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Calling All Creatives, Visionaries and Entrepreneurs!

Join D.C.’s creative community at Ivy City Smokehouse located at 1356 Okie Street, NE on Friday, September 28 at 7:00 p.m. to close out September with an unforgettable celebration highlighting D.C.’s creators and entrepreneurs!

The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature live performances by Ari Lennox and other amazing D.C. artists brought to you by Broccoli City. Additionally, there will be exhibits highlighting photography, vendors and other creative content made in the District.

As many know, D.C. has been coined as the “Capital of Creativity.” Mayor Muriel Bowser launched 202Creates in September of 2016 as a celebration of the District of Columbia’s Creative Community, Culture and Creative Economy. The month-long campaign has showcased the District’s entrepreneurial and creative community through an array of events that took place across all 8 wards.

Led by The D.C. Office of Cable Television, Film, Music & Entertainment (OCTFME), the D.C. Commission on Arts and Humanities (CAH) and the DC Office of  the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED), the citywide effort celebrates the District’s multi-billion dollar creative economy and its diverse and vibrant creative community, which includes its culinary, cosmetology and fashion industries, as well as musicians, performing artists, filmmakers, tech entrepreneurs, visual artists and production support companies.

RSVP for the 202Creates Closing Event and check out upcoming events on the 202Creates website.

Help us celebrate the “Capital of Creativity” — D.C. and build your network!

By Employment Attorney Tom Spiggle of The Spiggle Law Firm

Whistleblowers, or those who report a person or organization involved with illicit activity, will have better access to judicial hearings, according to a new law.

It was in early July 2018 that President Trump signed into law the All Circuit Review Act, allowing whistleblowers to go to any U.S. Court of Appeals they choose in order to get an appeal heard.

Prior to President Trump making it official, the allowance was part of a pilot program of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012. Now, that portion of the program has been made permanent.

Before the All Circuit Review Act was signed into law, those who were considered whistleblowers only had one option. They had to travel to Washington, D.C. in order to have their case heard by the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB).

This cost a great deal in time and expense, as often whistleblowers had to travel across the country just to have their case heard. That was a problem, considering that 85 percent of whistleblowers lived a great distance from Washington, D.C.

Many believe that not only will this law make it more convenient for whistleblowers who wish to appeal their case, but it will also help enforce the laws designed to protect whistleblowers.

In Washington, D.C., whistleblowers are more often than not unlikely to find the protection and justice they are entitled to. However, with different locations come different interpretations, and that could greatly benefit whistleblowers.

“This law is a step in the right direction for whistleblowers,” says Tom Spiggle of The Spiggle Law Firm. “The All Circuit Review Act will help ensure that whistleblowers across the country will have increased access to the pursuing the legal justice they deserve.”

The MSPB currently does not issue final decisions on an appeal due to the fact that it does not have a quorum. Currently the quorum needs to be made up of two members before a final decision is made and there is only one member in the quorum as it stands.

While the president of the MSPB has nominated three new members, a significant backlog has collected in the courts waiting for a quorum to be made. This new law will also give hope to those waiting to have their cases heard.

When you manage a business you deal with your fair share of unexpected callouts and short-staffed shifts. You’ve probably even filled in and covered shifts yourself (a.k.a. the last thing you ever want to do).

That’s where Snag Work comes in. It’s a service that connects D.C. businesses (DCity Smokehouse, Ivy & Coney, Das Ethiopian, Avila Catering and much more!) with quality on-demand workers, while helping the DMV’s underemployed pick up the shifts they need to supplement their incomes.

With Snag Work you get instant access to fully vetted workers who fill shifts and get your schedule back on track. Everything’s covered from background checks and recruiting to workers’ comp and liability insurance. Simply post your shift and get back to business — we’ll handle the rest.

It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.

1. Shift Posted — We share your shifts with our network of trained workers.
2. Shift Filled — The average shift is filled within minutes.
3. Shift Covered — We handle everything — including worker pay.

Snag Work is powering restaurant, retail and hospitality businesses throughout D.C. It’s time to for you to get back to business and join the growing network of companies who are filling their shifts with Snag Work.

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Lydian + Lyric, beautiful sister residences located at 4th and K Streets NW in the heart of Downtown D.C., welcome three new high-end merchants to their ground floor:

• la BETTY is a new concept in comfort food from the owners of Georgetown’s legendary Baked & Wired café and Mount Vernon Triangle’s A Baked Joint.
• Joe & The Juice is an anything-but-ordinary juice bar and coffee shop that also serves up healthy lunch bites.
• Varnish Lane is a DC-based luxury nail care destination specializing in waterless nail treatments.

These merchants join A Baked Joint, a large and airy café known for its gourmet coffee and handcrafted breads and BicycleSPACE, a community-oriented bike shop.

In this convenient, walkable neighborhood, it only takes minutes to get anywhere you want to go — from major employment hubs to quaint boutiques. Also in easy walking distance are NoMa, the 14th Street Corridor, Shaw and Chinatown, as well as two Metro Stations. And access to 395 is just two blocks away.

All-new Lydian is now leasing — and quickly.

Besides its premier location, residents love its stylish studio to two-bedroom units with floor-to-ceiling windows and designer kitchens, its thoughtful amenity spaces including rooftop retreat with resort-style pool, state-of-the-art fitness center with Peloton bikes and WellBeats virtual trainer and its convenient services such as a 24/7 concierge, gated underground parking, bike storage and pet walking.

