Good morning, City Desk readers. If you missed our Food Day coverage yesterday, please give it a looksie now. There were sports. There was meat. There was heartache. Dumpster-diving, even. And other things that will alternately make you salivate and cry and dry heave. All in all, it was a comprehensive food day.

49% of Americans are inhumane monsters and other epithets, after the jump.

Read More “Our Morning Roundup: The Day After Food Day” »

I hope you made it to corner-store heaven. You always served me well for my convenience needs. Except your store aisles seemed a little too empty. Only one choice of garbage bags. A few loaves of white bread. A grill behind the front counter that I never saw used. An extremely limited selection of ice cream even if you count blue raspberry pops as ice cream.

But you did carry a version of the King Kone which was a huge plus. And beer. And despite your dealing with an ATM machine that seemed to break down a lot and, well, your imminent doom, you didn’t take it out on the customer. We never saw you worry or freak out.

You were always friendly.

You were a few feet from my apartment. You will be missed.

Read More “Mount Pleasant Deli R.I.P.” »

WJLA anchor Leon Harris vents on his blog about what it means to live in MOCO these days. It means being watched by pesky speed cameras! He notes that there are now eight cameras in his neighborhood! And he’s mad as hell and he’s not gonna take it anymore!

Harris, known for his trusty baritone and superior mustache, writes:

“I write this not as a journalist, but as a Montgomery County resident. Can someone tell me how County Executive Ike Leggett can get away with such blatant insult to our intelligence when it comes to his traffic/speed cameras? I saw the press conference where he laughed at the question of whether the cameras sprouting up all over the county were really there to make driving safer or to generate revenue to close his budget gap. He laughed and said, of course, this is only about public safety. He laughed again.

I gave Leggett the benefit of the doubt, even after I got stung while following along with traffic on River Road. I believed him when he said the cameras would not be installed in “gotcha” spots, but would only be set up to keep school zones and problematic spots safe. Then I went away on vacation and returned to find my neighborhood community ’surveilled’ by eight cameras. As for their locations, four were set up near school zones, but not exactly in them. Four of them were installed behind the crests of hills (the definition of “gotcha” spots).”

Is Leggett in trouble on this issue?

Read More “WJLA Anchor Leon Harris Hates On Speed Cameras!” »

This past week, City Desk reported that the D.C. Jail has shut down its visitation hours for the early part of this month. The Department of Corrections told us that the reason families can’t see their loved ones is simple: Officers are conducting a total sweep of the jail.

The closure’s timing is suspicious but seems unconnected to two issues within the jail—a major incident and an possible on-going problem with cell doors not working (hello, safety hazard!).

The mayor’s office e-mailed me a statement on both issues. First, the major incident:

“There was a confined incident on March 11, during which two inmates set fire to an officers’ station in one cell block. Inmates involved were confined, no one was hurt and the fire was extinguished. Inmates on the unit have been transferred to other facilities while repairs are being made.”

Several sources have a different, more inside story on the torched station.

Read More “D.C. Jail’s Cell Doors Don’t Work—Leads To ‘Riot’ Last Month” »

The Washington Post is reporting that the now infamous anti-tax, anti-Obama crazy tea-baggers were turned away this morning by officials. Their protest at Lafayette Square and the dumping of a million tea bags had to be scraped. The Post reports:

“There will be no tea-dumping in the Potomac River — that’s illegal — but organizers of today’s national tea party tax protest found out this morning that so is their plan to dump a million tea bags in Lafayette Square to demonstrate displeasure at government spending and tax policies.

Protesters, using a rented truck to haul the million tea bags, began unloading their cargo at the park this morning but were told by officials that they didn’t have proper permits and must move the tea. They complied with the order but are still considering what to do with the load.”

Hilarious. Politico had reported that a lot of the establishment Republicans weren’t so inclined to join the tea parties that are allegedly taking place all over the country. Paul Krugman has called the tea party fake trend “embarrassing.”

12:07 update: MSNBC is reporting that organizers have told them that the presenting of the tea bags will take place at libertarian think tank instead of Lafayette Square. Big time letdown. Salon’s Mike Madden is twittering crazy quotes from the protest(s).

12:35 p.m.: From Madden: “MCs now pleading with counterprotesters to clear out from in front of stage.”

In a retro zero-tolerance move, the D.C. Police announced today that it will start ticketing litter bugs. The move follows the D.C. Council passing an anti-littering law last year. Don’t worry, you probably can go ahead and throw your McDonald’s wrappers out of your car window. There’s a month-long grace period. And do you really see D.C. cops ticketing for this?

The police write in its release:

“Starting April 10, 2009 (today), the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) will begin a 30-day warning period to alert motorists of the littering violation and associated fines. Following the warning period, police will begin issuing actual Notices of Infraction (NOIs) to motorists caught littering from their vehicles. The fine for a traffic littering violation is $100 per violation.

“Litter poses health risks, harms water quality and wildlife habitat, and is an offense against communities.  Neighborhoods with a lot of litter are at risk of more serious crime and disorder.”

For a full recap of what happened at the forum on the Hoya’s April Fools‘ edition, head over to Vox Populi, where they also liveblogged the forum.

From a poster on the Shepherd Park listserv:

“Looks like a Raccoon has nibbled a hole and his/her way into our roof/perhaps attic. We noticed the raised piece of roofing late last week, and today are hearing sounds of activity from the fireplace. Today, a neighbor told my husband he has seen the raccoon scrapping at our roof and on the roof of a house behind ours across the alley. He suspects baby raccoons are, or will be on the scene soon, which as I write might explain the sounds I am hearing now. I need some advice as to who to call, what to do, possible costs involved and any other thoughts on the subject. From the sounds and frequency, coupled with my kids skiddishness, I likely need to move fast on some course of action. I thought I had saved list serv posts seen before on the subject, but don’t see any in my saved msg-box, so responses are greatly appreciated!”

