Dear PoPville

What the what?!? “I got a ticket for parking in my driveway!”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

I got a ticket for parking in my driveway! It reads “obstructing sidewalk grass”. Only there is NO sidewalk. Our block is all grass no sidewalk, never has been. So, how can we be blocking a sidewalk that isn’t there?? It is just grass, how would we know here the invisible “sidewalk” should be anyway??
We have lived in this house for 7 years our neighbors for 30+ NO one has ever gotten a ticket for parking to the end of their driveway. Is parking Enforcement just looking for new problems? Where do I find the rules about this?? Is grass near the street also a sidewalk now?

Wondering if any readers now where to find the answers because I have yet to find anything that references “grass sidewalks” in DC parking code!”

“the reasoning for putting jersey barriers on Georgia thus blocking accessible parking for the CVS?”

By Prince Of Petworth


Georgia and New Hampshire Ave, NW

“Dear PoPville,

I want to know the reasoning for putting jersey barriers on Georgia thus blocking accessible parking for the CVS. I don’t want to have to cross Georgia Avenue and I would not want to see other seniors taking their lives in their hands having to park across the street from CVS. There has not been a line down the street, the same so-called argument used by DDOT to block parking at the Safeway on Georgia and Randolph. There was no hearing that I am aware of and no public comment period. Now I hear they want to close streets to allow restaurants to shut down public space for social distancing. It seems as if when it comes to the average citizen, with DDOT you have no rights.”

“Eye and skin irritant near Columbia Heights?”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by Tim Brown

“Dear PoPville,

I’m wondering if others had a similar experience to me today, though: when running through Columbia heights/Mt Pleasant, behind the zoo, then back up Harvard street to 16th (notably, passing the construction site on the 1500 block of Monroe st), I developed a burning sensation on my lips, severe eye irritation and a lot of congestion. It’s only subsiding now, an hour or so later.

I’m wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience around there? Of course, could have been something else too.”

“Know anything about Banneker Park (Track) suddenly being closed?”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by Beau Finley

“Dear PoPville,

I’ve been walking around the track for the past two months without issue, but yesterday when I went over there a security guard yelled at me that the park was closed. I’ve been at the Park with a security guard before, but they only yelled at people who were hanging out–anyone who was moving was allowed to stay. I thought that the parks were open for recreation purposes, so I was very confused when the security guard yelled at us.”

“we now see animals going in and out of the house and have just recently heard animals behind the party walls from inside our house”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

We live next to a vacant rowhome, that DC won’t declare a vacant property because a kind neighbor mows the lawn. We filed a number of 311 complaints over the years but to no avail. But we know the owner has been in a long term facility for over 6 years and would occasionally send a friend or worker to co into the house. The house is in super bad shape and any reasonable passerby can tell it’s vacant However we now see animals going in and out of the house and have just recently heard animals behind the party walls from inside our house. (more…)

“Stimulus payments question”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

I had a job for all of 2018 that paid a salary that would have precluded me from receiving any stimulus payment due to Coronavirus. However, I was laid off in March 2019 and my income was reduced.

I filed my 2019 tax return by the original April filing deadline and my 2019 income is in an amount that should receive the full $1,200 stimulus payment. However, I just used the IRS’ tool to track payments, and it states I am ineligible. (more…)

Vida Fitness Sends Email to Members about Reopening Requesting they Email the Mayor and, uh, not all are happy about that.

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user Ted Eytan

Ed. Note: We recently spoke about the YMCA Gym opening preparations here.

“Dear PoPville,

I wanted to forward along this email I received today (Monday) from Vida Fitness. They’ve been providing weekly updates during covid-19 on how the gym is responding and the reopening plan. Today, they sent an email pushing members to email the Mayor to encourage gyms to be the first businesses to reopen in DC as soon as they can. They even provided a SCRIPT for what you should say?!?!?!?

I’ve been a member of Vida for years, and I would hate to see it go under now, but asking members to write to our mayor and emphasize the importance of gym reopening was tone-deaf, embarrassing, irresponsible, and extremely disappointing. They even have the nerve to say that gyms provide a unique ability for contact tracing in the city. Contact tracing is the last thing we have to worry about. No contact is what we should be emphasizing.

The last thing that ANYONE should be worrying about and fighting for, IS GYMS REOPENING. We should be writing to our mayor about more readily available testing, about more accessible healthcare in the city (have you seen the breakdown of cases and death by ward? income inequality is clearly having a deathly effect), about issuing fines and breaking up large social gatherings in Logan Circle, the Yards, and about policy that can aid in social distancing.

Here is the email content, sent from Vida: (more…)

“What are my options to fix this problem?”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville [sent at 2:41am],

So a couple of nights a week this guy just screams through out the night. No matter many how many times I call the police they do absolutely nothing because he stops when he sees them and acts as if he is sleeping. As soon as they leave he gets back up and starts again. This happens for about two hours every time he does it. What are my options to fix this problem? I know the building he lays on is an empty storefront and I don’t know who owns the building.”

So what the hell happened on Georgia Ave Last Night?

By Prince Of Petworth


a helicopter

Update: Thanks to those who passed on from MPD:

Woke up to a lot of queries about a huge police response on Georgia Ave starting just after 2am:

“did anyone just hear/see the 2 helicopters and dozens of police cars that just sped down Georgia Ave?”

“Saw about 20 cop cars heading from Silver Spring towards DC. Looks like a helicopter was in tow. Anybody know why?” (more…)

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