The pending chaos at 2000 S St. NW is on the agenda for tomorrow’s ANC2B meeting at the JCC (16th and Q streets). Among topics up for discussion: How MTV’s washed-up reality show (really: Is there supposed to be life after Puck?) will reduce parking in front of the building from 12 spots to four. According to Community Matters DC, Commissioner Michael Feldstein also reports that “no parties will be allowed at the house, the number of residents in the house will be limited to eight or less, and that visitors to the house will be strictly controlled.”

Read More “Dupont ANC to Dig In on Real World House” »

Smokey

Princess

Mike and Ginny Spevak, the well-known Friendship Heights couple murdered in their home last November, left behind a daughter and son, their spouses, a grandson, siblings—a loving family. They also left behind three cats they adored. Two of them now need homes.

Read More “Murdered Couple’s Cats Need Homes” »

The Association for Alternative Newsweeklies recently announced finalists for its best blog category, naming the City Desk staff blog among the top four for highest-circulation papers. City Desk was also named as a finalist in this category last year. The latest nomination brings Washington City Paper’s AAN awards total this year to five. The paper was also nominated in Photography, Arts Criticism, Media Reporting/Criticism, and Innovation/Format Buster categories.

Blog judges evaluated three individual posts and the overall blog. So which among our much-loved, never criticized blogposts made the cut?

Read More “Blog About This Blog: City Paper Adds Another AAN Award” »

“[D]iscarded commencement tickets, crushed party cups, a wadded receipt for $28.57 in Hallmark graduation cards, bloodstains and broken glass.” WaPo this morning has a sad and well-written account of the post-graduation shootout in Prince George’s County, which left one young mother dead and three wounded.

Also in our local paper of record: A 12-year-old boy died after being struck by lightning near Fredericksburg.

Fresh content on our site and in the boxes today: Longtime contributor/sometime fan Justin Moyer mails things so  you don’t have to in his quest to rate D.C. post offices. His entire series appeared first on City Desk. Young & Hungry’s Tim Carman abandons the tasting spoon. The Sexist’s Amanda Hess notes teen sex scandals ain’t what they used to be. Housing Complex’s Ruth Samuelson figures out that pretending to know Tom Tancredo will take you only so far. Plus, movies, music, theater.

Voice on the Hill has the lowdown on the city “saving” three Boys & Girls Clubs by buying them.

And in the D.C. blogoworld:

Read More “Our Morning Roundup: Found at the Crime Scene Edition” »

Paying out-of-pocket for medical procedures like an MRI sucks. Paying for them in, say, Chevy Chase, Md., sucks even more. According to a release put out today by the Angie’s list of medicine, Healthcarebluebook.com, the disparity between what you’d be charged for an MRI of the cervical spine (no contrast) at a Rockville imaging center vs. a Chevy Chase center is more than $1,000 (it’s $1,056 vs. $2,710 and a geographical difference of about 14 miles). Add this to the travesty that both places charge well over what the consumer-oriented site says is a fair price for the procedure: $628.

“There’s no rhyme or reason to it,” says Aimee Stern, who handles PR for the site and is based in D.C. “It struck us because people in Washington are talking about healthcare reform, but no one is talking about this enormous disparity.”

Stern, however, is also not talking about certain topics that could be helpful to consumers. When I asked her which centers in Chevy Chase and Rockville her release referred to, she said, “I wouldn’t feel comfortable” getting specific and that calling out over-chargers on Healthcarebluebook.com would take tracking them over time.

Read More “How to Get a Better Deal in D.C. Healthcare” »

This is rich. If you’re among the first 50 people to bring a “pink slip” or some other document that explains you were recently shitcanned, plus a resume, to a plastic surgery clinic in Pentagon Row this Friday, a licensed technician there will give you shots of Botox. Why?

“A study published in the journal of Dermatologic Surgery found that women who had undergone Botox® injections in their brows, foreheads and eye wrinkles accrued higher attractiveness scores—a quality that lead researcher Steven Dayan says improves the first impressions people make when meeting a potential employer. Dayan…also posits that the confidence inspired by Botox® could give job–seekers a confidence boost and competitive edge in the interview process.”

The recently shitcanned are invited to Reveal, 1101 S. Joyce St., Suite B6, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. along with recruiters looking for people desperate enough to think plumping up their worry lines will land them a job.

photo by gruntzooki.

