DCist is reporting that Mocha Hut has closed. We agree with the bloggers that its brunch was super awesome and relatively cheap. It literally was one of two decent options in the corridor. It was always Mocha Hut or Busboys and Poets for brunch. This will surely mean the lines at Busboys will be that much longer.  I wonder why they went out of business considering that the U Street coffee shop always seemed busy (at least on weekends). DCist writes:

“A notice posted on the door this morning reads simply, “Mocha Hut is closed. We sincerely thank you for all of our support,” and is ironically posted only a few feet away from a plea for votes in the Washington City Paper’s Best of D.C. awards.”

Sad.

The Washington Business Journal reports that another coffee shop will be taking Mocha Hut’s place. But what are the odds that its egg specials will be as tasty and as cheap?

There is a man down on the landing of our parking garage. He has wedged himself between a foot-high concrete wall, the cigarette urn, and the second floor door. It’s a small space, barely room enough for his small frame. I do not notice this man.

Our beloved photographer, Darrow Montgomery, who just biked past him, points him out.

I ask him what’s wrong. He says he has asthma, that he needs help. His voice is hoarse. Another man shows up. I will learn later that this man works at Payless. The man on the ground apparently has stolen a black purse.

The Payless man tells the other man to wait—the police have been called.

The man then walks as fast as he can up to our parking deck. He then makes like he wants to jump off the deck. He mumbles about wanting to kill himself, that life isn’t worth living.

He is grabbed. We get him to sit down. His name is Thomas.

I leave Darrow and the Payless employee to keep the man occupied. I run inside WCP and call the Department of Mental Health’s mobile crisis unit. This is where things get annoying.

Read More “Emergency @ Washington City Paper Headquarters” »

Orange Hat Patrols are out. Blogger patrols are in. Borderstan has announced that it will be hosting the “Borderstan Night-Safety Walk Around” this Thursday with plenty of law enforcement types on hand: “Join police and city government staff for a quick walk around Borderstan. The purpose is to point out dark areas that need lighting, burned out street lights, overgrown trees, etc. The goal is to improve night safety in Borderstan through better lighting and visibility.”

Walk starts at 6. “The group will leave 15th and T NW at 6 p.m. and proceed south,” the blog notes.

Last Monday, At-Large Councilmember Phil Mendelson held one of his Judiciary Committee’s oversight hearings on the D.C. Police Department. For the most part, the hearing was routine: right down to the councilmember asking for the investigative materials related to the DeOnte Rawlings shootings. By Mendo’s own count, he has asked for the Rawlings report at least three times.

At Monday’s hearing, D.C.Police Chief Cathy Lanier and her top brass assured Mendelson that he would have the Rawlings case report on his desk very soon. The expection was for a Friday deadline. In an editorial the day of the deadline, the Post urged the police department to release more information about shootings–including the details on the recent police shooting death of a bus driver. We’d like the records behind the David Kerstetter shooting on November 6. And the Osman Abdullahi shooting in late February. The Post sort of piggybacked on David Simon’s own editorial in its newspaper a few weeks ago.

So is it shocking that on Friday, the D.C. Police failed to give Mendelson the DeOnte Rawlings report? Of course not. This is what the department does with such things.

“I think that’s still at the factory for redactions,” Mendelson joked during a phone interview. It was 5 p.m. on Friday. “This is at least the third time I’ve asked for the D. Rawlings report.”

Read More “D.C. Police Stonewalls Mendo On Police Shootings” »

I post this on behalf of Lola Lombard, the blonde on the left, who is looking for the blonde on the right in this photo.

Writes Lola to the blonde:
Dear Mystery Blonde,
You took my photo at the amazing Art of Change Inaugural Ball. I hand-painted my dress just for that night. It created quite a stir, it even made the news on two continents and your photos were the best! Now everyone is asking for photos and I cant find you. Oh where have you gone, Talented One? Dont let this be a “snap and run”.
Lola Lombard

On March 4, testimony got heated at the Fire Department’s oversight hearing. After Dennis L. Rubin testified before Councilmember Phil Mendelson’s Judiciary Committee, Firefighter Chris Sullivan took his turn at the witness table.

Mendo asked Rubin to remain in the room so he could hear Sullivan’s testimony. Rubin complied. He then proceeded to take a verbal beat down.

Sullivan ran down his personnel file for the better part of six minutes. His testimony mirrors that of a lot of other firefighters. There are scores of firefighters who are seething over Rubin’s handling of personnel issues. This is one of those cases. Sullivan claims that he was wrongly charged with going AWOL in April of 2008. He went on to say that he was found not guilty.

This led to other charges. A stint on administrative leave with pay and details out of his firehouse. And more in-fighting all over very minor charges it seems. But then as Sullivan concluded his testimony, he turned to Rubin and other fire department officials and went off.

