Capitol Hill Residents Pay Tribute to Activist Will Hill — Friends and family of Will Hill remembered the longtime Capitol Hill activist and neighborhood advocate at a memorial in Hill East Wednesday night. [Capitol Hill Corner]
Dog at H Street NE Bar Accused of Attacking Customer — A woman has filed a lawsuit claiming that Vaughn, a doberman who is regularly seen at H Street corridor bars Little Miss Whiskey’s and Jimmy Valentine’s Lonely Hearts Club, bit her on the face in September. Vaughn is owned by Mark Thorp, who also owns both bars. [Washington City Paper]
Building Housing H Street NE Hardware Store Sells for $2.25 Million — The building at 920 H St. NE that has been the home of Park’s Hardware for 33 years was sold for $2.2 million. [Frozen Tropics]
Capitol Hill Area Restaurants Make List of Best New Restaurants in D.C. — H Street NE eateries Maketto and Sally’s Middle Name and Barracks Row restaurant The Garrison made DCist’s list of the best restaurants that opened in the District this year. [DCist]
Capitol Hill Intersection Where Mayor Announced ‘Vision Zero’ Plan Suffers Bad Pedestrian Design — Mayor Muriel Bowser announced new steps toward the District’s “Vision Zero” initiative to eliminate traffic-related deaths in D.C. from the intersection of 10th Street and Maryland Ave. NE, but locals complain that intersection is not designed well for pedestrians. [Greater Greater Washington]
Police Conduct Five-Hour Search for Relisha Rudd at Construction Site, Find No Evidence — Police searched a construction site in Northeast for five hours yesterday looking for evidence related to the disappearance of Relisha Rudd, who was kidnapped from D.C. General homeless shelter in 2014. [Washington Post]
Video Shows Danger of Crossing North Capitol Street in NoMa — Steven Glazerman, a writer for Greater Greater Washington, filmed his daily commute across North Capitol Street at the intersection with Pierce Street NE, showing that most cars don’t stop even as he makes his way across the crosswalk. [Greater Greater Washington]
Developers Plan to Break Ground on Condos at The Yards in Early 2016 — PN Hoffman, the developer behind condo projects at The Yards development in Navy Yard, is set to begin construction on a 10-story, 138-unit building in the first quarter of 2016. [Washington Business Journal]
Plans Revealed for Two Apartment Buildings North of Nationals Park — Developer JBG released plans for the intersection of Half and N streets SE that would add 225 condos, 200 apartments and retail space. [Washington Business Journal]
Capitol Hill Bar Makes List of Best New Bars in the District — Capitol Hill bar Stanton & Greene, which opened in February at 319 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, made DCist’s list of the best bars that opened this year in D.C. [DCist]
Group Opposed to Hine Project Development Files Freedom of Information Act Request for ANC Documents — The Hine Coalition, a group of Capitol Hill residents opposed to the Hine Project development next to Eastern Market, have filed a Freedom of Information Act Request for documents related to ANC 6B’s consideration of the project. [Capitol Hill Corner]
Monthly Capitol Hill Area ANC Meeting Roundup — Hill Rag takes a look at what happened last month with Capitol Hill area ANCs, including 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D and 6E. [Hill Rag]
Pedestrian Killed in Car Accident on Maine Avenue SW on Friday — A person driving a car struck a pedestrian just before 8:30 p.m. Friday on Maine Avenue SW. The pedestrian died shortly after arriving at the hospital. [WUSA]
Meet the Neighbors: Hill East’s Spider Lady and Her Famous Halloween House — Lara Walker, 48, is the self-proclaimed “Mama Spider” behind the Capitol Hill spider house at the intersection of 13th Street and South Carolina Avenue SE. Almost every Halloween, the elaborate decorations seem to weave their way out of the brick home. [Hill Now]
Pedestrian Dies After Car Crash in NoMa — A 62-year-old woman died last week from injuries she sustained after being hit by a car at the intersection of H and 1st streets NW Sept. 19. [WUSA]
Man Beaten by Teens After Trying to Break Up Fight Near Eastern Market — A man was attacked by a group of teens near the Eastern Market Metro station last week after trying to stop the group from attacking a boy. [NBC Washington]
Mattress Company’s ‘Napmobile’ Visits Capitol Hill — Mattress company Casper parked a trailer with four nap pods near the Eastern Market Metro station over the weekend for passersby to use for free. [Washington Business Journal]
Meet the Neighbors: NoMa’s Trumpeter — Homeless musician Melvin Simpson serenades residents near the NoMa-Gallaudet University Metro station. [Hill Now]
A car hit a pedestrian near Union Station this afternoon, according to the D.C. Fire and EMS Department.
