,000

2 3 2 2 3 3 1 4 3 3

DEANWOOD 1038 47th Pl NE 118 56th Pl SE 132 35th St NE 32 35th St NE 3948 Ames St NE 404 47th St NE 4208 Benning Rd NE #6 4406 Eads St NE 4531 Eads Pl NE 4603 Hunt Pl NE

LET US SPRING INTO ACTION FOR YOU! 4708 Meade St NE 5046 Meade St NE 5112 Jay St NE 5201 Just St NE 5214 Jay St NE 5237 Karl Pl NE 713 49th Pl NE

$315,000 $509,000 $200,000 $356,800 $385,000 $430,000 $402,000

3 5 2 2 2 5 4

! EW G N IN T S LI

$1,500,000 $444,000 $415,000 $479,900 $345,000 $280,000 $4,000,000 $412,500 $440,000 $1,585,000 $390,000 $1,225,000 $489,000 $630,000

2 2 1 2 1 0 13 1 1 2 1 3 1 2

ER T! D C N A U TR N CO

$910,000 $764,000 $1,377,000 $805,000 $610,000 $549,999

3 3 4 3 4 2

FAIRFAX VILLAGE 2001 38th St SE #101

$100,000

FORT DUPONT PARK 1139 Chaplin St SE 1523 Fort Dupont St SE 1671 Fort Davis Pl SE 232 Anacostia Rd SE 4257 H St SE 4257 Hildreth St SE 4326 Chaplin St SE 4417 A St SE 4477 B St SE #301 4560 C St SE 504 Hilltop Ter SE

$312,000 $320,000 $360,000 $457,000 $335,000 $419,900 $360,000 $480,000 $269,000 $630,000 $375,000

4 3 3 3 2 2 3 3 2 6 3

325 Maryland Ave NE 5 BR / 3.5 BA $1,749,000

ER T! D C N RA U T N CO

ER T! D C N A U TR N CO

808 Massachusetts Ave NE 6 BR / 3.5 BA $1,600,000 GRAND BUTTER BRICK BAY-FRONT CAPITOL HILL CLASSIC! Features fantastic location 3 blocks from Stanton OR Lincoln Parks. FOUR big levels THREE rooms deep deliver SIX bedrooms and 3500 finished SF, plus delightful front garden and private brick patio. Priceless original floors, doors, hardware, casing alongside renovated kitchens, baths, roof, and systems. $1800 bonus per month in rent revenue from the separate apartment below!

ER T! D C N A U TR N CO

1617 D St NE 4 BR / 3.5 BA $949,000

1602 D St SE 2 BR / 2 BA $771,000 SEMI-DETACHED 3-LEVEL HOME OFFERS PERFECT PERCH! Take in the best of Capitol Hill life in this lovely HillEast home! Main level is bright AND sunny w/ wrap around windows, oak floors, kitchen of granite, stainless steel and rear walkout to deck / yard. Upper level complete w/ large front owners’ BR, sky lit hall bath and rear BR/office; Fully finished LL feat. laundry and full bath.

IMMACULATE FEDERAL FRONT BELIES EXPANSIVE INTERIOR! Renovated & TRULY turnkey home w/ 5 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths on 3 finished levels with high ceilings, custom builtins, hardwood floors and more! Approximately 3200 SF includes 4 deep rooms per floor— formal living/dining parlor, rare family room, plus chef’s demonstration kitchen overlooking intimate courtyard. Below, in-law suite with sep entrance + 2BR. LITERALLY steps to U.S. Capitol, Senate, Stanton Park, & Union Station.

ECKINGTON 1771 2nd St NE #2 201 1/2 S St NE #1 211 S St NW 222 1/2 V St NE 43 T St NE 55 Todd Pl NE

CORNER CASTLE STEPS TO UNION STATION, STANTON PARK, OR THE BEST OF H ST! NOT like the others: Tremendous turret and 3-level bays wrapped by glorious gardens welcome you home. Inside, entertain dinner for 2 or 20 in the grand corner dining room featuring 8 windows! Central kitchen and HUGE rear living and family spaces lead to tranquil private deck + patio, driveway for 2 AND detached GARAGE/workshop! Upstairs the most spacious 3BR/2BA layout you’ll find, including 400SF owners’ suite. But wait there’s more: separate lower apartment with CofO cuts your mortgage cost in HALF!

DUPONT CIRCLE 1612 16th St NW #3 1615 Q St NW #907 1620 Corcoran St NW #A 1301 20th St NW #311 1316 New Hampshire Ave NW #605 1601 18th St NW #411 1633 16th St NW 1701 16th St NW #729 1747 T St NW #1 1775 Church St NW #PH7 1816 New Hampshire Ave NW #304 1906-1908 17th St NW 1925 16th St NW #301 1930 NW New Hampshire Ave NW #41

400 F St NE 4 BD / 3.5 BA $1,500,000

GLEAMING RENOVATION BETWEEN LINCOLN AND KINGMAN PARKS! Wide open floor plan anchored by central full-width kitchen. Upper level delivers SPACIOUS front Owner suite with private bath and vaulted ceilings and distinctive herringbone oak flrs. Hall bath, upper laundry, and two rear bedrooms complete the picture. Fully finished LL gleams with den, fourth BR, guest bath, storage, laundry, and even option for kitchenette! Walkout to private parking + deck.

103 17th St SE 2 BR / 1 BA $699,900 DREAM COTTAGE AND GARDENS IN THE HEART OF THE HILL! Semi-detached Federal home delivers extended front, side, and rear yards for enjoyment with family, friends or pets Just 2 blocks to METRO, discover an open floor plan plus immaculate updated rear galley kitchen with walkout to rear private patio + YARD, plus bonus storage and workshop building at the rear. BRIGHT 2ND level features owners’ bedroom with treetop street views, and rear second bedroom surrounding classic white wainscot hall bath.

FORT LINCOLN 2739 31st Pl NE #2739 3116 Berry Rd NE #22 3491 NE Summit Ct NE #3491 3710 Commodore Joshua Barney Dr NE

$249,000 $395,000 $350,000 $675,000

3 3 2 4

FT DUPONT PARK 3327 Croffut Pl SE

$276,000

H STREET CORRIDOR 1011 9th St NE 646 H St NE #305 719 18th St NE #2 725 18th St NE #2 801 9th St NE #1 806 I St NE 911 12th St NE #4

$830,000 $619,900 $655,000 $670,000 $638,500 $900,000 $486,000

4 1 3 3 2 3 2

202.243.7707

info@joelnelsongroup.com JUNE 2020 H 91

511 7th ST NE- Available. $1,699,500 Stunning 2 unit – Meticulously renovated with high-end finishes throughout. Easily converted to a single family home providing over 3400 of finished sq ft! Off street parking for up to 4 cars. All located on a quiet littletrafficked street. Call today for a private or virtual tour.