Read More “Fire Chief Rubin Taunted At Hearing” »

Good morning, City Desk readers. The one and only Ted Scheinman is chilling in the tropics this week, and yours truly has been tasked with turning regular Wednesday roundup into WTF?! Wednesday roundup. How about this weather, huh? Huh? The boss (as in, my boss) knows what I’m talking about. News and commentary about Phish, pot, Metro, and taxes, after the jump.

Read More “Our Morning Roundup: Washington Times “Owns” Chas Freeman Story” »

For the last two days, I’ve had the pleasure of driving around Ward 7—specifically in and out of the Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue NE corridor.

I had spent a ton of time there four years ago for a story about a father who got burned out of his house after he started fighting the local hoodlums. The hoodlums had great nicknames and a terrible alibi. The father had amazing kids, an antique shop on 14th Street NW (that’s no more), and a failed dream to turn that home into a real home (it had a pool in the backyard).

Without a huge investment in development, it was interesting to see what has survived, what is boarded up, and what has overcome serious obstacles.

Read More “Winners And Losers Along Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue NE” »

I got a lengthy D.C. Police Department document today which includes a bunch of charts and stats on its rank and file. If the figures are correct, the doc goes a long way toward clearing up one issue that has plagued this reporter (and, well, the police union): How many officers does the police department actually have?

It’s a simple question. I called the department’s public information office three times this week to get answer. The first response: “Approximately 4,000″ cops. Approximately just doesn’t cut it. Two more calls to 202-727-4383 and still nothing.

Police Chief Cathy Lanier told me at the Levy press conference that the department has seen an increase in officers and resources. This was news to me. She said this was the reason for a new change in their approach to mentally-ill residents. So I wanted real numbers.

This document has the real numbers. Or at least seems to.

Read More “Just How Many D.C. Police Department Officers Are There?” »

The D.C. Police Department continues its sly campaign to make everyone—especially Republicans—aware that there are guns, guns, guns floating around the city. In today’s edition, a handgun gets turned in to 2D, a BB gun is recovered, and plenty of ammo is found.

Read More “D.C. Police Seize More Guns” »

Eventually, somebody will speak up and say: Stop Messing With The National Mall. In recent years, we’ve had to endure the WWII memorial monstrosity (it’s memorial as clip art!). Now comes the news that the National Park Service has issued a planning document which calls for the removal of the U.S. Capitol’s reflecting pool and the obliteration of the Sylvan Theater. These are not pieces on a game board!

The reflecting pool would be replaced by some other kind of water entertainment. I’m guess a fountain. What else could it be? A Michael Phelps Memorial Bong? The Sylvan would be replaced with a bigger entertainment center or something. You know the new one will be tagged with all manner of corporate crap. Red Bull will finally get a presence on the National Mall. Thank G-d.

Read More “Park Service Seeks To Destroy Reflecting Pool, Sylvan Theater” »

Does anyone know what happened? Maybe it’s not blood. Could be ketchup.

*photo courtesy of one of our intrepid readers.

So no one can find a job.  Well there’s one government entity that has announced it’s hiring: Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B. It posted an ad on the Shepherd Park listserv:

The pay seems OK. But it’s part-time work. Full details after the jump.

Read More “Guess Who’s Hiring? ANC 4B” »

The City Lights Public Charter School closes tomorrow. And when the school for at-risk youth closes, I wonder: will that mean the end to getting a straight answer as to why it shut down. Last Wednesday, the Post’s Bill Turque did a solid job trying to suss out a reason:

“The collapse of City Lights, housed in a former Catholic elementary school on T Street NE, has triggered a round of finger-pointing and second-guessing among school and District officials over alleged mismanagement.”

Turque pointed to a set of numbers that don’t add up. And we’re never adequately explained. A lot of kids are going to get dumped into the public school system. These kids are going to need specialized help. How many of these kids will graduate?

Read More “City Lights Public Charter Closes Tomorrow” »

Last week, as part of our average day coverage, Mike DeBonis reported that Councilmember Phil Mendelson was “appalled” at AG Peter Nickles‘ interest in rescinding a law that requires the D.C. Jail to release inmates before 10 p.m.

Mendo has every reason to be appalled. As chair of the Judiciary Committee, he knows all too well the troubles that the D.C. Jail has had in releasing inmates on time. There have been two class-action lawsuits filed on behalf of inmates not released on time. These are not inmates who were released a few hours late. We’re talking days late. The problems stemmed from the jail’s inadequate records office. The legislation was an attempt to hold the Jail accountable and protect inmates who were released in the early morning hours in their jumpsuits.

Read More “Nickles: All Bluster And ‘Falsehoods’ On D.C. Jail Issue” »