The collision occurred on the unit block of Massachusetts Avenue NW, the department tweeted about 3:15 p.m.
The pedestrian was hospitalized with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.
Photo via Google Maps
A car hit a pedestrian near Stanton Park this morning, according to the D.C. Fire and EMS Department.
The collision occurred at 3rd Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE, the department tweeted about 9:30 a.m.
The pedestrian was hospitalized with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.
The 96, D6 and X8 bus lines were experiencing delays due to the collision, according to Metro.
Photo via Google Maps
(Updated at 2:05 p.m.) A car struck a man near H and North Capitol streets NE this morning.
The pedestrian was hit about 11:30 a.m. only a couple blocks north of Union Station, police said. The man was conscious when police arrived.
He was hospitalized in critical condition, a D.C. fire department spokesman said.
A photo posted on Hill Now’s Facebook page shows a man lying in the eastbound land of H Street NE, a few feet from the crosswalk at North Capitol Street NE. A white van is stopped nearby.
The eastbound lane of H Street NE at North Capitol Street NE was closed temporarily to traffic, according to the District Department of Transportation.
Photo via Facebook
Senior Attacked in Metro Station Speaks — The 69-year-old man attacked in the Eastern Market Metro station last month said his assailant pushed him, said “Get out of the way, old man?” and then asked “Do you want to take this outside?” Victim Albert Langeberg told the attacker he was a “disgrace to the human race.” [NBC Washington]
How the 11th Street Bridge Park Will Benefit Anacostia — The group behind the 11th Street Bridge Park project is working with groups in Ward 8 to spur economic development on both sides of the river. Job training programs, opportunities for entrepreneurs and more public meetings are in the works. [Next City]
Pedestrian Safety Critique on Bike to School Day — Hill East resident and ex-Congressional candidate Tim Krepp praised the spirit of Bike to School Day in an editorial for The Hill Is Home but said the city hasn’t committed to keeping pedestrians and bikers safe. [The Hill Is Home]
Home Buyers’ Nightmare — A three-part series by WAMU tells the stories of home buyers who learned too late that their houses were shoddily renovated, leaving them dealing with sewage overflows, rotten wood and toxic mold. [WAMU]
The Best Tacos on the Hill — Local writer/photographer/taco correspondent María Helena Carey maps out where to eat tacos near Capitol Hill, including one stuffed with grasshoppers. [The Hill Is Home]
Second Tour Bus Fire in NoMa — A shuttle bus caught fire in NoMa yesterday for the second night in a row. A witness to the fire Tuesday night told PoPville that he or she saw “apparently homeless people” exit similar shuttle buses parked nearby. We’re checking it out. [PoPville]
Capitol Police Crackdown on Holiday Parties — Officials at the Capitol announced yesterday that only select members of Congress will be able to celebrate Memorial Day and the Fourth of July on the Capitol building’s terraces. The changes were made to prevent possible embarrassment for Congress and for security reasons, authorities said. [NBC Washington]
Pedestrian Safety on Maryland Avenue NE — Hill residents say Maryland Avenue NE is still too dangerous. A speed camera installed in October doesn’t seem to have helped. [WAMU]
Traffic Changes for CSX Construction — The CSX reconstruction of the Virginia Avenue train tunnel will shift traffic on 4th Street SE. The ad hoc skate park under Southeast Freeway is also affected by the work, as Hill Now reported. [The Hill Is Home]
The Search for Relisha Rudd Continues — Mayor Muriel Bowser and Police Chief Cathy Lanier said they’re still committed to finding Relisha Rudd, the D.C. General resident who disappeared one year ago. No updates on the progress of the investigation were discussed. Police, the FBI, Metro Transit Police and Amtrak are “beefing up” efforts to find the child. [Washington City Paper]
Eliminating Pedestrian and Cyclist Deaths — Mayor Bowser will sign on to Vision Zero, the program created to end traffic fatalities and adopt pedestrian and cyclist safety measures. District officials will examine street engineering, enforcement and education, Bowser said. [WAMU]
