DC Government

DC Vote Petitions White House to Place DC’s Taxation Without Representation License Plates on Limo Before Inaugural Parade

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user ekelly80

From a press release:

DC Vote has filed a petition on the White House website asking that the Taxation Without Representation license plate be placed on the presidential limousine prior to Inauguration Day.

The presidential limousine currently displays DC plates that do not carry the Taxation Without Representation message. District residents pay federal taxes and serve and die in wars, but have no vote in Congress. The District adopted Taxation Without Representation as its official license plate motto in 2000 to give the country a visible demonstration of the political reality in the nation’s capital.

“With the help of thousands of Americans who believe in equal rights, we expect to see the Taxation Without Representation plates rolling down Pennsylvania Avenue during the inaugural parade,” said DC Vote Communications Director James Jones.

The early response to the petition has been strong. So far, nearly 3,000 people have signed it on the White House on-line petition site. If 25,000 people sign by January 18th, the administration will provide a response.

“We are beginning a major new, nationwide social media push to reach our goal prior to the inauguration,” Jones said. “The support we have received from people across the nation sends a strong message to the White House, but we need to maintain the momentum.”

The petition provides an opportunity for the people of DC and for supporters of our fight for full democracy everywhere to elevate the struggle for full democracy to a new level. DC Vote is very grateful for President Obama’s support for our struggle for equal rights. He has stated publicly that we should have the same voting rights as all other Americans. Displaying the Taxation Without Representation plate is simply an expression of the truth about DC’s political status.

Mayor Gray and MPD Chief Cathy L. Lanier Announce Historic Low for 2012 Homicides

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user KJinDC

From a press release:

Mayor Vincent. C. Gray and Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier announced today that the District’s official number of homicides for 2012 represents the lowest number on record since 1961, with 88 murders for the calendar year.

The District’s homicide total dropped well below 100 – representing a benchmark not reached in half a century and a longtime goal of city leaders. The 2012 total highlights a significant four-year drop in homicides.

“This represents a tremendous milestone for public safety in the District. I want to commend Chief Lanier and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Paul Quander along with all of the members of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) for their efforts to reduce homicides,” said Mayor Gray. “However, one murder is always going to be one too many. It does not matter where it occurs in the city; we must continue to work together as a city to reduce violence and crime in all four quadrants.”

No longer the nation’s “murder capital,” D.C.’s number of homicides is dropping at a faster pace than the national average. The figure stands in stark contrast to the number of homicides during the crack-cocaine epidemic of the late 1980s and early 1990s, when the District’s annual murder total topped 400 for several years in a row.

In 2012, MPD’s case-closure rate for homicides was 82 percent, which is well above the national average.

Continues after the jump. (more…)

“DC Snow Team Initiates First Full Deployment Of 2012-2013 Winter Season”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user ep_jhu

From DDOT:

In anticipation of a winter storm predicted for this weekend, the DC Snow Team (Departments of Public Works and Transportation) will deploy 200 snow plows by 4 am on Saturday, December 29 and will pre-treat bridges, overpasses and other elevated structures with a brine and beet juice solution to reduce the possibility of freezing. The weather services predict about 1 inch of snow to accumulate in the District during the pre-dawn hours and then mix with rain after 9-10AM.

“The 200 plows will begin spreading salt on DC streets, including 82 residential routes once snow begins to fall,” said DPW Director William O. Howland, Jr. “The system is fast moving and is expected to leave the area by 3-4PM Saturday. We will monitor storm conditions to determine what, if any, changes should be made in our deployment plan. The temperature is expected to be just above freezing during the day on Saturday, but will drop below freezing Saturday night; therefore, motorists and pedestrians should be very cautious as they travel because refreezing may occur.”

To track the plows, go to snow.dc.gov and click here.

Snow Safety and Preparedness Tips: People driving, walking or bicycling around the District should travel cautiously. Property owners are asked to pre-treat their sidewalks with abrasives and remove snow within 24 hours of the end of the storm, and assist their elderly or disabled neighbors with clearing their sidewalks. Also, for our drivers’ safety and yours, “Don’t crowd the plow.” Residents are encouraged to go to snow.dc.gov for updates before, during and after snowstorms, and for tips to get one’s home and family prepared for inclement weather. Residents also may sign up at alert.dc.gov to receive emergency alerts and notifications from Alert DC.

Trash/Recycling Collections: DPW trash and recycling collections will be made Saturday, December 29. “We did not collect trash and recycling on Christmas, so our collections schedule ‘slides’ to the next day and Friday’s collections will be made Saturday,” said Director Howland. He added that next week normal collections will be made Monday, December 31, collections will not be made Tuesday, January 1 and collections through the rest of the week “slide” to the next day.

Christmas Tree Curbside Pick Up Info

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Brandon Kopp

From DC311:

“Holiday trees collected “curbside” Dec 31st-Jan12th. After the 12th, please place where trash/recycling are collected.”

