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Mayor Muriel Bowser will make history when she’s sworn in as the first female two-term Mayor of her hometown, Washington, D.C.

A new year offers new opportunities to connect and work towards common goals and a shared vision. Mayor Bowser is inviting all 700,000+ D.C. residents to celebrate her second inauguration as the seventh Mayor of the District of Columbia on Saturday, January 5 at The Anthem on the Southwest Waterfront.

Mayor Bowser’s commitment to D.C.’s creative economy and community has been unwavering. Building upon that, this year’s lineup for the DC Proud 2019 Celebration is inclusive and representative of D.C.’s diverse and vibrant creative community.

It’s a pretty amazing lineup with scheduled performances by: Ledisi, EU featuring Sugar Bear, Mary McBride, Raheem DeVaughn, Ms. Kim & Scooby, Big G, Wiley Brown, DJ Gemini, the DCBX Dancers, Infusion Band, Sirius Company, the We Are One Band, Beverly Perez and a host of other artists!

Most of the artists hail from the District and are honored to be a part of this experience.

The Wharf is such an exciting new area of the District with several new hotels and many fantastic new restaurants. It reestablishes Washington, D.C., as a waterfront city and destination. The mile-long stretch along the Potomac River comes to life with restaurants, retailers, residences and businesses — all complemented by monumental views and a vibrant culture.

Please come early, dine at one of the many great restaurants, and then join us for DC Proud 2019 Celebration at The Anthem. Tickets are free for this black-tie affair, but you must RSVP here.

D.C. is after all the greatest city in the world, so come join the celebration and make DC Proud!

By OFAC Sanctions Attorney of Price Benowitz LLP

It was in April that the Trump administration imposed sanctions against Oleg Deripaska, and the company, Rusal, he had shares in.

The sanctions were meant as a disciplinary action after it was suspected that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election. Now, Deripaska has lowered his stake in the company in hopes that the sanctions will be lifted.

The new plan, known as The Barker Plan, would limit the role Deripaska once had in the company. Rusal is one of the world’s biggest aluminum producers. Since the sanctions were levied, it has caused the cost of aluminum to spike around the world. For Deripaska, it meant losing many of the profits that helped make him a billionaire.

Under the new plan, the company says that it will be appointing two new directors to the board of En+Group. This would prevent Deripaska from using the company to generate profits for his own use. In addition to this, Vladimir Kiryukhin will take place as the group’s new CEO, and Vyacheslav Solomin will take the position of COO. Vladislav Solovyov, who was once the CEO, will now be made president of the company.

“The Trump administration faces the dilemma of lifting the sanctions and facing the disapproval of the Democrats, or leaving the sanctions as they are and continuing to face repercussions from Russia. Leaving the sanctions as they are would also cause the price of aluminum to continue to skyrocket, which affects manufacturers and consumers everywhere,” says the OFAC Sanctions Attorney of Price Benowitz, LLP. “It is certainly not an easy position to be in.”

Rusal states that more than just the sanctions imposed by the United States caused the changes, though. New Russian environmental regulations were recently released. The company says the reorganization is also an effort to comply with these regulations.

While the plan may have the sanctions lifted, Deripaska has already lost half of his net worth since they were first imposed in April. It is unclear whether or not he will still have any ownership in the company after the new plan is put into place.

If you like good parties and good causes, then you will love the newest New Year’s Eve event to hit D.C.

Not only does each ticket to the NYE Charity Gala at the new International Spy Museum get you access to open top-shelf bar, food and great music to dance to all night, but all profits from this party go to support the American Red Cross Disaster Relief fund.

Guests also get exclusive access to the brand new yet-to-be open International Spy Museum where everyone will be dancing on an LED dance floor to the backdrop of the Washington Monument, the Capitol and the new D.C. Wharf.

Entertainment for the night will include illusions by a professional magician, a mystery spy theater, fortune-telling palm readings by all-seeing psychics, fantastical feats and tricks of sparks and glassware flying by professional flair bartenders, and comedic interactions with the International Man of Mystery himself, Austin Powers.

