The Issue: The community is already, um, barking about a dog park that opened last month on 17^th and  S Street. The astroturf park was established by the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) and is maintained by the non-profit Circle Dogs DC, which opened it before a set of rules was established. At an Advisory Neighborhood Commission meeting to deal with the canine-related backlash this week, issues raised included: the number of dogs allowed in the park (optimal number was calculated to be 12.2), the distinction between dog toys and tennis balls, and whether humping is an owner-control issue or a reason to keep out un-neutered dogs. But according to Borderstan, the meeting hasn't yet resolved two important questions: Why are children still allowed to play in the park? And who exactly will be dealing with neighbor's complaints in the future?  Read More "Neighborhood Watch: Toddlers and Pitbulls and Astroturf, Oh My!" »

The Issue: What should be done about raucous revelers and their search for drunken munchies?  Last Tuesday, the 2E Advisory Neighborhood Commission met with the owner of Philadelphia Pizza Company to discuss the antics of the late-night bar crowd—which consists largely of Georgetown Students—that gathers on Potomac Street NW for pizza. Georgetown residents complain that they are unable to sleep—but owner, Matt Kocak tells the Georgetown Voice that it’s the students, not the restaurant, that’s causing the problem. Read More "Georgetown Residents Peeved by Pizza Place After-Party" »

The Issue: A former elementary school building seeking new residents has hooked a fish—and the local Truxton Circle/Bates community wants to throw it back. About two years ago, residents met to determine what should go into the empty J.F Cook Elementary School on P Street NW. Since then, they have tried to woo the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) and an arts center—but Mayor Adrian M. Fenty approved the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) instead. LAYC has approached the community several times in the past—most recently in a meeting this past Monday—offering to turn the building into a voluntary youth-training program with dormitories for about 50 residents. But where the Mayor sees a halibut, the community sees a red herring—residents argue that they had no part in the selection process, and don’t see how the new social service will benefit the community. Read More "Neighborhood Watch: Truxton Circle Residents Left out to Dry when Choosing Neighbors?" »

The Issue: Is Ward 8 taking on more than its fair share of social housing? So Others Might Eat (SOME), a D.C. nonprofit group, bought a rundown residential property about a year ago on Mellon Street in southeast with the intention of turning the space into long-term housing for adults with special needs. The complex will offer on-site support for residents who have proven six-month recovery in issues ranging from substance abuse to credit problems. But the neighbors fear Ward 8 has become a nonprofit “dumping ground,” and think the new residents will contribute to the area’s problems. The twist is a 3.4 billion dollar Homeland Security Campus slated to open across the street in 2013. Could the property be put to better use?

Fire Sale: SOME says they have opened same-model housing in wards all over the city, including Logan Circle and Capitol Hill, and in the past the housing has raised property values. Richard Gerlach, Executive Director of SOME, told City Desk, “That property was on the market for a long, long time, so to say it’s a golden opportunity is just not true. The buildings we take over are a blight…we fix them up and they become a positive influence that promote growth.”  He also stressed that the housing is independent and non-transitional.

Read More "Neighborhood Watch: Ward 8 Property, Fire Sale or Golden Opportunity?" »

The Issue: One of the Trinidad Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANC) wants to curb alcohol-related problems by having liquor licenses banned at establishments along Bladensburg Road in NE, with one exception. An ANC proposal says that all establishments in the area will be denied licenses to sell alcohol for five years unless they are “part of an established chain.” But some think the ANC is going too far—and is specifically targeting a new diner that plans to open down the street. Read More "Neighborhood Watch: In Trinidad, ANC Wants Only Chain Restaurants to Serve Booze" »

The Issue: What to do with Shepherd Park? The horseshoe pitching club there has moved on to greener pastures after being pressured by the community to remove horseshoe pits from the park between Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and Malcolm X Avenue. The horseshoe pits and accompanying chess boards were originally installed by the club with the approval of the National Park Service, which manages the space, but were removed when residents said they were encouraging drunken carousing.

No More Pitching: Some community members think horseshoeing is contributing to the park's problems: The blog Congress Heights on the Rise says, "Despite their [the club's] best efforts, the horseshoe players do not attract children to the park - only adults. And most of those adults are drinking." Additionally, there are already pits set up in nearby Oxon Hill Park where the club could relocate.

Pitching Isn't the Problem: Many argue that public drinking is the real problem: In an informal online poll conducted by Southeast Socialite blog on what Congress Heights residents would like to see on MLK Avenue, 75 percent said what they really wanted was "10 less liquor stores."