HILL CREST 1501 27th St SE #206 2005 Branch Ave SE 2009 32nd St SE 2126 Suitland Ter SE #102 2909 O St SE 3056 Q St SE 3441 Massachusetts Ave SE 3701 Bangor St SE

257 15th ST SE Unit D – Under Contract. $669,500 Overlooking wide open spaces, with 2 bedrooms, 2 baths on 2 levels and private deck and parking this apt lives like a house! Conveniently located, it is just several blocks from the Potomac Avenue Metro and a Capitol Bikeshare Station.

$99,000 $675,000 $574,999 $105,000 $405,000 $743,000 $515,000 $735,000

5348 Drake Pl SE 1 3 3 2 3 4 3 4

IVY CITY

LET OUR DECADES OF EXPERIENCE ASSIST YOU IN YOUR NEXT REAL ESTATE TRANSACTION! 706 11th ST SE – Under Contract. $899,900 A rare opportunity to live in a fully detached home 10 ft ceilings, original wood floors, spacious Living and Dining rooms – an eat in kitchen and 3 bedrooms on the 2nd level and a lovely landscaped yard!

1838 Providence St NE #4 1944 Capitol Ave NE #1 1944 Capitol Ave NE #3 1944 Capitol Ave NE #4

$600,000 $487,500 $560,000 $538,300

2 2 2 2

KALORAMA 1851 Columbia Rd NW #710 1901 Wyoming Ave NW #30 2107 S St NW #C 2230 California St NW #6A-W 2236 Decatur Pl NW 2310 Ashmead Pl NW #106 2310 Ashmead Pl NW #203 2402 Wyoming Ave NW 1832 Connecticut Ave NW

$425,000 $482,500 $569,000 $1,725,000 $1,550,000 $387,999 $367,000 $2,850,000 $2,800,000

1 1 2 4 4 1 1 4 7

KINGMAN PARK 1607 Isherwood St NE #2 1607 Isherwood St NE #3 412 21st St NE 443 19th St NE

$612,850 $589,900 $775,000 $600,000

2 2 4 3

LEDROIT PARK 160 Adams St NW 2014 2nd St NW 2016 2nd St NW 322 T St NW #2 65 Rhode Island Ave NW #2

$380,000 $525,000 $525,000 $854,500 $549,900

3 3 4 2 2

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JUNE 2020 ★ 93

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arts ining d and

THE MOVIES Scribblers and Scandals: Journalism in the Movies AT

by Mike Canning

ith movie houses still closed, the Hill Rag offers another selection of recent movies to watch while warming the couch. This month’s theme is contemporary journalism, whether press, TV, or magazines, a collection of smart, fast-paced films from the last 20 years that have nothing to do with the current administration or the current pandemic, but which have their own rhythms and surprises. Readers can find these titles on disc (rental or purchase) or on selected streaming services. The Post (2017) – This compelling journalistic thriller by Steven Spielberg keeps the tension up with propulsive cutting and swift and smart dialogue delivered by a bunch of seasoned players led by Tom Hanks as Ben Bradlee and Meryl Streep as Katherine Graham. As the crusty, ink-stained scribe, Hanks doesn’t much look like Bradlee, but he gets the man’s energy and growl right and delivers his lines with pungency and weight. The contrast with Streep’s Graham is stark. We see her first in sweet hostess mode, a woman allergic to confrontation. The dramatic arc Streep must undertake to become a decision-maker is glorious to watch. Spotlight (2015) – An impeccably crafted film by writer-director Tom McCarthy about Boston Globe journalists unearthing the scandal of sexual assaults by Catholic priests. It chronicles the group’s detailed pursuit of their bleak story,

(Left to right) Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruﬀalo, Brian d’Arcy, Michael Keaton and John Slattery in “Spotlight.” Photo Credit: Kerry Hayes; Distributor: Open Road Films.

piece by relentless piece. The script is splendid in building its case, gingerly matching suspenseful exchanges with purposeful exposition. The cast is a dream, one of the best acting ensembles assembled in recent years; picking out any one individual as “best actor” would be fruitless, because the collective is so superb. Everyone performs with an honesty and sincerity that does honor to the theme. State of Play (2009) – This journalistic thriller (based on a British TV series) offers a rarity: a solidly crafted motion picture about Washington, DC. And though the film takes pains to incorporate the city into its narrative, it still plays with some of the old clichés of politics in film. Even by shining light on the underside of our politics and fiddling with our geography, State of Play remains a briskly-paced, smartly written, and entertaining thriller, with some deft performances, especially by leads Russell Crowe and Rachel McAdams. It’s easy to get caught up in and challenging to follow—and it uses much of a DC that we can all recognize. The Devil Wears Prada (2007) – A sharp take on the fashion magazine world (based on “Vanity Fair”) enlivened by a crafty script and featuring an indelible performance by a super-cool and hellish Meryl Streep as a top fashion czarina. The film is amusingly schizophrenic, mocking the glossy trivialJUNE 2020 ★ 95

ities of “high fashion” while, at the same time, embodying its appeal through the hard work it takes to “look good.” Effective and funny supporting performances by Emily Blunt (her break-out role) and Stanley Tucci, as magazine staffers who stay just the right side of caricature. Good Night, and Good Luck (2006) – A stirring retelling of Edward R. Murrow’s challenge to Senator McCarthy in the mid-1950’s, shot in a sumptuous and velvety black-andwhite (that vividly recalls the era) and on appropriately close, hermetic sets (that create the tension). George Clooney, playing Fred Friendly, directs from a script by him and Grant Heslow and elicits a righteous performance from David Straitharn as the lead. Straihairn doesn’t possess a close likeness to Murrow, but he wins you over completely by uncannily invoking the nobility and distinctive cadences of the man. Shattered Glass (2003) – Dramatization of a notorius journalistic scandal at Washington’s New Republic magazine that gets the tone of an ambitious political journal down pat and has much to say about the battle between integrity and ambition in the field. Hayden Christensen plays the very young writer Stephen Glass who gains fame and notoriety through inventing clever features before his work is questioned by another publication, then unmasked by his own editor Chuck Lane (Peter Saarsgard). Christensen brings rank callowness and grinning cynicism to his character, contrasting with Saarsgard’s unassuming but very dogged hero. Besides the lineup above, I wanted this month’s column to include at least one review of a current movie that will have resonance for many in the DC area.