D.C. to Pay $9.2M for Wrongful Conviction for Hill Rape — The District has been ordered to pay a record $9.2 million in damages to the man wrongfully imprisoned for more than 22 years on charges that he raped and robbed a woman in her Hill apartment in 1981. Kirk Odom was exonerated in 2012 after DNA evidence showed a convicted sex offender committed the crime. [Washington Post]
Rose’s Luxury Spinoff Planning New Dishes — The fine-dining edition of Rose’s Luxury will serve deep-fried, smoked trout skin with smoked trout mousse, and potato-skin ice cream with caviar. The still-unnamed restaurant will replace the high-end housewares store Homebody. [Washington Post]
Southwest Time Capsule Opened — The March edition of The Southwester includes photos from a time capsule that was buried at the cornerstone of St. Augustine’s in 1965. Its contents included a guide to the neighborhood and a menu for a seafood restaurant that served snapper soup for 75 cents. [The Southwester]
New Fire Chief Introduces Himself — Gregory Dean, the former Seattle fire chief who will take over the D.C. Fire and EMS Department, said he will improve ambulance response times. He’ll take over May 1. [Washington City Paper]
Navy Yard Affordable Housing Update — The D.C. Zoning Commission gave the Housing Authority initial approval to have flexibility on the location of affordable units in the Capper/Carrollsburg development. ANC 6D opposes the prospect of locating affordable and market-rate units in two separate buildings. [JDLand]
Driver Who Killed Pedestrian Was on Narcotics, Police Say — The man who flipped his SUV downtown on Monday, killing a man, appeared to be under the influence of narcotics, police said. James Brooks Chandler, 33, told police he took Percocet and other drugs after dental surgery. At 4th and H streets NW, he fatally struck Philip Snodgrass, 27, a lawyer, D.C. resident and Maryland native. [Washington Post]
Restaurant and ‘Retail Showroom’ to Replace Pizza Parts & Service — Popville hears that a restaurant by a former chef at Cashion’s Eat Place and New Heights Restaurant will move into where Pizza Parts & Service closed earlier this month. The second floor will reportedly be used as a retail showroom for pop-ups and events. [Popville]
Pot Law Still Isn’t Legal, Congress Says — House Republicans sent Mayor Muriel Bowser a letter threatening legal consequences if the District legalizes some marijuana possession and use tomorrow. [Washington City Paper]
Median Income by Metro Stop — A map made at MIT shows median household income near each Metro station, according to 2009-2013 Census Bureau data. Eastern Market: $110,682. Potomac Avenue: $75,729. NoMa-Gallaudet University: $60,467. [MIT/Washington Post]
More Details on Suspected H Street Bus Gunman — The man charged with opening fire on the X2 bus last week is said to be involved with the gang TreSeven, according to authorities and court documents. Detectives used Facebook to find him. [Washington Post]
Where Pedestrians and Cyclists Get Hit — A new map by Washington City Paper tracks where pedestrians and bikers have been hit by cars this year. The count thus far is 29 people. [Washington City Paper]
Pop-Up Primer — WAMU has a simple guide on the city’s rules about home additions and what changes are in the works. [WAMU]
Plans are advancing to name part of Florida Avenue NE after the 71-year-old woman killed there in a hit-and-run in 2013.
D.C. Councilmen Charles Allen and Kenyan McDuffie reintroduced the Ruby Whitfield Way Designation Act this morning (Tuesday). The 1100 block of Florida Avenue NE would be named Ruby Whitfield Way under the bill first introduced in April 2013.
Whitfield died March 21, 2013 after a man driving an SUV plowed into her as she crossed Florida Avenue in the crosswalk. She had just left New Samaritan Baptist Church (1100 Florida Ave. NE), where she was an usher. The Mississippi native served lunch to students at the Sidwell Friends School for 44 years and retired in 2008, according to a letter from ex-Mayor Vincent Gray.
“Designating the 1100 block of Florida Avenue as Ruby Whitfield Way will not only serve to honor Mrs. Whitfield’s life but will serve as a reminder that a lot of work still needs to be done to ensure that our streets are safe for pedestrians,” McDuffie said today at the first legislative meeting of the two-year Council period.