Next Step: An advisory neighborhood commissioner, William Ellis, told City Desk: "What to do with the park is a big deal in the neighborhood. It has been the center of drug addicts and shootings in recent years, and the Park Service hasn't made the changes needed." He added that the ANC is reaching out to the community for suggestions on using the space; the park could include a community garden or Martin Luther King Jr. memorial.

Why.I.Hate.DC hates on crime:

"Memo to everyone: DC is not a safe place. That home that sold at 14th and Fairmont for $499,999 was not a good deal. In all of these recent shootings, and Oh, I forgot about the murder outside the Mt. Vernon Square metro--the police have been close enough to hear the shots and respond immediately. Still no arrests in any of these homicides. I'm not about to criticize the officers on the scene, but clearly there is a failing at some level of administration here. Obviously. You don't need someone who rarely updates a blog to tell you that.

My speculation is that things are only going to get worse as summer drags on, with the economy still in the pisser, and gang rivalry flaring up. You can tell me that violent crime is down and all of that (and maybe it is), but we'll see how those statistics work out once it's August. I've lived here long enough (in the grand scheme of things, not very long) to know that we haven't done anything magical to put a lid on crime in DC."

In case you don't trust bloggers who rarely update their blogs, how about the latest crime news from Borderstan. Crime is all the blog appears to be reporting on lately. And while we're hating on ourselves, 14th & You would like cleaner streets like they have in London.

Read More "Our Morning Roundup: Angst Edition" »

Maryland State Del. Bill Frick (D-Montgomery County) sent a letter Monday to the superintendent of Rock Creek Park as an appeal to close Beach Drive to car traffic for an extended period. Currently, the park road popular with cyclists, Rollerbladers, runners, etc., opens at 7 p.m. That's all well and good when it's winter, but with an early Daylight Savings upon us, Frick wanted to throw his weight, or at least his letterhead, behind keeping cars off for longer.

This is not an original idea. Frick came to it as a regular reader of everyone's favorite anti-car blog, Greater Greater Washington. The blog aggregated a rant from Mount Pleasant ANC Commissioner Jack McKay:

Read More "Maryland Delegate Reads Blogs, Tries to Influence Rock Creek Park" »

Stephen Posniak, 64, the former ANC commissioner accused of leaving a campfire and causing the Ham Lake fire in Minnesota, apparently killed himself in his backyard around 5:30 p.m. yesterday. He lived on Windom Place in American University Park with his wife. They have one daughter. He retired at age 62 from the federal government, where he worked in information technology security. He was a 1966 graduate of Dartmouth College and earned his master's at the University of Minnesota.

Posniak's family does not want to comment at this time. A neighbor who did not want to be named out of respect for them said by phone this morning that Posniak never struck anyone "as a person who would ever act in a malicious way." Another neighbor who spoke to the Grand Forks Herald said Posniak, who lived in his neighborhood for many years, “spent a lot of time outdoors, walking, in all types of weather.”

Posniak's lawyer in Minnesota, Mark Larsen, told the press Posniak camped in the area that burned nearly every year for 20 years and "cherished his time" there. He also told the Washington Post that Posniak was "a gentle, kind, caring individual" and that the indictment against him was "an exercise in overcharging."

His trial was set to begin in Duluth next month. When reached by phone following the charges, Posniak---whom City Paper had interviewed regarding a fight he led against cutting bus routes in Tenleytown---said he could not comment, but promised to call when he could.

A personal note: As someone who camps and loves the woods, I have been thinking a lot about him since that brief conversation. It's unfortunate he did not have the chance to tell his side of the story publicly. We send condolences to his family and friends.

Courtesy of a friend who apparently doesn't give a damn about his ANC representation:

Definitive evidence below the jump.

Read More "Improbably, I Receive a Write-In" »

Update from Ward 6: Don't miss this hard-hitting tell-all, in which Arthur Delaney (a.k.a. Sir Pants-a-lot) holds forth on his incredible dark horse campaign, the resonance of his message, his umbrella woes, and the perils of picking Glick.

Don't be fooled by the blazer, folks. Arthur Delaney may look like your typical District politico, but he drinks his beers one at a time. Just like the rest of us.

Trouble viewing? Try the YouTube version.

City Desk just called Arthur Delaney to check in on his historic campaign for an ANC post in Cap. Hill. He is standing outside his precinct at Payne Elementary. It is 5:35 p.m.

Delaney has big news. His mom has joined his campaign!

"My mom is here campaigning with me," Delaney says. "She voted for me over in a different SMD (Single Member District)."

And Delaney's opponent? He's nowhere in sight.

"I'm not sure where he is," Delaney says.

I ask if he thinks his opponent is runnin' scared. This is Delaney's response: "He damn well should be. He's in deep shit."

We will be posting updates on Delaney's ANC race throughout the night. Stay tuned.

*photo by Darrow Montgomery