A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps The Kennedy Administration changed Washington in many ways, one of which was leading young Americans to answer the new president’s call for a commit96 H HILLRAG.COM

ment to public service. Many young acolytes settled in the DC area to sign up for the ground-breaking Peace Corps. A new video release, “A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps,” directed by Alana DeJoseph, is the first feature documentary to chronicle the remarkable history of the Corps (the film, running 107 minutes, began streaming in video venues on May 22). In early 1961, President John F. Kennedy launched the Peace Corps, and, since then, more than 200,000 volunteers have traveled to more than 60 countries to carry out the organization’s mission of international cooperation. Nearly 60 years later, Americans--young and old alike--still want to both serve their country, aid countries in their development, and perhaps most pertinently, discover their own place in the world. Presented chronologically, the narrative, delivered by Annette Bening, begins with the promising Sargent Shriver years when volunteers were mostly recent college grads typically offering basic services and education to overseas countries in needy areas. By the 1970’s, the composition of volunteers had broadened, including older Americans (like Lilian Carter) and persons with more focused professional skills. Later on, many countries who had progressed out of Third World conditions opted out of the need for volunteers. Through the decades, the agency struggles to remain relevant amid great sociopolitical change, as well as fighting for its very existence. That history is principally outlined by an amazing number of ex-PCVers and staff (from the 1960’s until yesterday) telling their own stories, including recent ones from Colombia, Afghanistan, and the Ukraine. Many of them underline that the Corps’ profoundest outcome was not so much to “develop” other countries and peoples but rather to “change themselves” with a greater awareness of the wider world and an international consciousness. u

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. arts and dining .

SAVOR THE SUMMER WITH THE BEST WINES TO DRINK RIGHT NOW by Elyse Genderson

ith social distancing in place, the best way to relish the summer season is to find a wine that can transport you to an exotic, far-flung destination. Not every white or rosé can stand up to rising summer temperatures. This season, look for varietals with higher levels of natural acidity or enjoy lively wines with a slight sparkle. A great summer wine should be approachable and refreshing. So stock the fridge now with any of these warm weather sippers, and drink well while you stay safe and cool.

Rose

berry, hibiscus, and tangerine aromas burst out of the glass.

Riesling The noble Riesling grape is full of complexity, mouth-watering acidity, and vivacious freshness. Discover the many styles of Riesling which range on the scale from honeyed tropical sweetness, to bonecracking dryness. Dry Riesling is a wonderful choice in warm summer weather due to the light alcohol content and natural fruit flavors.

2018 WWE. Dr. Thanisch Riesling QBA ($24.99):

2018 Esprit Rebelle Coteaux Varois de Provence Rosé ($6.99):

This Estate Riesling is sourced from the Thanisch family’s estate vineyards. The slate soils here provide freshness, purity and distinctive minerality. This is a stunning, fruity Riesling from one of Germany’s best producers. It is the perfect match for shrimp patties or hard shell crabs.

Summer water! A classically fresh Provence rosé at only $6.99 is unheard of! This mineral driven pink gem offers fresh aromas and flavors of strawberry, rosé petal, and watermelon.

2019 Kilikanoon Killermans Run Riesling, Clare Valley, Australia ($19.99):

Sophisticated and dry styles from Southern France are the pinnacle for quality, but standouts are made around the world.

2019 Apolloni Rosé of Pinot Noir ($19.99): A classic Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Rosé with fresh and clean flavors. The fruit is picked early to retain racy acidity. It opens with complex aromatics of perfumed rosé petals. The palate is balanced with ripe strawberry fruit and lovely texture, A perfect pairing for a summer menu of fresh pastas, barbeque and savory cheese.

2019 L’Olivette Bandol Rosé ($22.99): L’Olivette from the Mediterranean’s most serious rosé appellation, Bandol, is a bold blend of mostly Grenache, offering rich concentration. Fresh straw-

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the wine girl

Spicy white pepper, citrus blossom, ripe pineapple, white cherries, and lemon rind show off on this outstanding Clare Valley expression.

2018 Schmitt & Carrer Riesling Grand Cru Hengst Organic ($19.99): This bone dry style from one of the best vineyard sites in Alsace called Hengst, whose name means “stallion” because of the powerful wines it produces. Exotic tropical fruit aromas of pineapple and citrus, along with subtle spice. A perfect match with rich flavors like smoked fish.

Vinho Verde There is nothing better suited to a summer afternoon than the light, fizzy, fresh white wine known as Vinho

Verde from Portugal. The price is always affordable making Vinho Verde a casual, gilt-free choice.

2019 Sol Real Vinho Verde ($9.99): Bright and citrusy with lots of natural acidity, offering apple and grapefruit aromas and flavors. A hint of green herbs on the finish adds complexity. Made with Arinto, Trajadura, and Loureiro grapes at only 9.5% alcohol, this wine is ideal for warm temperatures. Sancerre - France’s Loire Valley is the home of a simple summertime classic. While some mass produced wines from the region can be a bit one dimensional, the best examples are extremely rewarding. Schneider’s selections are made by serious winemakers in small batches offering aromatic and complex flavors of lemon-lime citrus, melon, green herbs, and stony minerality with rich texture.

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2018 Gitton Silex Les Belles Dames Sancerre ($32.99): Produced from vines grown on silex soils of the 12-acre vineyard, Les Belles Dames, this Sauvignon Blanc truly expresses a sense of place. Flinty minerality, acidity, and tart citrus fruit. This thirst quenching Sancerre has a wonderfully rich texture.

Summer Reds – While white wine and rosé are always the obvious choice, branch out with some juicy reds. Every red wine should be served at cellar temperature, easily achieved with about 10 minutes in the refrigerator. However, there are some wines that, in summer, could be chilled down even more and enjoyed with reckless abandon.

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2018 Castel Sallegg Lago di Caldaro Scelto Classico Superiore Bischofsleiten Schiava ($19.99): Schiava is an indigenous grape from Alto Adige in the Italian Alps. It is the local favorite for everyday drinking, as it is low in tannin, high in acid, loaded with red berry fruit, very food friendly, and just delicious!

2018 Bichot Chateau De Jarnioux Beaujolais ($14.99):

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. arts and dining .

ARTandtheCITY by Jim Magner

ARTIST PROFILE: JAMES KLUMPNER

is titles are numbers, not names. The paintings are the artist’s personal thoughts, visually presented—no definitions or declarations. They’re simply a launch pad for your interpretations. Consider “# 57.” The color is sparse enough to make suggestions and there is much architectural detail to explore. Forms slide and slink into a swimming pool and grab your attention. Add the fire on the horizon and you can do anything with the unassimilated elements. Write your own story. Jim Klumpner “sees things” during the day and lets the images gambol freely in his mind, undirected