The driver who struck Whitfield, Joel Bromwell, pleaded guilty in May 2013 to driving under the influence and involuntary manslaughter. The 32-year-old Annapolis resident faced up to 30 years in prison but was sentenced in Aug. 2013 to just four years.
A friend of Whitfield’s who saw her get hit and dragged by the SUV told The Washington Post she thought the sentence was too lenient.
“That’s all he got? That’s nothing for taking a person’s life in a hit-and-run,” Jessie Thaxton said. He would get more than that for killing an animal.”
Bromwell, who was a restaurant manager without a prior criminal record, is due to be released in Sept. 2016, Federal Bureau of Prisons records show.
The bill was referred to the Council’s Committee of the Whole.
Photo via Ward 5 Report, DC.gov
Someone walking at 14th and H streets NE was hit by a car this afternoon (Tuesday).
The victim was struck about 12:30 p.m. and was taken to a hospital about 1 p.m., a fire department spokesman said. The pedestrian received non-life-threatening injuries, according to the spokesman.
Information on any charges against the driver was not immediately available.
(Updated at 2:10 p.m.) Work to make 17th Street SE safer is now expected to be complete in May 2016, after conflicts between multiple city agencies delayed construction.
Planned upgrades to the street, including curb extensions and traffic signal locations, from East Capitol Street to Potomac Avenue SE did not properly account for existing infrastructure like Washington Gas lines, fire hydrants and sewer lines, District Department of Transportation Project Manager Mohamed Dahir said Tuesday night at a community meeting held by ANC 6B commissioner Brian Flahaven.
The work has been a long time coming on the major corridor for cars exiting I-295, resulting in what Flahaven called a “terrible conundrum” for locals.
ANC 6B commissioners first asked for safety improvements to the street in 2011, and DDOT made their final recommendations for the project in Sept. 2012, Flahaven said. The department did design work on the proposal, but the project stretched on, first because an environmental assessment was conducted, and now due to a lack of coordination among city agencies.
Construction would begin at the end of Feb. 2015 and last through May 2016, according to DDOT’s timeline. This timeline differs from the one most recently released by the department, Flahaven said.
Complicating the project, Dahir said, is separate DC water construction expected along 17th Street in both the northeast and southeast quadrants. Starting in January, DC Water will install a new 20-inch water main along the road, from C Street NE to Potomac Avenue SE. The main will replace an existing 8-inch main that was installed in the 1930s, said Jill McClanahan, DC Water’s construction outreach coordinator. That work is expected to run through April 2016.
Locals asked the two agencies coordinate their plans to take advantage of construction zones already in place and minimize disturbances to residents.
Denise Krepp, an ANC 6B commissioner-elect, asked the agencies to give monthly updates on their construction and to give advance notice if any nighttime construction could occur.
“I realize that there is slippage, I realize that you might have something to work out with other agencies,” she said. “That’s not my problem. I am just making sure that my neighbors and my constituents have the ability to get updated information.”
Pat Taylor, a resident on the 300 block of 17th Street SE, asked officials to consider what would happen to traffic once construction was underway and after the projects were completed. She said measures should be taken now to anticipate more cars going onto side streets, like installing speed bumps.
ANC 6B commissioner Kirsten Oldenburg, who heads the group’s transportation committee, discouraged that notion.
“With this project, you’re going to hopefully change the traffic patterns,” she said. “I’d say it’s premature to start talking about how the traffic is going to spill over onto the side streets and what kind of traffic problems we’re going to have.”
The 17th Street SE project would make a number of changes in both the northeast and southeast quadrants.
North of East Capitol Street to Benning Road NE, the plan is to provide parking on both sides of the street. A shared bike lane will be added to the west side of the street. Additionally, a roundabout is planned for the E Street NE intersection.
South of East Capitol Street, the major change will be to narrow the street to one traffic lane. Parking will be available on the west side of the street, though the east side will become open to parking during Robert F. Kennedy Stadium events. There are also plans for a raised crosswalk on the north side of the D Street SE intersection.
Construction on the streets in both quadrants will include driver feedback signs, new pavement markings, signage and lighting, curb extensions, traffic signal upgrades and resurfacing.
More construction is in the works, DDOT said.
Proposed construction on 19th Street SE from Potomac Avenue SE to Benning Road SE will upgrade pavement markings and add a shared northbound bike lane along part of the road. That could be completed by the end of March 2015, weather-permitting.
