DC Government

One Lucky Mug

By Prince Of Petworth

A reader sends from the Unit block of 15th Street, NE:

“Pavers came on 3/16 and literally worked around this car, only one parked on the street scraping the old asphalt etc.”

D.C. Council Member Trayon White: “the Rothschilds controlling the climate.” But He Apologized So Let’s Just Pretend All is Well

By Prince Of Petworth

Last week in a post where I explained the meaning behind Jewish people giving/donating $18 (or multiples thereof), I jokingly mentioned that the Pentaverate was not real. I mistakenly thought that any part of that fiction was so far out there that in 2018 there is no way people in D.C. could believe it. Ahhhhhhhhh Ugggggggghhhhh Uhhhhhhhhhhh God damn it. Thanks to all who messaged me. It was also trending in my apple news alerts this morning:

From WTOP:

“As a few snowflakes fell in D.C. Friday morning, one D.C. Council member took to Facebook to vent about the weather, seeming to embrace an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that a wealthy Jewish family is controlling the weather.”

I really am sad. I think some major educational outreach is needed. I do hope the apology is sincere but who the hell knows. In WTOP’s report they said:

“The Washington Post said they reached out to White for clarification, to which he wrote, “The video says what it says.”

So whether or not the apology is sincere or empty words remains to be seen.

But it’s not fun crying all the time so I’ll just laugh it off:

“Recently, the school gates have recently been locked, and we have been told that weekend access will not be granted”

By Prince Of Petworth


via Change.org

“Dear PoPville,

For the past four months, Powell Elementary playground in Petworth has been open to the community. The playground has been a great resource for neighborhood families, meeting one another, having fun, and getting exercise.

Recently, the school gates have recently been locked, and we have been told that weekend access will not be granted. We don’t know why that is the case, and we are asking Councilmember Todd to lend his voice to this issue.  (more…)

“Eleanor Holmes Norton on Guns, Elections, Statehood, Trump at Shaw ANC Meeting”

By Prince Of Petworth

The following was written by PoPville contributor David McAuley, founder of Short Articles about Long Meetings.


Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (Right) Photo by David McAuley

“I am having a ball now with Marco Rubio,” Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton told Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6E/Shaw at its regularly-scheduled monthly meeting last night (March 6).

Norton started her ANC talk by saying she had stopped three Congressional attempts to eliminate DC’s gun safety laws in the last year, after which she made the remark about Rubio. Norton then went on to say that she was accused of skirting Congressional practice concerning member-to-member courtesy and decorum in her criticism of Rubio. However, Norton said, she wanted to remind that Rubio introduced a bill (just prior to his 2015 Presidential run) that, among other things, would have overturned the District’s ban on assault weapons. Immediately after the bill’s introduction, Norton said, Rubio’s National Rifle Association rating went from “B+” to “A”.

“I’m simply calling him out,” Norton said. “The opportunism there is so raw.” (more…)

“if you think you might want to rent your place out in 6 months…start now and you *might* make it.”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Josh Bassett

“Dear PoPville,

When you apply for a basic business license to rent out your place, they give you a 45 day window in which to get the home inspected. Without the inspection, the license is revoked. I am moving out of the area at the end of the month, so I got my license on February 12th and and scheduled the first available appointment (I shouldn’t call it that because they can’t even give you a time the day before) for March 7th (tomorrow). I called this morning to confirm, and my “appointment” was confirmed.

I just got a call from DCRA asking to reschedule for April 3rd or 10th. I am moving March 30th and looking to start a lease for my condo on April 1…so I said no. (more…)

“Is this crazy or am I the last one to know this (or both)?”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

I just got a shock receiving my property tax bill that I want to see if anyone else has experienced. I updated my Columbia Heights rowhouse kitchen and added a powder room last year and (stupidly, it turns out) applied for a building permit. The total cost was $40-50K. The permit triggered a supplemental assessment. The supplemental assessment increased the market value of my house by almost 50% (not counting land value), which I appealed and they adjusted it slightly.

Now I’m learning that just having the supplemental assessment not only increased my assessed value, it meant that I lost the 10% collar on my taxable assessment (i.e. rule that says assessment can only increase 10% a year) that is part of the homestead exemption (the other part is the deduction from value of around $70K). Since I bought a real dump of a house, that 10% a year limit meant my taxable assessment was only about 60% of the market assessment. Suddenly my property taxes have almost doubled. (more…)

“this meant that DPW was essentially conducting a ‘sting operation’ to take advantage of folks’ forgetfulness”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

We live in Burleith and there’s a bit of an uproar on the local listserv about DPW blanket issuing of $75 fines to those who kept their garbage cans in the alley.

The DPW issued the tickets on the afternoon of our normal garbage day (Thursday, 2/22) during the week of the Presidents Day holiday. Of course, this meant that DPW was essentially conducting a “sting operation” to take advantage of folks’ forgetfulness that the holiday pushes the garbage pick-up back one day. If you put your garbage cans out on the usual garbage day and had your house number on your cans, you got a ticket.

This type of behavior by the DPW is completely unnecessary and just causes more frustration and distrust between citizens and the District government. If there was a serious health issue, I’d be sympathetic to these spot “gotcha” enforcements. But my alley is very clean, I’ve never seen a rodent, and everyone here does their fair share to keep the trash secured and the alley clear for vehicular traffic. It’s basically one of the nicest alleys I’ve seen in DC; pretty damn remarkable.

Furthermore, as new residents (we moved in fall of 2017) we were told by our longtime neighbors to leave our cans in the alley. (more…)

“Mayor Bowser to Introduce Legislation Banning Bump Stocks in Washington, DC”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Lorie Shaull

Ed. Note: Speaking of which:

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Mayor Bowser announced that she is introducing legislation to ban the possession, use, and sale of bump stocks in the District of Columbia. The Mayor will introduce the legislation to the DC Council, and once approved by the Council, it will move to Congress for the congressional review period. Mayor Bowser will work with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton to fight back against any congressional interference with this common-sense legislation. (more…)

Video: The Guy Who Destroyed 11 Traffic Cameras in Action

By Prince Of Petworth

Update on the man some are calling a hero and some are calling an outlaw. In theatres May 2019.

From MPD:

“Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department seek the public’s assistance in identifying and locating a suspect and vehicle in reference to 11 Destruction of Property offenses of government operated traffic cameras in the District of Columbia.

On Tuesday, February 20, 2018, members of MPD responded to several locations in the Fifth and Sixth Districts for the report of inoperable traffic cameras. Upon arrival, officers observed damage to the traffic cameras. Investigators have since determined the damage was due to vandalism. (more…)

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