and unhindered. They emerge as visual ideas as he is falling asleep. He “employs the logic of dreams.” Later, holding on to the ideas, he starts with underdrawings as he works out the form and color compositions. That allows him to experiment, but he plans everything out before he begins painting. It’s like something out of a Surrealist manifesto: the manifestation of a dream state. But Jim doesn’t read art manifestos. Although he has been drawing as long as he can remember, he came to painting rather late in life. He is “untrained:” no studio #41, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24, NFS, by Jack Klumpner or art history classes. This way, he feels he is not constrained by rules or conventions, and sold well. But things were changing. In the latter but like all artists, he looks at other art and part of the decade, the counter-culture followed art artists and learns by absorption. into Art Nouveau—identified mostly with the stun“#41,” is the image Jim Klumpner ning black and white compositions of Aubrey Beardsuses as his “logo”—his personal identifiley: long flowing and exaggerated lines with elaborateer. So how personal is it? Is it him? Man? ly abstracted floral decorations. The look seeped into Car? Frog? Is it all of those things, or none? everything—including some lines of Hallmark cards. Jim is also Dr. James Klumpner. He But Art Nouveau didn’t have a color identity until was an economist for the Commerce Dethe psychedelic late-60s…then, it was an underground, partment, the Congressional Joint Ecooutlaw sort of thing. It all came together in 1968 in an nomic Committee, as well as the House and explosion of fun called “Yellow Submarine,” the movSenate Budget Committees. He’s written a ie—the Beatles’ instrument of jolly mischief. book about Markets: Spoiling Affluence. But wait, there’s more. He sings. He founded and directed “Polyhymnia,” the a cappella chamber choir that continues to charm and entertain to this day. His painting, “# 57,” is in the Hill Center show this month (See: At the Galleries.) www.thelogicofdreams.net.

Jim Magner’s Thoughts on Art

#57, acrylic on canvas, 18 x 24, $800, by Jack Klumpner

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I was an artist at Hallmark Cards way back in the 60s. They had a traditional look

#56, acrylic on canvas, 24 x 18, $500, by Jack Klumpner

We artists got a call to gather in the Hallmark auditorium to watch an early release of “a film.” And then there it was: glorious greens and blues and purples and oranges and reds and yellows all joyously galloping across the screen in ever-changing combinations and configurations. The Fab Four encountered and conquered the Blue Meanies and other forces of evil while floating through a hallucinogenic universe of solemn silliness. We left the auditorium singing “We All Live in a Yellow Submarine” as directed by The Boys. The Hallmark lines took on the new color look in everything except maybe Easter cards. Even children’s birthday party invitations, centerpieces and nut cups. It didn’t last long, but it knocked down color expectations and opened the door to commercial acceptance of free color expression, as if Wassily Kandinsky became everyone’s art director. I look at Jim Klumpner’s “#56,” (See: Artist Profile) and “Yellow Submarine” pops in my head. Jim’s “lizard’ comes to me as a Green Meanie. I can see it dancing, bouncing and squiggling all over my desk. But that’s just my story. Write your own.

At the Galleries Hill Center 921 Pennsylvania Ave., SE – June 12 This is the annual Regional Juried Exhibition. The Hill Center Gallery may not be open in June, but a wonderful work from each artist can be seen at: https://www.hillcenterdc. org/artist/2020-regional-juried-exhibition. Foundry Gallery 2118 - 8th Street, NW – June 30 (Open by Appointment) www.foundrygallery.org You will find the all-gallery group show online. Also, the Barbara Pliskin solo show continues. Barbara paints

fantasies. In her “Sun Series,” forms roll through the emptiness of space or become reflections through a transparency. Always intense and always on the move. barbarapliskin.com “Perspectives”—Online Exhibit Capitol Hill Art League 545 7th St, SE Through June, and beyond. “Perspectives” was open to all DCarea artists and was juried by Clint Mansell. There were 299 entries which he narrowed it down to 30. Check out the site for the complete list of artists and award winners. There is also a video of the juror’s remarks concerning the artists selected and the award winners. The show will remain on the website in perpetuity. www.caphillartleague.org Ikebana Returns: New Virtual Exhibit The Art League 105 North Union Street Alexandria, VA 22314 –June 7 Art and nature come together as The Art League and the Washington, D.C. branch of the Sogetsu School collaborate for their 15th Biennial Ikebana Show. Art works by League members are paired with Ikebana—sculptural flower arrangements—made by students of the Sogetsu School. www. theartleague.org | Online Group Exhibit Multiple Exposures Gallery Torpedo Factory --June 30 This is the juried exhibit of MEG members’ creative photography. www. multipleexposuresgallery.com/onlinemay-june-2020

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A Capitol Hill artist and writer, Jim can be reached at Artandthecity05@aol.com u

202.341.0500 www.renewpsych.com/contact JUNE 2020 H 101

. arts and dining .

the LITERARY HILL A Compendium of Readers, Writers, Books, & Events by Karen Lyon

Presidential Powers

amine one another’s political speeches and writings on the subject of the American dream. Together, they cobble together a manifesto that incorporates their best thoughts, working to put aside their political differences in defense of the country and the Constitution they all pledged to uphold. The process it not without contention. They are still politicians, after all, even if more than half of them are dead. So they snipe and taunt each other, hurling brickbats (and the occasional kudos) as they dissect and disagree over their colleagues’ words. And they do it all in character. Johnson comes across as folksy and profane; Nixon defensive and easily riled; W an impish wisecracker; Carter a plain-spoken preacher; and Obama eloquent and analytical. Meanwhile, upstairs in the White House (and also in character), Trump rants and fumes and threatens. Sloan takes us on an edifying and entertaining ride through several generations of American politics, but never loses sight of his (and the presidents’) end goal. “It is not our task to negotiate a perfect replaceLocal political writer Richard ment for what motiSloan conjures up a conclave vates the American of past and former presidents to create “A Novel Approach to people in their daily

“What steps would you take to prevent the American dream from becoming the American nightmare?” That’s the question Richard S. Sloan poses in his book, “A Novel Approach to the American Dream.” His answer is surprising. Sloan envisions a table in the elegant and historic Blue Room of the White House, around which he seats thirteen US Presidents, five still living and eight brought back from the dead for a specific purpose. Their charge: to redefine and reawaken the possibilities of the American dream and save the country from the existential crisis created by “the man upstairs” in the Oval Office. Over the course of the four months allotted them, the presidents review the intentions of the Founding Fathers and then, one by one, they ex-

the American Dream.”

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Tom Zaniello presents a survey of films about the world’s “invisible” workers in “The Cinema of the Precariat.”

lives, moves this nation to great deeds and greater sacrifices, and acts as a beacon for billions who may never set foot on this land,” states Lyndon. “Rather, our task is to find the common ground upon which new dreams can flourish, and the common purpose that can unify the increasingly warring factions in these United States of America.” Rick Sloan’s career spans five decades and a dozen presidential campaigns, with stints on Capitol Hill as Chief of Staff to Ohio Senator Howard Metzenbaum and Michigan Congressman John Dingell. He is also the author of “The Gift of Strategy” and “Revenge of America’s Unemployed.”