How long do you guys usually keep your tree up after Christmas?

Update on DC Holiday Closures including Parking Enforcement and Metro Hours

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Rukasu1

Yesterday we learned that the DC government would be closed on Monday Dec. 24th. Still no word on the feds yet. A couple of updates – DPW Will Make Trash, Recycling and Bulk Collections:

The Department of Public Works announced today that while DC government will be closed Christmas Eve, Monday, December 24, trash, recycling and bulk collections will be made that day.

Trash, Recycling and Bulk Collections: For the weeks of December 24 and December 31, 2012, DPW will make its regular Monday trash and recycling collections and Tuesday’s collections will be suspended in both once-a-week and twice-a-week collection neighborhoods. Trash and recycling collections will resume Wednesday. In both once-a-week and twice-a-week neighborhoods, collections will slide one day. In once-a-week neighborhoods Tuesday’s collections will be made Wednesday and so on through Saturday when Friday’s collections will be made. In twice-a-week collection neighborhoods, Thursday’s collections will be made Friday and Tuesday/Friday collections will be made Wednesday and Saturday. Trash and recycling containers should be put out for collection no earlier than 6:30 pm the night before collection and removed from public space by 8 pm on the collection day. Appointments scheduled December 24 for bulk collections to be kept.

Leaf Collections: Between December 17 and 29, leaf collections will be made from most “Area B” neighborhoods, except December 24 and 25. In Ward 5, Area B is scheduled for collections to be made between December 26 and January 5. Residents can use DPW’s Web site – www.dpw.dc.gov – to view the 2012-2013 leaf collection schedule by selecting Leaf Collection and clicking on “Check Leaf Collection Status in Your Neighborhood” (http://leaf.dcgis.dc.gov/) and enter your address.

Holiday Tree Collections: Holiday trees and wreaths will be picked up curbside from December 31 to January 12. Remove all decorations and place the greenery in the treebox space in front of your home. Please do not put the trees in plastic or cloth bags. Trees collected between December 31 and January 12 will be recycled. Any trees not collected by January 12 should be set out with your trash to be picked up as space in the trash trucks allows over the following weeks.

Ft. Totten Transfer Station: Ft. Totten will be closed December 24 and 25. It reopens December 26.

Parking Enforcement: Since DC government will be closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, December 24 and 25, DPW will not enforce parking regulations either day. Normal enforcement activities will resume Wednesday, December 26.

But the DMV will be closed:

In observance of Christmas and New Year’s Day, all District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles (DC DMV) locations will be closed on Monday, December 24 and Tuesday, December 25, 2012, as well as Tuesday, January 1, 2013. All DC DMV service centers, adjudication services, and inspection station will resume regular business hours on Wednesday, December 26, 2012 and Wednesday, January 2, 2013.

From WMATA:

Metrorail will remain open until 2 a.m. on New Year’s Eve (early New Year’s Day) for the benefit of holiday revelers. Below is a summary of Metrorail, Metrobus and MetroAccess service during the holiday season.

Monday, December 24 (Christmas Eve)
• Regular weekday service.
• Metrorail system open 5 a.m. until midnight.

Tuesday, December 25 (Christmas Day)
• Metrorail and Metrobus operate on Sunday schedule.
• Metrorail system open 7 a.m. until midnight.
• MetroAccess subscription trips cancelled.

Monday, December 31 (New Year’s Eve)
• Regular weekday service.
• Metrorail system open two hours later than normal (2 a.m.). Last train times vary by station; add two hours to weekday last train times.

Tuesday, January 1 (New Year’s Day)
• Metrorail and Metrobus operate on Sunday schedule.
• Metrorail system open 7 a.m. until midnight.
• MetroAccess subscription trips cancelled.

DC Government Closed Monday, December 24, 2012

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Joe in DC

From a DPR press release:

“Mayor Vincent C. Gray announced today that Monday, December 24, 2012 will be observed as a holiday, therefore all DC Government offices will be closed. The DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) will close all facilities, including recreation centers, aquatic facilities, and offices in observance of this holiday.”

When will the feds hear?

Parking Enforcement Not Leading by Example

By Prince Of Petworth

Dear PoPville,

I thought this might be worth sharing, especially since it’s more than a one-time thing. On my way to work this morning, I took a car2go to the dry cleaner across from Giant on Park Rd NW. Before I could pull into the lot, a Parking Enforcement vehicle blocked the driveway. She waved me around so I could squeeze behind her vehicle and into the lot. She got out of her car, chatted briefly with a police officer, then went into the grocery store. As I was leaving, an employee of Q&Q Cleaners and I were standing outside and staring in disbelief at this vehicle whose driver so rudely blocked her driveway. The police officer yelled from across the street that she would be right back.

I know that I’m not allowed to do that, even if I’m going to be “right back”, so why should it be acceptable for a parking enforcement? I’ve seen enforcement do this before, in front of the same grocery store, except in that instance, the driver parked his car in the traffic lane, then entered the grocery store.