For more information about Lydian + Lyric, visit here or contact the leasing team at 202-777-0740. Developed by Quadrangle Development and The Wilkes Company.

This column is written by Metro DC Houses, a local real estate team serving DC, MD, VA made up of Colin Johnson, the immediate past President for the D.C. Association of Realtors and Christopher Suranna, the current President for the D.C. Association of Realtors.

One of my favorite books growing up is Shel Silverstein’s book “Where the Sidewalk Ends” and it’s iconic front cover of kids looking under this thin ledge only to find that much of the ground is already gone.

I have been noticing for years the softening of the rental market especially in Class B type units B (typically slightly lower quality and less amenities). This was especially evident when I had a client tell me that government-reimbursed programs were compensating him more than what he could get on the open market. This piece in Bloomberg highlights how Seattle, San Francisco, New York, Portland and D.C. market rent rates have cooled.

Rental markets are hard to track in my opinion because landlords don’t routinely market through consistent mediums. Not all rentals are on Zillow, Craigslist nor the regional Multiple Listing Service (MLS); where MLS tends to have more than 90% of sales.

Rental markets are driven by supply and affordability. If consumers have more to choose from, they will feel empowered to negotiate or look for less expensive units. If the “rent is too damn high,” people will not be able to qualify or simply cannot afford to pay the rent.

We looked at a few neighborhoods to see if the rental market is down and since when. We exported every transaction that was recorded in the MLS since January 1, 2009 for one and two bedroom rentals in zip codes that roughly correspond to neighborhoods like Capitol Hill, the Connecticut Avenue corridor, Petworth, Anacostia and Dupont Circle.

Rental prices for 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom units show a gradual increase from 2009 through 2017 in all of the zip codes that we looked at. So far, in 2018 the increase in rent prices across the city has experienced a slowdown for 1-bedroom units, while 2-bedroom rents are still rising.

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By Criminal Defense Attorney Seth Okin of Price Benowitz LLP

A decision by a U.S. District Judge has led the company that pioneered the 3-D printable, single-use handgun to begin distributing plans for those weapons to “paying customers” under a pay-what-you-want offering of the plans.

The company, known as Defense Distributed, claims to have already received 400 orders for the plans, which for the time being will be mailed to purchasers on USB thumb drives.

Earlier in August, it was revealed that the U.S. State Department had settled a lawsuit with the company that would have allowed the company to offer the plans on its website for download, free of charge.

However, lawsuits filed by numerous state attorney generals and gun control advocacy groups led to the issuance of an injunction by the district judge, which halted Defense Distributed’s posting of the plans online. It did, however, allow for other types of transmission — leading to the company’s decision to offer plans for sale.

“The State of Maryland is one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit in question, which is not surprising considering the state’s approach to guns and gun crimes,” said Seth Okin, a Maryland Gun Crimes Attorney with the law firm of Price Benowitz, LLP.

Gun crimes in Maryland are taken very seriously, and there are many laws regulating their use and possession. The new frontier of 3-D printed weapons, however, opens up the possibility that any individual, regardless of age, motivation, criminal history or mental health issues, with access to a 3-D printer will be able to obtain a handgun without subjecting themselves to Maryland’s laws on handgun purchases.

Individuals who possess these firearms without the proper documentation will undoubtedly face prosecution under the laws that prohibit ownership of handguns without a permit.

However, because 3-D printed weapons do not have serial numbers, it will be nearly impossible to trace the handgun to the source issuer, if the person in possession obtained it from someone else.

The dangers of 3-D printed handguns are apparent, as they create an unregulated access point for individuals who would otherwise be denied the right to possess handguns. It does not mean, however, that you cannot be prosecuted for unlawful possession of one of these weapons.

If you have downloaded plans for printing one of these weapons and intend to do so, contact a Maryland Gun Crimes Attorney to be sure that you do avoid creating legal jeopardy for yourself.

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At The Bower, you’ll never run out of things to do and explore. Eclectic dining, live music, nights at the ball game, vibrant community events — it’s all here at The Yards, waiting to welcome you home.

Dine at local hot spots including Chloe, District Winery and Osteria Morini. Shop local favorites from Steadfast Supply to Willow and stock up on the essentials at Harris Teeter located just one block away from The Bower.

With a buzzing nightlife, a humming social scene, outdoor concerts, the riverfront and more — it’s a city within a city, a world within a world and, for those buying a condo in D.C., it’s the place to find everything you need.

From studios and one-bedroom condos all the way up to penthouses, The Bower offers a variety of layouts to suit your lifestyle. These thoughtfully designed condos feature 9′ ceilings, wide-plank hardwood floors, floor-to-ceiling glass, Bosch electric appliances and Italian cabinetry.

The Bower includes inviting community spaces from a rooftop residents’ lounge and terrace with wet bar and wine storage to a fitness studio. With the ideal mix of energy, convenience, and style, The Bower is the perfect transition from the energy of The Yards to the peace of home.

With over 50% of residences sold at The Bower. Now is your opportunity to call The yards home. To learn more visit thebowerdc.com or call 202-869-5233.

https://player.vimeo.com/video/285487202