Living Precariously Now, as we rely more than ever on the essential workers who pick up our trash, deliver our groceries, and pack our pork chops, a timely new book gives these unsung laborers their due. In “The Cinema of the Precariat: The Exploited, Underemployed, and Temp Workers of the World,” Tom Zaniello examines how films have portrayed those who are part of a class called the “precariat,” a port-

THE POETIC HILL

C Allison McGill and Charla Everhart sanitize parental profanity to hilarious effect in “Mommy Didn’t Say THAT…”

manteau merging precarious and proletariat. Evoking more than 300 films— both documentaries and movies— and related visual media, he explores the “invisible” workforce of an insecure “gig” economy, who “may be furloughed or terminated at any time.” He begins in the migrant camps of California with Edward R. Murrow’s seminal documentary, “Harvest of Shame,” and other exposés that have shed light on the plight of field workers. He then moves on to China and its migration from rural areas to factories, where workers are housed in bleak high-rise dormitories so soul-sapping that nets are placed around the lower floors to discourage suicides. Zaniello devotes a chapter to the special issues that women workers face, and to the scavengers— from Buenos Aires to Flushing, New York—who pick through trash to make ends meet. Especially timely is a section on films about epidemics and catastrophes, where members of the precariat are invariably the victims, with workers dying while “governments are slow to act, even slower to tell the truth, and then rush to take the credit for saving the world.”

From the miners of blood diamonds to cyber-laborers and the virtual workers in video games, Zaniello’s focus remains on the exploited workforce of the world. Film after film, he notes, “demonstrate[s] how necessary it is for all of them to have job security, health protection, and a decent income… and how difficult it has been—and will continue to be—for the precariat to achieve those basic human rights.” Tom Zaniello is a professor emeritus of Northern Kentucky University, where he taught film and cultural studies, and has been a film programmer for the Hill Center. He is also the author of “California’s Lamson Murder Mystery,” the true story of a Hollywood screen writer wrongly convicted of murder, as well as “Working Stiffs, Union Maids, Reds, and Riffraff: An Expanded Guide to Films about Labor,” and “The Cinema of Globalization.” Find him on Facebook @ tzaniello.

Mommy Loses Her Cool To all the stay-at-home parents struggling to maintain their cool— or to anyone whose pandemic pa-

by Karen Lyon

hris Haley has written two award-winning scripts, “The Studio,” which focused on the plight of the homeless, and “The Reconciliation Walk for Slavery and Penitence,” which helped win the Maryland Tourism Council Global Marketing Award for the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation. He is the author of two books of poetry—“Obsessions” and the recently released “Until the Right One Comes Along”—as well as a radio play (“The Courtship of Jo and Eddie”), and numerous letters, speeches, and poems that have appeared in a variety of publications. He has also written, produced, and directed two short films that appeared in 2005 at the Greenbelt Utopia Film and Video Festival and the Annapolis Film Festival. A chapbook of short fiction pieces, “But That’s Not Me,” will be published later this year. www.chrishaleyspeaks.com Sweet Dominion I got it. I remembered it. Finally, it was clear As I left my second floor Therapist’s office Over the first floor Organic food café in Old Town Alexandria. Trailing down the steps with me Floated the scent of summer, Mixed with the musk of Seasoned broiled chicken. The scent stirred my nostrils And opened the pocket of memories Where my grandmother’s home In Georgia was kept. The hot August days, The dusty, well-trod path that my brother and I created, Strolling carefree from her neighbor’s back door, Where her mother, our great grandmother lived, A trail over which my brother and I had sweet dominion. Oh, to taste, to smell, to sense that time again, Once more I was a child at play. Visit www.literaryhillbookfest.org to enjoy readings by Chris Haley and other poets who participated both live and by video in this year’s virtual BookFest.

If you would like to have your poem considered for publication, please send it to klyon@ literaryhillbookfest.org. (There is no remuneration.) u

JUNE 2020 H 103

Coming July 2020

VIRTUAL. DC.

A guide to virtual summer events in the District. Publication Dates: Hill Rag 6/27 MidCity DC 7/3 East of the River 7/3

To advertise contact your Sales Rep today Call: 202-400-3508 I Kira x16 I Carolina x12 I Andrew x19 Capital Community News, Inc. Publisher of:

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tience is running low—this book is for you. In “Mommy Didn’t Say THAT...” Allison McGill and co-author Charla Everhart present alternative explanations for those cursed expletives that inadvertently pop out of our mouths in times of stress—and, alas, all too often in the presence of little ears. “Mommy didn’t say THAT…,” they backpedal after one such outburst. “She said, ‘OH SHEET!’ She forgot to fold the sheets and just realized it.” Silly Mommy. Nor is Daddy immune from his share of faux pas. He didn’t say THAT, we’re told, as he displays a throbbing thumb that he’s whacked with a hammer. “He said, ‘JAM IT!’ like jam with a guitar.” Never mind that Daddy doesn’t play guitar. It’s all in good forgiving fun and is delightfully illustrated by John Paul Snead in rich, colorful tones, creative angles, and lots of goofy visual humor, making it an ideal read-aloud book (can you find the duck in the closet?). But in the end, of course, it’s all about people trying to be their best for the people they love and sometimes not quite measuring up, which is a good lesson in tolerance for all of us in these trying times. Allison McGill is the founder of Lola & Pear Publishing and the author of “The Adventures of Duke, the Therapy Dog: Duke Finds a Home.” She is donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of “Mommy Didn’t Say THAT…” to Postpartum Support International. www. lolaandpear.com ◆

JUNE 2020 H 105

BOOKFEST

2020

A GREAT VIRTUAL DAY FOR BOOKS AND AUTHORS ON

CAPITOL

HILL!

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING: Capital Community News, Inc. The Capitol Hill Community Foundation Dan Kohan and Sensical Design Alison Steier, Ph.D. Canden Schwantes Arciniega E.J. Wenstrom Jonathan Lewis and Paris Singer

Elizabeth Cogan, President and Board Member Louis Bayard, Vice President Ed McManus, Treasurer Sharon Hanley, Board Member Tim Krepp, Board Member

All the authors who made videos and joined us live for our first-ever virtual BookFest! And if you missed us on May 3, you can still visit www.literaryhillbookfest.org or facebook.com/theliteraryhill to enjoy the panel discussions, childrenâ€™s stories, and poetry readings from the live event, as well as a host of entertaining author videos.