You think you know Joseph Randolph Mays. You know that he’s an ex-postal worker. You know that he’s been charged with stabbing to death his girlfriend Erika Peters and her two young boys on March 21. You know that he’s now another defendant awaiting trial at the D.C. Jail.

But Joseph Randolph Mays was much more. He was a poet, a spiritual counselor, and an Internet addict. On one of his more than six blogs and websites, he penned his own simple message to the world:

“My message to everyone in the world. Let’s do this and make our world a better place to live in.”

Read More “Who Is Joseph Randolph Mays?” »

For those of you still wondering about all that hullabaloo surrounding the April Fools’ edition of The Hoya last week, you’re in luck! The staff of Georgetown University’s student newspaper has posted the PDF for your viewing pleasure.

Dozens of students, angry about what they considered inflammatory articles, staged a sit-in at the newspaper’s office last Thursday night, hundreds more have joined a Facebook group condemning the content of the issue.

Even a week after it hit the racks, the joke edition is still a hot topic of debate on campus, students said. Over the weekend, several of those offended by the issue met with the university president to discuss the matter, and he will likely talk about the issue in a campus address, reports rival publication The Georgetown Voice. Read More “April Fools’ Fallout: The Hoya Posts Joke Edition Online, Says It’s Really, Really Sorry” »

First CFSA lost its spokesperson powers to the Mayor’s Office. Now, it’s the Fire Department’s turn to refer all calls to Fenty spokesperson Mafara Hobson. At this point, I feel sorry for Hobson. Her job is busy enough with the on-going budget debates, the travel issues, etc. Now, she gets to field inquiries about the D.C. Fire Department activities.

Today, I e-mailed Fire Chief Dennis Rubin seeking comment for a story I am working on concerning whistleblower/Fire Investigator Greg Bowyer. I then followed up with a phone call to Deputy Fire Chief Kenneth Crosswhite to ask for Rubin’s phone number.

By then, Rubin had already complained about my e-mail to Crosswhite. And my e-mail had already been forwarded to Hobson. I asked: why had Hobson become the Fire Department’s vetting machine.

“I’m waiting to hear back from the mayor’s office,” Crosswhite told me of my interview-with-Rubin request. “All communications go to the mayor’s office prior to us making comments.”

Update 2:31 p.m.: Fire Department is now on Facebook and Twitter.

The hits just keep on coming over at the Hoya. Like we warned on Monday, April Fools’ issues can cause more problems than they are worth.

Dozens of Georgetown University students, angry about what they perceived as racially-inflammatory articles in the Hoya’s April Fools’ issue, staged a sit-in at the newspaper’s office last night. Read More “When April Fools’ Editions Go Bad: Georgetown Students Protest at Hoya Offices” »

All this news about Jay Cutler possibly joining the Redskins is killing me. I’ve generally ignored the rumors in favor of March Madness and the impossible hope that Skins management have learned its lessons about paying too much for either mediocre players (Archuleta) or over-the-hill stars (Bruce Smith, Jason Taylor, Prime Time). But now I can’t look away. The underachieving Skins appear poised to get the not-quite-great Cutler from the underachieving Broncos. I feel bad for Jason Campbell.

Campbell is still a young quarterback with a promising arm. He has yet to really take hold of the team. He doesn’t win games in the last seconds. He fumbles. He tosses interceptions. He makes 4th Quarters incredibly frustrating. But I still think he’s the best quarterback the team has had in a long time (not saying much, I know).

Read More “I Pity Jason Campbell” »

On March 21, Erika Peters and her two young boys were found murdered in their Carver Terrace home at 2000 Maryland Avenue NE Apt. 104. Within hours, her live-in boyfriend Joseph Randolph Mays was charged with the fatal stabbings. This week I wrote a cover story about the tragedy and the several questions left unresolved. One of the big questions: What exact time was the 911 call made?

Peters’ neighbors say the police arrived a lot earlier than 1 p.m. (the time listed on the police department’s press release). Two government sources suggested the neighbors are correct. If this is true, it would mean the police took at least two hours to get inside the Peters’ home.

I asked repeatedly for the exact time from various government officials. They all stonewalled me on this most basic fact. Attorney General Peter Nickles gave the reason most often used—the Peters case was an on-going case so that fact could not be made public.

I am still unsure why the exact time of the first 911 call would have any bearing on the case against Mays. The stonewalling was just unnecessary and unusually obnoxious even for government officials in the age of Fenty. I know people have a low tolerance for whiny journalists. But this is different. This issue goes to public safety and accountability.

Read More “Who Is Stonewalling On The Peters Case?” »

From the desk of Shaw ANC Commissioner Alex Padro: Shiloh Baptist Church is back to making promises about its vacant properties stinking up around the Convention Center and its surrounding blocks. The church has announced “that they will present their current plans for all the vacant properties,” Padro writes in an e-mail, at ANC 2C’s meeting today at 6:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Recreation Center (1401 7th Street NW).

Before anyone gets their hopes up, the church has a long history of making promises and community presentations about its vacants. The promises have been going on for years. At different points, church leaders formed a community development corporation to deal with the properties. Among its proposals: a skyway connecting some of its buildings. Can anyone imagine a skyway on 9th Street?

Read More “Shiloh Baptist To Present Plans For Its Vacant Properties” »