The concept for developing experience-based social impact events came from a group of locals who believe that you can have fun and do good at the same time. For the New Year’s Eve Gala, the donation will help people affected by disasters like storms and countless other crises.

The profits going to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from tragedies big and small across the United States. Tickets to the Gala range from General Admission to Gold VIP level and can be bought by visiting www.nyecharitygala.eventbrite.com. Use code NYE2019 for $25 off.

This column is written by Marcus Correll, the Marketing Coordinator at RLAH Real Estate. He is not a licensed agent, nor intends to be portrayed as such, but he is entrenched in the industry helping approximately 200 agents with their marketing.

Ahhhhh… December, such a month of reflection. In addition to taking inventory of our current year’s goals, we segue into the outlook of what next year may bring.

For many, the momentous occasion of buying a home is on deck. Assuming that Santa can no longer afford to help you with the typical down payment for a place in the District, there are several other factors to consider; appreciation, interest rates, inventory, competition.

Housing forecasting predictions are just that — predictions and by no means fact. Let’s take a look at what some of the experts are saying and let us know at the end what you think your personal 2019 forecast might look like…

Realtor.com predicts:

• Look for rising mortgage rates
• Home prices expected to rise @ 2.2% national rate
• Mortgage rates to hit 5.5% by end of 2019
• Home sales decline by 2%
• Bottom Line: Higher rates and prices impacting potential buyers could forecast for a slower year.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) Lawrence Yun forecasts:

• Home prices will see a 4.7% growth in 2019
• Builders are adding about 1.2 million homes a year
• “No signs of a housing bubble, even though prices have been outpacing income for many years.”
• International trade war could stall economic growth, interest rates to rise and signal a recession.
• Bottom Line: “All indications are prices will keep moving higher, and buyers who wait risk missing out on wealth gains,” said Yun.

Zillow suggests:

• Prices are still rising, but the price growth is slowing down in some of the hottest markets.
• Zillow forecasts “annual home value growth to slow to 6.6 percent over the next year, compared with 8.3 percent over the past year”
• 14% of listings across the country had a price cut in June signaling market shift (in DC, 15.4% had price cuts)
• Home value growth is slowing in almost half of the 35 largest metropolitan areas
• Price cuts occur more frequently amongst high-priced homes

After seeing what some of the market leaders have said about 2019….

 

By a Maryland worker’s compensation attorney with Price Benowitz LLP

You might never think of it as a dangerous profession but working as a garbage collector is listed as one of the top five most dangerous jobs in the United States. This job is putting thousands of lives at risk each day as trash trucks hit the streets across the state of Maryland.

Things have gotten so dangerous for garbage collectors that they are almost 10 times more likely to die on the job than the majority of commuters who pass the trucks each day.

Why such a high probability? For starters, the increase in distracted drivers plays a major role in the safety of garbage collectors.

Garbage collectors aren’t alone in this risk. There’s construction workers, police officers, paramedics, EMTs and firefighters who are all put in danger when operating at roadside construction sites or accident scenes.

Between the years of 2011 and 2016 there was a 52 percent increase in the number of accidents involving waste collection trucks, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Incidents involving other vehicles are not the only risks associated with working as a garbage collector. These workers must also deal with heavy equipment that could crush them if they are not paying attention. If a worker gets their hand or arm stuck in the compactor and no one notices, the compactor could pull their entire body into the truck, crushing it.

Other risks include materials getting stuck in the compactor and then jettisoned from the truck by the same piece of equipment. Garbage collectors have been injured in this manner in the past. Some have even been injured by needles that have been disposed of improperly.

“Staying safe while on the job in Maryland should be the goal of every employee,” a Maryland workers’ compensation attorney with Price Benowitz LLP said. “Suffering an injury on the job can be devastating to your health and career. Take as many safety precautions as possible each day.”

Injuries to garbage collectors don’t just happen because of accidents, as mentioned earlier. Workers can suffer injuries to their arms, legs and back due to the weight of the items being thrown into the truck.

The Maryland General Assembly passed a bill this year that requires drivers to change lanes, when they can, if they approach a vehicle with amber lights activated. The bill was signed into law on May 8 and took effect on October 1.