Laura Nakatani, Board Member Tamar Abrams, Board Member Karen Lyon, President Emerita and Author Coordinator Melissa Ashabranner ex officio Board Member

w w w.li tera r yhi l l b o ok fes t. o rg Connect with us on social media @theliteraryhill 106 H HILLRAG.COM

/Our River: The Anacostia/

SIX GREAT ESCAPES UP ALONG OUR RIVER

s we all begin to emerge from our COVAD-19 isolation, we need to have places to go for quiet, for nature, for natural beauty. We are fortunate to have a number of very special places along the Anacostia River where we can get away, alone or with a few others. Some may be known to you, but others may be upstream places you never knew existed. At least one of the six I identify below was something my wife and I discovered just last month. Some of these upstream places can be reached from our neighborhoods by bicycle. Others are best reached by driving to a starting point and walking or biking from there. Still others are convenient to Metro either with or without a bicycle. They are all upstream of Bladensburg Marina and Riverfront Park, so boat access is not an option. If you are not familiar with the layout above Bladensburg, it is quite simple: about a half mile north, the Northeast and Northwest Branches come together to form the River. The Northeast Branch is widened a half mile north where Paint Branch and Indian Creek enter, then wanders into its origins in Greenbelt Regional Park. Similarly, the Northwest Branch is widened two miles north where Sligo Creek enters. There are other creeks and branches, but these are the five major parts of the watershed. The Northwest Branch comes from the farthest source in the basin – Sandy Spring in northern Montgomery County. Let’s start with the Northeast Branch and identify two “great escapes”.

by Bill Matuszeski

Great Escape #1 – A Trip to the Farm Belt The Metro Green Line terminates at Greenbelt Station right inside the Beltway. But a half mile walk or bike ride to the other side is like a thousand mile trip to the farmlands of mid-America. There are

endless acres of agriculture crops and lands that flow from I-95 across US 1, MD 201 (your best entry point), and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. There are many miles of peaceful paved and dirt roads to calm the soul. And there are also many small streams that feed into the Anacostia Northeast Branch, including Indian Creek, Beaverdam Creek and Beck Branch.

Great Escape #2 – The Surprise Lake If you are coming south from near the Beltway on Paint Branch Trail or Indian Creek Trail, you will find that they come together at a remarkable place—Lake Artemesia. The lake started as a small excavation area, but the demands of Metro construction caused it to be deepened and widened and ultimately surrounded by a beautiful park with benches, wonderful birds and other wildlife and even a picnic pavilion. On one side run the Metro and railroad tracks, but the rest is surrounded by nature. If you arrive coming south on the Paint Branch Trail, you have just gone through the University of Maryland campus and a residential area, then take a tunnel under the railroad and out the other side–what a surprise!

Great Escape #3 – The Start of It All

Lake Artemesia. Photo: Bill Matuszeski

The remaining four areas are part of the streams of the Northwest Branch, starting at the beginning of the River in the town JUNE 2020 ★ 107

Marcello cinelli December 4, 2004 — May 23, 2020

He was one of the great ones. His memories will continue to inspire and teach me for the rest of my life.

108 ★ HILLRAG.COM

of Sandy Spring in northern Montgomery County. You will have to drive there; it is too far to walk and there no bike trails to speak of. Once there, everything is very walkable. The best route is to take I-95 north from the Beltway to MD 198 west, Sandy Spring Road. Stay on MD 198 until it goes into MD 650, New Hampshire Avenue where you go right. At Ashton, go left on MD 108; after passing a large school, start looking on the left for Meetinghouse Road and signs for the Quaker Meetinghouse, which was part of the Underground Railroad for escaping slaves (as was Our River). Continue to Northwest Branch – Fall Line Trail. the end of the road and park. Photo: Bill Matuszeski Walk through the fence and and other rides as well as extensive into the fields (public lands) playgrounds. A nice trip for the whole along the dirt road; when the road family! (Check before you go to see if curves right look left in the corner of some of these facilities are closed due the woods for a fenced off area, which to Covid precaustions.) is the spring where the Anacostia River begins! Enjoy your surroundings Great Escape #5 – Deep near and far; last time I visited there in the Woods were crocuses in bloom where the waThe Northwest Branch Trail has a ters came up from below. number of segments. Perhaps the most beautiful stretch for glorious Great Escape #4 – The hiking and biking begins at the AdelGardens Among Us phi Mill Historic Site, where the trail The Sligo Creek Trail takes us well crosses Riggs Road (MD 212). It conbeyond the Beltway, ending just two tinues for about two miles to the Capblocks short of Wheaton Regional itol Beltway, passing through a deep Park, on the north side of which is the wooded valley where hardly a buildbeautiful Brookside Botanical Garing can be seen and the only sound is den. An easy way to get there for hikthe water rushing over rocks. There ing or biking is to take the Metro red are many places to stop and rest and line to its terminus at Glenmont and check out the stream. The trail below take Glenallan Avenue (behind the the mill is also interesting and passes station) to the garden entrance. The through a number of neighborhoods. gardens are quite beautiful and there There is a convenient West Hyattsare seldom many other folks around. ville Green/Yellow Line Metro Station The greenhouse is worth a visit to see right next to the trail below where the a number of unusual plants. You can Sligo Creek Trail splits off. Above the go from the gardens directly into the Beltway the Trail is open for walkers park, which has a merry-go-round, a but impassible for cyclists. train you can ride through the woods,

Don’t Lose Your Posture Nearly all spine pain problems arise from the same classic syndrome of us losing our posture. Not only is keeping our posture essential for health, but for how we look and enjoying an active, happy retirement.

Great Escape #6 – Wild Wilderness on the Fall Line If you do continue on foot under the Beltway on Northwest Branch, you are in for a thrill. The water is rushing over rocks and fallen trees like nothing you have ever encountered. This is a two-mile stretch that makes it impossible for you to believe you are in a metropolitan area and not in some distant wilderness. For the best access to hike this segment where the stream crosses the Eastern Fall Line, take the University Boulevard Beltway exit and immediately turn right on Columbia Pike/ Colesville Road (US 29); after about half a mile there is a bridge crossing the Northwest Branch and two mills, one on each side. The site is called Burnt Mills and the mill and parking area on the right is what you want (called the East Mill). From there begins the tumult of rocks and waterfalls and nearly impassible pathways that go on and on. Eventually things calm down a bit and a reasonably walkable trail appears from time to time. It is two miles downstream to the Beltway overpass and the beginning of the bike trail. For a calming experience after this, return to the parking area and drive over to the other mill. There is a large constructed dam and a trail along the stream, which compared to what you have seen below seems like a peaceful canal. Let me know what you find and what surprised you! (bmat@ primary.net) Bill Matuszeski is a member of the Mayor’s Leadership Council for a Cleaner Anacostia River, and the retired Director of the Chesapeake Bay Program. He also serves on the board of Friends of the National Arboretum and on Citizen Advisory Committees for the Chesapeake and the Anacostia. u

It’s never too early to start. Call Capitol Hill Chiropractic today for a no-cost Springtime Consultation.

Need therapy or medication management to cope with the stress of Covid-19? Call us to schedule a FREE 30-minute therapy consult.

