Author Archive for Lois Kapila

Is it Legal to Litter? Clearing Up the Law…

So there seems to have been some confusion of late about whether it is actually illegal to litter in D.C.
One commentator at Prince of Petworth wrote recently:
Did you know the city does not have a litter law? Yep thats right if you toss trash the street in front of a cop, they can’t do anything! [...]

Mount Pleasant, Unless You Drive: A Parking Revolution, Deferred

There is little in D.C. that raises the blood pressure more than permits, passes and parking.
Enter Jack McKay, council member commissioner for ANC 1D and man with a plan. More specifically, a parking plan. He's pushing for immediate implementation of a "Day Parking Pass Pilot Program" that would revolutionize parking in Mount Pleasant – or [...]

Streetcar Project: More Bumps in the Road

Rerouting, ratcheting expenses, delays—the streetcar project is having a bumpy ride so far. The two lines that are planned—H Street to Benning Road in Northeast and Fifth Sterling Avenue to Good Hope Road in Anacostia—are intended to boost economic development. Up to now, they've mostly created frustrations.
So it's time to get the project back on [...]

CarbonfreeDC Greens Up City, Gets Founder’s Face on Sun Chips

Rhys Gerholdt decided it was time for a makeover. But he wasn't thinking about liposuction and face lifts. For the  CarbonfreeDC founder, it's all about low-flow shower heads and insulation blankets. The local nonprofit has bested the competition to win a $20,000 grant from National Geographic and SunChips. The project: to "green up" 20 homes [...]

Cleaning D.C. Streets, One Billboard at a Time

To hear Theresa Sule tell it, the year-long campaign against illegal billboards in D.C. has finally paid off.
Originally authorized in 1931 for a period of three years, the boards on New Jersey Avenue and P Street NW have remained in place illegally for an impressive 75 years. But Sule, ANC 2C commissioner, says a few [...]

Banita Jacks: Convicted of Murder

Describing the case as "one of the most challenging I've had in almost 32 years as a judge," Frederick H. Weisberg announced Wednesday his much-awaited verdict in the Banita Jacks murder trial: guilty.
The D.C. Superior Court judge convicted Jacks on 11 of the 12 counts she faced: four counts of felony murder, four of cruelty [...]

Jacks Prosecutor Calls Mother’s Home a “Prison of Torture.”

Banita Jacks, wearing a dark gray dress, looked unsteady as she rose to face the judge. She spoke quietly only to confirm she knew her rights and had chosen not to take the stand during her nine-day trial. Apparently, she was content to let the lawyers detail and debate her conduct. Anyone hoping yesterday's closing [...]

Banita Jacks Trial: Defense Moves to Dismiss

On Friday, the seventh and penultimate day of the Banita Jacks murder trial, Judge Frederick H. Weisberg denied defense attorney Peter Krauthamer’s last-ditch move for dismissal.
The judge rejected Krauthamer’s claim that there was no evidence to support the twelve charges against Jacks, who is accused of killing her four daughters. The charges include [...]