“Dear PoPville,
I’ve been trying to get someone in the government to do something about this poor flag for a long time. Maybe you know someone who could help put this flag out of its misery, it’s in worse shape than the Star-Spangled Banner was on the night Francis Scott Key wrote his poem. It is flying in front of the Stuart Hobson middle school on East Street, between 4th and 5th NE.”
Ed. Note: Will also pass on to DCPS for action.
Photo by PoPville flickr user J LaBerge
“Dear PoPville,
Has anyone had excess phone lines removed from their house? I have four different wires running from the telephone poles to my home. I know these lines are phone lines and not power or internet. These wires are now running right through a tree, drastically increasing the price of a tree trimming service. I was wondering if anyone dealt with this before, how do I get rid of them? Can I just cut them myself?”
Photo by PoPville flickr user Victoria Pickering
“Dear PoPville,
I’ve been looking at the website for DCRA but can’t figure out a clear way to report a building where the owner has converted it from what used to be a rental into multiple airbnb units. The reason I ask is that recently it seems like every walk up that sells in my neighborhood is bought by someone who clears the renters out and puts all the units on airbnb. Home sharing is one thing and I’m for it, but taking an entire building offline to be airbnb’d is something else entirely, and I don’t know, but I doubt it’s actually supposed to be allowed. (more…)
“Dear PoPville,
Doug the Scammer was out and about on 3rd Street NE last night. This time he was a doctor neighbor who needed to use my phone to call the police. I told him I couldn’t help him and was grateful, for once, that our dog barks at folks who knock.”
Photo by PoPville flickr user District Shots
“Dear PoPville,
I’m planning a bridal shower in August and am looking for ideas. I’m leaning towards brunch, and would love some recommendations on where to go. I’m not sure on the group size yet, but probably no more than 20 people. Thank you!”
Ed. Note: Not exactly a bridal shower but I know somebody’s gonna say it, so I’m just gonna leave it here for ya. But don’t forget to give proper bridal shower recs too please.
“Dear PoPville,
We’ve noticed an uptick in rats around our Shaw neighborhood lately (from bad to worse). The city has come out a few times, but whatever they’re doing, which I think is spraying some kind of poison, hasn’t made it better. I’m thinking about hiring a company to put down professional grade bait traps. Does this actually work for residential pest control? I’ve seen the black bait boxes all over the place but am not sure if they help at all, or if I would just be throwing money away. I’m hoping some of your readers may have found success clearing these suckers out and can share their advice!”
“Dear PoPville,
I’m looking into installing solar panels on my roof. After doing a bit of research, it looks like there are two ways to go about doing this and still getting the 30% federal tax credit: keeping SRECs (solar renewable energy credits) or giving them to the panel installer to sell. (more…)
“Dear PoPville,
The (photo above) got me thinking about dog poo etiquette. However one feels about dogs, I think we can all agree that leaving dog poo on the ground is just plain wrong, but after that there might be some disagreement. My questions for the community are:
1) Is it ever acceptable to put bagged poo in someone else’s trash can?
2) What about city trash cans? (more…)
Photo by PoPville flickr user Jordan Barab
“Dear PoPville,
I live in a small, two floor condo building on Capitol Hill and, over the past year, I’ve been been plagued with recurring leaks from above my kitchen ceiling every time that it rains. My unit is on the second floor with a flat roof right above it. Despite having had the roof area above my kitchen both patched and replaced (on two separate occasions by different roofing companies), the leaking persists. Our latest roofer is at a loss and has suggested that perhaps it’s coming from underneath the adjacent units’s rooftop deck. (more…)
Photo by PoPville flickr user Erin
“Dear PoPville,
Does anyone have any recommendations for local card shops? I used to work near 14th and loved Miss Pixie’s for quirky cards, but am now closer to Federal Triangle (aka a food/store/anything desert). Any recommendations for local card shops in this area or around town that I should explore?”