For the better health and life experience of you and your family Dr. David Walls-Kaufman Capitol Hill Chiropractic Center 411 East Capitol St., SE | 202.544.6035

Read More About This Subject On www.capitolhillchiropractic.com Serving The Capitol Hill Community Since 1984

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Capitol Hill Animal Clinic

/The District Vet/

1240 Pennsylvania Ave. SE

ALL ABOUT MICROCHIPS

capitolhillanimalclinic.com

by Dan Teich, DVM

202-546-1972

DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS Capitol Hill Animal Clinic will continue to have limited hours. Dr. Murphy will be consulting with clients over the phone, not meeting with them face to face during all exams for their pets. No Walk-In Appointments or Emergencies Will Be Seen During the COVD Crisis. The Clinic will resume normal hours when the American Veterinary Medical Association States That It is Safe to Do So.

Hours:

Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 9 AM to 4 PM Saturdays 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM 110 ★ HILLRAG.COM

uring our recent hiatus from the status quo, many fellow DC residents have added a puppy, or adopted a dog, kitten or cat into their family. This is an exciting time and it is imperative that we do all we can to keep our new pet healthy and safe. One component is identification with an implanted microchip. Microchips are a permanent identification system which can help in returning your pet if it is lost. A 2009 study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association demonstrated that lost dogs without a chip only made it home 22% of the time, whereas those with a chip are reunited more than 52% of the time. The numbers are more stark in cats: 1.8% and 38.5%, respectively. Chips do work!

What is a microchip? Microchips are small radio-chips the size of a grain of rice, encased in an inert glass tube, which is implanted beneath the skin of your pet. They are activated by a radio scanner which is passed over the pet, providing the scanner with a unique identification number. It does not act as a GPS device and does not provide any tracking for your pet.

How is the chip implanted? Getting a microchip is similar to receiving a vaccination, albeit with a bit larger needle. The needle is inserted beneath the skin by a trained person, usually between the shoulder blades. There is minimal bleeding and usually little to no discomfort once the injection is given. You will be asked to fill out a form with your contact information. This data is entered into the registry maintained by the manufacturer of your pet’s chip.

Is there more than one kind of microchip? Yes. There are several different microchip frequencies and combinations of letters and/or numbers. The standard chip used most frequently is an ISO 15-digit 134,2 kHz chip. This chip is required for most international travel, especially to

Europe and Asia. We at District Veterinary Hospital use the ISO chip exclusively.

If my pet is lost, how does a microchip help? A lost pet is usually presented to a veterinary hospital or animal control agency. Usually the first thing they do, aside from looking at any tags, is take a scanner and look for a chip. If located, the chip number is entered into the registry, and so long as there is accurate information, the pet can be reunited with its person. The registry maintains the owner’s contact information and will provide it to the agency who has the pet or, will contact the lost pet’s owner directly.

Are there different chip registries? Yes, each manufacturer maintains their own, but the microchip scanner usually dictates which registry to contact. When a lost pet is scanned, the manufacturer name and the chip number are displayed. To make finding the paper register easier, the American Animal Hospital Association, of which District Vet is a member, maintains www. petmicrochiplookup.org. This website will direct any user who enters a microchip number from a participating company to the proper database.

What do I have to do to maintain the chip? It is imperative that the information in the microchip manufacturer’s registry be accurate and complete. If you move or change your phone number, the company must be contacted. Most of the commonly used chips in the US have easy updating tools for this information. A chip is useless if the information in the database is inaccurate or incomplete. About a week or two after your pet is chipped, check the database to assure that this information is correct. At your pet’s annual veterinary visit, if time allows, ask your vet to check to be sure the chip is still working and in the proper spot. Very rarely, a chip will fail to respond.

EASTERN MARKET Can my pet have more than one microchip? Yes - we frequently see this with world-traveling pets. Recall that most countries require the 15-digit ISO chip, but many shelters in the US have long used a non-15-digit chip. It is ok to have a second chip implanted, but it is imperative that you maintain accurate information in the databases of both chips! You never know which chip will be read first if your pet is lost.

YOUR PET DESERVES THIS KIND OF LOVE FROM HER VET! CAPITOL HILL OWNED & OP

ERATED

I just adopted a pet from the shelter. What now? First, be sure to register the chip to you! Second, have your veterinarian scan the chip and compare it to the number that you registered. Shelters do good work, but sometimes chip numbers can be confused. We at District Vet have seen this a number of times over the years - an adopter was given one microchip number, but it does not match the one given to the pet. We have also found that some pets already had a chip and now have two! And you must register both chips.

Should I still have a collar with tags on my dog or cat? Yes, most definitely. A collar is instant identification. A chip should be considered a supplement to a collar. Microchips are an integral part of pet identification. They are safe and very effective. We here at District Vet encourage all puppy and kitten parents to have their pet chipped at spay/neuter time, or sooner. Chips work and can help bring home a lost pet quickly and safely. Dr. Teich is the medical director for District Veterinary Hospitals in Eastern Market and Brookland. Visit www.districtvet.com for more information. ◆

District Vet is an independent, locally owned veterinary hospital focused on the needs of you and your pet. We believe that no two pets are the same and that each deserves individualized love and attention. It’s our philosophy. It’s just who we are. Be a part of our community. Please see our website for COVID-19 procedure updates.

240 7th St. SE // 202.888.2090 districtvet.com // caphill@districtvet.com JUNE 2020 ★ 111

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Flat Roof Specialists Modified Bitumen • Skylights • Shingles • Slate • •

Chimney Repairs Roof Coatings • Gutters & Downspouts • Preventive Maintenance • Metal Roofs • •

you saw them in

10 OFF WITH THIS AD %

202.425.1614 WWW.GANDGHOMEIMPROVEMENTS.NET

Licensed & Insured | All Work Managed & Inspected by Owners

ALL TYPES OF ROOFING REPAIRS

Star Roofing Company RELIABLE

Specializing in Residential & Commercial Flat Roof Systems

Contact CARO: 202.400.3503 carolina@hillrag.com

202-543-6383 All work done by owner • Free Estimates Insured • Licensed • Bonded

SHOES

Eastern Market Shoe Repair • Shoes • Boots • Purses • Luggage 645 Penn Ave., SE upstairs M-F 8:30-7 • Sat 9-6

202-543-5632

Our website just got a whole lot better! capitalcommunitynews.com 116 ★ HILLRAG.COM

If your normal Hill Rag pick-up location is currently closed,

WE HAVE YOU COVERED!

We have INCREASED our presence on the STREETS with more distribution boxes around the neighborhood! We have also expanded to include virtually every open retailer including:

Grocery Stores Convenience Stores Pharmacies

AND MORE!