Nearly a year to the date since two young Northern Virginia men died after standing up on a double-decker tour bus, two 22-year-old men from the Chicago area were killed in a similar fashion. All four of them were fatally wounded while standing on the bus’ second-level as they traveled under an overpass. In D.C., the two men died after hitting the underside of the 11th Street Bridge while going to a Nationals game. Near Chicago on Saturday, the victims passed under I-57 on Illinois Route 16. In 2006, a similar accident involving a bus full of Kansas State fans killed one and seriously injured another.

Last year, DDOT transportation director Emeka Moneme said he wanted to take a look at clearance and safety issues after the investigation was completed. That investigation concluded Michael Feiock, 35, of Centreville and Joshua Stoll, 24, of Sterling ignored safety instructions and were standing on their seats with their backs to the bridge. A call’s out to DDOT to see what, if any, changes have been made or will be made in regard to the city’s two-tier buses.

First up: Fresh stuff right here on this very Web site. Jason Cherkis has the cops, in their own words, explaining themselves for the DeOnte Rawlings shooting. Of special note: why they not only left the boy bleeding from the back of the head, but why they never even checked to see if he’s still alive. Stunning.

Tim Carman’s got even more on the eviction of celeb chef Spike Mendelsohn; Amanda Hess is wondering who can tell a rape joke; Ruth Samuelson finds a juicy condo conversion story peopled with phantom tenants; and Dave McKenna finds a guy to lay out in telling detail why DCPS is dysfunctional. LL Weekly to be pimped in forthcoming LL Daily.

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, except when it comes to the Cleveland Park Cititizens Association. Marc Fisher today goes after George Idelson and Friends after old George, rather than welcome a bunch of people who don’t agree with him into ”his” neighborhood group—designed to “make your voice heard and help preserve and improve our neighborhood”—decided instead to postpone/cancel elections. Idelson’s a classic NIMBY, of course, who favors “preservation” above development, even if that development includes replacing a crappy grocery store with a noncrappy one. But what Fisher didn’t get into is just how quietly effective old George has been over the years. The battles being lost in Cleveland Park now are connected to the “overlay“—the complicated, esoteric formula that dictates how much property and which kind can be commercial. Idelson is its most vocal defender and has successfully fought off scrapping it and drastically changing it. As a result, Cosi fell victim. The Giant project has been stalled for more than 10 years. Empty storefronts at the Park and Shop remain that way. But if old George is forced to open up his fiefdom? Things could finally get interesting in CP.

Moving on to the fact that Virginians are not allowed to smile for their license photos anymore. But they are allowed stupid vanity plates? Oy vey.

More from the D.C. blogoworld:

Read More “Our Morning Roundup: Communism in Cleveland Park Edition” »

A Florida couple busted for running a major steroid operation and selling to pro athletes named the Nats and the Caps as two teams that availed themselves of their services, but they didn’t name names.

That leaves anyone the Washington Times has so far got on the horn to speculate. Officially, of course, there’s no comment other than, “We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

But Caps enforcer Donald Brashear has weighed in: “We get tested two, three times a year and there’s never been anybody who’s tested positive….Was [Thomas] supplying this year? Was it a few years ago when there was no testing…to tell you the truth, if there was, I didn’t know. There’s no sign of anybody I know who used steroids.”

Former Cap and current Panther Steve Eminger is similarly incredulous his former teammates doped up. “No, never, not once—[steroids were] never talked about once…I don’t know, you see guys. Guys aren’t extremely ripped or anything.”

So who’s got the Florida hookup then?

An American Idol upset last night. Don’t care. Don’t watch it. But today the Washington Blade is saying it was “smear the queer” time in America. Just like when Brokeback lost! Scandal! Sniff!

My idol? Michael Volpe, the 25-year-old guy standing in front of Metro stations with a bright orange sign advertising himself as an entry level jobseeker. I have a soft spot for SUNY Geneseo grads after spending several weekends there as an undergrad way back in the early ’90s. But even if you don’t, you gotta read Petula Dvorak’s sweet little story about this guy. And she took the photo. Is the Post turning into the Current?

Also local in our paper of record: Tai Shan really is leaving this time. Know the real reason why? He gained weight and ceased to be cute. My mom told me the same thing way back in the early ’90s.