There are lots of legal parking spaces in DC. If your job is to enforce parking, you should limit yourself to those legal spaces when popping into the grocery store.

“D.C.’s total population now stands at 632,323 – a figure not seen since the early 1980s”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr. T in DC

From a press release:

Mayor Vincent C. Gray today welcomed the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau showing that the District’s population continued its rapid growth between July 2011 and July 2012, adding 13,303 residents and keeping us among the list of fastest-growing states in the Union.

This means D.C.’s total population now stands at 632,323 – a figure not seen since the early 1980s. The District grew by 2.1 percent over the year, or by an average of 1,109 new residents a month. This exceeds even the average increase of 1,085 new residents per month the District experienced in the 15 months between April 1, 2010 (when the 2010 Census count closed) and July 1, 2011 – the last period for which the Census Bureau offered official population estimates.

“Anyone who lives in the District or spends time here already knows what these Census Bureau figures confirm: that the District is on the move,” said Mayor Gray. “People are voting with their feet, and they want to live in D.C. This is due to the tremendous strides we’ve made in recent years in developing our city, improving our educational system, investing in infrastructure and raising the quality of city services.”

For the second year in a row, the District remained among the nation’s fastest-growing states by percent, outpacing even rapidly growing Sun Belt states such as Texas.

“We are absolutely thrilled,” said Harriet Tregoning, director of the District’s Office of Planning, which oversees the District’s State Data Center and Census activities. “We continue to focus on encouraging the best in land-use development and sustainability, and creating or maintaining convenient amenity-rich neighborhoods with great choices in housing and transportation. As I said two years ago, the District is a great place to live and I expect the population to continue to grow.”

Increase in Births, New Residents

According to the Census Bureau, this tremendous growth can be attributed to increasing births and an influx of new residents from other states and abroad. With over 9,000 births each year since 2008, the District is experiencing a baby boom – bucking a trend that has seen birth rates decline in much of the rest of the nation. The District experienced 9,156 births and 4,873 deaths from July 1, 2011 to July 1, 2012. In addition to this gain of 4,283 residents from natural increase (births minus deaths), 8,953 people migrated into the District from other states and abroad, along with 67 people who were not placed in either of the two previous categories (residuals) – combining to provide a total net increase of 13,303 residents. The District continues to make gains in domestic migration with 6,050 more people (of the 8,953) moving into the city from other states than moved out.

Continues after the jump. (more…)

UPDATED Photo-Missing Person Critical: John Matthews

By Prince Of Petworth

Please continue to keep your eyes peeled for Mr. Matthews.

From MPD:

The Metropolitan Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a critical missing person identified as 88 year-old John Matthews. He was reported missing on Monday, December 10, 2012, at approximately 10:15 pm in the 1400 block of Oglethorpe Street, Northwest.

Mr. Matthews is described as a black male 5’9 inches in height, 155 pounds, with brown eyes, medium complexion, and gray hair. He was last seen wearing brown pants, a blue sweater, and maroon vest. Mr. Matthews suffers from dementia and may be in need of his medication.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Mr. Matthews is asked to call the Metropolitan Police Department at 202-727-9099, the Youth Investigations Division at 202-576-6768, or 911.

D.C. Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper Wins 2013 Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Architecture

By Prince Of Petworth


Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper at the renovated Georgetown Library

From a press release:

Mayor Vincent C. Gray today congratulated D.C. Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper for being named a winner of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) 2013 Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Architecture. She was honored for leading a campaign that has reinvented libraries in the District and raised public awareness of design excellence.

“The District has benefitted tremendously from Ginnie’s leadership in emphasizing the importance of libraries as spaces for learning, as focal points for neighborhood gatherings and as sources of community pride,” said Mayor Gray. “Not only has she transformed our public library system, but she has brought some of the world’s most innovative, beautiful and sustainable architecture to neighborhoods all over D.C. Her work has beautified our city and inspired more residents to visit and use their libraries.”

“I am honored to receive this award from the AIA,” said Cooper. “The Library has been working hard to transform buildings and services. This award helps validate that the District is offering residents the world-class Library they deserve.”

Ginnie is one of two Jefferson Award honorees this year. Architect Michael Pyatok is also being honored for his career’s work in improving the quality of design in affordable and low-income housing. AIA noted that Cooper’s work has resulted in well-known architects designing iconic libraries that stand out as community beacons. The announcement also noted that residents have noticed, embraced and used libraries at levels not seen in the District in decades.

Cooper came to District in 2006 with the task of transforming the city’s public library system. Since that time, 14 libraries have been renovated or rebuilt. Also since Cooper’s arrival, the number of books borrowed has more than tripled.

The D.C. Public Library (DCPL) system has received 36 awards for new or renovated buildings.

DCPL facilities that have received awards since 2008 include: (after the jump) (more…)

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