STILL CAN’T FIND YOUR HILL RAG? CONTACT: distribution@hillrag.com • 202-400-3512 • www.hillrag.com JUNE 2020 ★ 117

www.themecrosswords.com • www.mylesmellorconcepts.com

XWORD “Colorful Shades” by Myles Mellor Across: 1. Lit 6. Wimpy’s antithesis 11. Calendar pages: Abbr. 14. Merry in disposition 16. English regatta town 17. Aboveboard 19. Straw hat 20. Peter of “Lawrence of Arabia” 21. Technology being used in auto-steering cars 22. Van Morrison sang about one 25. Color in a Beatles song 27. Very unusual 28. Credo 30. “Sin City” actress, Jessica 31. Warship 37. Even chance 40. Popular bread grains 41. Taking back choices 44. Pro Bowl locale 45. Chosen one 46. “ . . . man ___ mouse?” 47. Figure skater Babilonia 49. A.M.A. members 52. Effort 53. Dactyl 55. Going up sharply 57. Trample 61. Extravagant 64. More washed out 65. Enjoying a colorful natural view 69. Gimme putts 70. Indolence 71. Steel joists 72. ___ acid 73. Kimono belt 74. Newsstand title 76. National broadcaster 77. ___ system (car option), for short

79. Software program, briefly 82. California home of Jelly Belly 88. Simple shack 90. Grammar related 91. Omar of “Scream 2” 95. Set up for use (var.) 96. With comfort 97. Frobe who played Goldfinger 98. Burro 99. Mrs. Dithers 102. Lime and pine 104. Alice Walker book 114. Feel without touching 115. Certain sultan’s subjects 116. Amount reducer 117. Pizarro’s conquest 118. Restore to life 119. Texas trees 120. Mountain or prickly 121. “It’s ___ against time” 122. Often required on Feb 29th....

Down: 1. “Money, money, money” singers 2. Bit 3. Fabulist 4. One of four Holy Roman Emperors 5. “That was close!” 6. Taxi feature 7. “Plus” terminal 8. Footwear 9. Prefix for copter 10. ___ and terminer (criminal court) 11. Applelike fruit 12. How most rumors spread 13. Flash 15. “East” or “west” trailer 16. Georgetown U. athlete

Look for this months answers at labyrinthgameshop.com 17. Renowned ancient Greek city 18. Try 23. Fabricating 24. One of the Simpsons 26. Embodied 29. Hotel offering 31. Drug tsars 32. Sales caller 33. Internet provider (abbr.) 34. Earth, prefix 35. “The greatest” 36. Hamstrings 37. Albeit, briefly 38. Dinghy propeller 39. Cloth sample 42. Top rating 43. Collector’s goal 48. Progeny 49. Belief in God based on

rational evidence 50. Stinks 51. Active 54. “___ Como Va” (1971 Santana hit) 56. Duke Ellington’s “Take ___ Train” 57. It may get a licking 58. Long-snouted endangered animal of South America 59. St. Paddy’s land 60. Nut pine 61. ___ Schwarz 62. A.B.A. member: Abbr. 63. The utmost (degree) 64. West Canadian province 65. “__ the Man” St.Louis Cardinal 66. Certain port

SHOP OUR NEW WEB STORE *Order for Pick Up at Mr. Henry’s or Shipping

labyrinthgameshop.com Go to our website to:

We are closed temporarily through May 15 645 Pennsylvania Ave SE (Steps from Eastern Market Metro)

202.544.1059

We love our community and can’t wait to see you again!

118 ★ HILLRAG.COM

* Shop local for games and puzzles * Buy a Gift Card or Donate * Preorder Online * Attend a Virtual Event

NEED MORE HELP? Please e-mail us at team@labyrinthgameshop.com

67. Flexible 68. Having two lines 73. Cake birthplaces 74. Failing grades 75. Ballad 78. Jones and Smith, maybe 80. Bake sale org. 81. Neighbor of Ger. 83. Scale notes 84. Diamonds, slangily 85. Spider is one 86. Lucy of “Shanghai Noon” 87. Mid-seventh-century date 89. Aide: Abbr. 91. Goes with head 92. Darius’ kingdom 93. Acts like a peacock 94. Fetor 99. Pointed at the top 100. Shade of green 101. Red wine 103. Code crackers: Abbr. 105. Romanian dance 106. Like a 911 call: Abbr. 107. Vena ___ 108. Substance, lacking idea 109. Big name in rides 110. Running contest 111. They have mtgs. in schools 112. Ranger or Eagle 113. Formerly, once

CALL US! WE’RE WORKING! Still Working Just as Hard as Ever to SAFELY Satisfy ALL your Real Estate Needs!PLEASE STAY SAFE!

TO HILL WITH SUBURBS! Licensed in DC & MD

thesmithteam.penfedrealty.com John Smith

202.262.6037

Aaron Smith

202.498.6794

Peter Grimm

202.270.6368

Kristine Jones

202.415.4716

Peter Davis

301.332.1634

Office

202.608.1882

Brand New Construction w/ Eco-friendly Materials, Modern Code, Timeless Esthetic. 3 Lvls + Roof Deck, 4 BR/3.5 ba, All Electric, Stone & Stainless Dining Island Kit, Private Patio, 1 car Parking, Ceiling Fans, Dual HVAC Systems, Wired for Cable & Internet. $1.049M

At the Apex of Today & Tomorrow, Historic, avantgarde corner 1870 mixed use home offering 2600+ sq.ft. of comfortable possibilities. Currently offers 3 BR’s,. 2 baths, great kitchen, dining room, huge open gallery space, fenced side yard, huge bricked patio, OSParking $1.5M.

CO M IN G

UN DE R

Hillites are Sitting on a LOT of Equity! Sell your Current Close in & Buy Another More Suited to YOUR Current Needs. Pocket the Cap Gains Benefit of Years of Ownership! Security in a Time of Flux!

900 South Carolina Ave, SE

SO ON

CO NT RA CT

705 North Carolina Ave, SE Washington, DC 20003

2 Bruce Robey Ct, NE

210 10th St, Rear SE

Stacked “Tiny Home” Concept! 828 SF 2BR/2BA, Western Theme Dominated, Ubiquitous Builtins that Surprise on First Finding, a Fortress, a Retreat full of Exotic Woods, Rare Glass, Native Stones, Strong Metals, it’s an Artist’s Realm, a Living Museum that Gaudi Would Admire! $550K

1660 Ebenezer Ct, SE

ALL NEW 5+ BR/4 ba home over 3600 sq.ft., 2 Car Garage, over 40 dual paned windows on all four sides. BIg Bedrooms, Bright Bathrooms, Huge Rooms! Did I say New? Great Location near 2 METROS and shopping and commutes. ~$1.9K

712 Chaplin St, SE

Renovated, 3 Lvl Townhome, 2BR/2ba, Open Main Floor, OSParking, ALL NEW Appliances & Utilities! $399K

323 36th St, SE

Renovated, Cozy River Terrace 2-Lvl Home, 2BR/1 ba, parking, $370K

This Market is Grimm! Buying or Selling is NOT a Fairy Tale!

Call the Licensed Agents of the Smith Team! They will use their Decades of Experience to Make YOUR Real Estate Dreams Come True!