Moving on to other people who write blogposts:

Read More “Our Morning Roundup: Who’s Kris Allen, Again? Edition” »

A crusty newspaper editor, let’s say he’s in his late 50s, is forced to take a buyout. Faced with some time on his hands, he gets on Facebook to a) post photos of his small, blond granddaughter and b) network to find a job. A first cousin, close to him in age, friends him and starts “suggesting” he friend others on the family tree. Crusty Newspaper Editor (CNE) declines to do so. Later, he updates his status with a sad tale of leaving an afternoon ballgame to go to a job fair where no one wants a crusty newspaper editor’s skills.

The problem? Fixated First Cousin (FFC) is stuck on the unfriended relatives and sees this status update as an opportunity to dig at Crusty Newspaper Editor. Second problem? Both of them are old and don’t know when to take it offline.

Trainwreck exchange after the jump.

Read More “When Facebook Goes Wrong” »

D.C.’s second-best panda showed all the signs. There was the hormone in the urine. There was the lack of energy and changes to her appetite. There was the drop in the hormone in the urine, which happens just before birth. And, lastly, there was the fact that she ovulated and the zoo staff attempted to inseminate her with tubed-up semen from Tian Tian, the black-and-white reluctant stud.

But the zoo put out a release today to say it’s all a giant panda disappointment. Add it to the list. It’s not the first pseudopregnancy for Our Lady of the Fujifilm Giant Panda Habitat. Maybe next year: Yesterday the zoo put Tian Tian to sleep and extracted some more of his boys, destined for the freezer.

Photo of frightening panda toys by yours truly.

The Association for Alternative Newsweeklies announced finalists for its annual prizes today, selecting Washington City Paper as a top contender in four categories: Photography, Arts Criticism, Media Reporting/Criticism, and Innovation/Format Buster.

Staff photographer Darrow Montgomery, who’s been shooting for City Paper for 23 years, is among the top three entries for the highest circulation category (50,000 and over). This is the fourth time Montgomery will be honored by AAN. He was given honorable mention for his work in the 2008 awards.

Galleries writer Jeffry Cudlin, who won the top prize for arts criticism last year, was again named a finalist for 2009.

Editor Erik Wemple was named in two categories. His cover story about the Washington Post’s struggle to merge its print and online operations, “One Mission, Two Newsrooms,” is a finalist in the Media Reporting/Criticism category.

Wemple also contributed to the finalist in the Innovation/Format Buster category, “Washington City Paper Seeks Content Bankruptcy,” along with Managing Editor Andrew Beaujon and Asst. Managing Editor Jule Banville.

Read More “Washington City Paper Named Finalist in Several AltWeekly Awards” »

D.C. cyclists are planning a local route as part of the national Ride of Silence tomorrow that will pass the places where Alice Swanson and Ian Wolfe died, as well as American Univeristy, where Brent Hurd, killed while cycling in India, taught.

The ride will start at 7 p.m. at the Jefferson Memorial and will be over by 10 p.m. The WashCycle, which planned the route, encourages people to wear a helmet and to bring a black armband to remember those injured on bikes. “If you have been injured while cycling,” the site says, “please wear a red armband instead. As we will be riding at dusk you should also bring reflective clothing and lights for your bike.”

The Ride of Silence, started by a Dallas-area cyclist in 2003 to honor an endurance rider killed by the mirror of a passing bus, is not sponsored by anyone and it’s free. Anyone can participate in tomorrow’s D.C. ride.

Photograph of Alice Swanson’s ghost bike at the 2000 block of R Street NW by Darrow Montgomery

After two officers were injured and a suspect was fatally shot early Saturday morning at Champlain and Kalorama streets in Adams Morgan, Councilmember Jim Graham got on the Listserv, of course. Rather than merely informing residents of the incident and investigation, he offered up some pats on his own back for efforts to open Champlain at what he describes as the “NOTORIOUS” spot where it deadends under the Marie Reed breezeway. Graham let us know that he’s secured the funding for this project and pushed for bids to go out June 2.

In a phone interview today, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Bryan Weaver lifts the veil of tension between him and his councilmember on this issue. “When you use the incident as a way to push…personal agendas, it’s not fair to the police officers who were shot and on the scene immediately, who took the life of another human being.”

And it’s not about Champlain’s dead zone being particularly dangerous, he says. “In many ways, [the closed street] is a perfect storm of bad city managment, bad public policy, and conditions of a wildly gentrifying area, cultivated in one area.”

But, yes, says Weaver: “It probably is time to open the breezeway.”

Read More “Grahamstanding on “Notorious” Champlain Street” »