Posts Tagged ‘Takoma’
Neighborhood Watch: In Takoma, Will the Last Theater of Ward 4 Survive?
The Issue: The owner of the Takoma Theatre is planning a five-story apartment building for the historic spot. The theater has occupied the corner of Fourth and Butternut Streets NW since 1923; Milton McGinty bought the building in 1983. But the low-density neighborhood of Takoma has not been kind to a privately owned arts building that puts on plays, and McGinty wants to head to a greener pasture—real estate. In 2007, he petitioned to turn the theater into an office building, catalyzing the formation of Takoma Theatre Conservancy, a nonprofit that wants to purchase the property; he was ultimately denied by the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB). But now McGinty proposes razing the theater and replacing it with an apartment building—with a tiny theater on the ground floor. With the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) and the Conservancy up in arms, will HPRB still pull an Atropos? Read More "Neighborhood Watch: In Takoma, Will the Last Theater of Ward 4 Survive?" »
Fenty Presser Liveblog
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty: Expresses deepest condolences, as is standard practice to start these briefings.
Confirms nine fatalities, the final count. "As a government and as a city" there are only four people whose identities have been confirmed.
Three of the four are residents of the District of Columbia. One lived in Hyattsville. Fenty contacted three of the four families personally. Says can't imagine the "horror and disbelief" of the families.
Fire department has completed its work as the lead agency. Debbie Hersman and the NTSB will now become the lead agency in this matter. Fenty thanks the feds for making all kinds of resources available.
Next up at the mic is D.C. fire Chief Dennis Rubin. He says that fire and EMS and various agencies have done an "absolutely incredible job" of doing their thing. Highlights---timeline begins at 5 pm, had units on location within six minutes. "Obvious this was going to be a major national event." Then they did coordination with inbound agencies. First injury person was transported 21 minutes later; last person was transported 6 hours and 51 minutes later.
Metro Crash Train Was Due For Brake Fix; Names Of Some Dead Released
The Washington Post is reporting that the metro car involved in the Red Line crash yesterday was due for brake maintenance. The Post writes:
"The Metro train car that slammed into another on the Red Line yesterday evening was two months past due for scheduled maintenance on its brakes, and the car was an older model that federal officials had recommended be replaced because of concerns about its safety in a crash, officials said today....
According to a Metro source knowledgeable about railcar maintenance, the first car of the striking train was two months behind on a scheduled maintenance for changing out brakes and brake components."
Read More "Metro Crash Train Was Due For Brake Fix; Names Of Some Dead Released" »
Metro Crash Death Count: WTF
So how did the Red Line metro crash death toll jump to nine last night then fall back to seven this morning and then back up to nine? Last night, City Desk reported that three news outlets---WUSA9, WTOP, and WJLA---had confirmed that nine had died in the crash. WTOP cited the D.C. Fire Department as its source. WJLA had cited Metro.
This morning, Fenty stated that the number of confirmed dead was actually seven. That number soon increased back up to nine.
At least one fire department official is trying to figure out how and why there was so much confusion. One reporter City Desk contacted speculates that it may have to do with just the gruesomeness of the scene.
Metro Crash Death Toll Back Up To Nine
The death toll in the metro crash went back up to nine this morning. The number rose a few hours after Fenty insisted the number was seven at the morning press conference. The Washington Post reports:
"The number of people killed in last night's deadly Red Line crash has risen to nine, Metro's general manager said this morning, shortly after five bodies were removed from the mangled wreckage...
Several of the dead were crushed, their bodies not located until a crane removed part of the striking train this morning."
Last night, three local news outlets had reported that nine had been confirmed dead. The news orgs had cited the fire department and Metro as sources. [The Fire Department refused to confirm that number late last night when City Desk called]. The Washington Post would only say the death toll was expected to rise to nine.
Neighborhood Bars Fight for Your Right to Party
The owners of Haydee’s Restaurant, who fought a nasty battle last year over live music and late hours at their flagship fajita joint in Mount Pleasant, are poised for a new go-round over their other location in Brightwood. The restaurateurs will be at the Advisory Neighborhood Commission’s 4B meeting next Monday night seeking support for turning the Georgia Avenue N.W. establishment into a nightclub. But don’t expect Haydee’s trademark Mariachi bands or even salsa. On its website, the restaurant is advertising upcoming Saturday nights with Sugar Bear, the "GoGo King," and his band EU.
Further uptown, meanwhile, the Culture Shop is hold a clearance sale to make space for its transformation this summer into the Cedar Crossing Tavern and Wine Bar.
Takoma to Get a New Tavern
A tavern is moving into the long-vacant storefront a few doors down from the Takoma Metro station.
Mona and Valentine Davies, the husband-and-wife team that operates the Culture Shop next door to the vacant locale, are teaming up with the owner of the liquor store across the street to open the Cedar Crossing Tavern and Wine Bar this summer.
The place may provide some competition to the Takoma Station Tavern, the jazz joint down the street, which, for years, has had a monopoly on nocturnal cultural offerings in the Takoma nabe.
But there is no news on whether the new bar will live up to the Culture Shop’s ethical standards. The shop, described as “a fair trade retail boutique,” specializes in “ethically sourced” clothing, gifts, coffees, and other merchandise. Their partner, Sarbjit "Mr. Singh" Kochhar, who operates S&S Liquors, runs the average city liquor store; he sells beer, wine, the hard stuff at the usual markup and with no givebacks to, say, save the pandas or free child laborers toiling in Côte d'Ivoire cocoa plantations.
