A GROUP OF DISSIDENT CONGREGANTS from Shaw's historic African-American Shiloh Baptist Church filed a lawsuit on Wednesday in D.C. Superior Court to remove its pastor, the Rev. Wallace Charles Smith. The lawsuit, which also names the interim chairmen of the church's board of trustees and board of deacons, marks a ratcheting up of turmoil at the church, where a faction of church members held a no-confidence vote on Aug. 11.
A church meeting on the internal strife over Smith is planned for Sept. 15, but it's unclear because of the lawsuit whether that will go on as planned.
In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs allege that Smith has mismanaged Shiloh-owned properties in Shaw: "In the past eighteenth months of his tenure at Shiloh ... Smith sold two properties, subjected six properties to condemnation proceedings by the District of Columbia, lowered the public health standards for the restaurant business conducted by the Church, that resulted in health code violations, and failed to implement any viable plan for renovation of the deteriorating real properties."
The suit also alleges that Smith's second full-time job helming a Philadelphia-area seminary constitutes a breach of the pastor's Shiloh contract.
Continue Reading "Shiloh Congregants File Suit Against Shaw Church" »
BBQ Battle, Caribbean Festival Set for Weekend
Map It:
Federal Triangle
Map It: Shaw-Howard U
Map It: U Street-Cardozo
STREET FESTIVALS — they're great for revelers, but not so great for drivers. With two major annual festivals scheduled for this weekend, street closures will likely slow downtown traffic to a crawl on Saturday and Sunday. After a woman drove her car through a crowd at last month's Unifest in Anacostia, don't be surprised to find police being extra cautious when cordoning off streets. Here's your guide for weekend festivities — and the traffic bedlam they will likely cause.
» NATIONAL CAPITAL BARBECUE BATTLE: The annual gathering satisfies two great American passions: the love of eating and the love of eating things that are free. The festival, now celebrating its 15th year, is sponsored by Safeway and food companies eager to hand out free samples.
Oh yes, there's also a barbecue contest. Dozens of competitors set up booths to compete for supremacy in several BBQ categories. You don't get to taste their offerings, but many local restaurants line Pennsylvania Avenue to sell samples of their delicious wares. For best results, buy a rib sampler from every restaurant.
The festival has two music stages: one for rock and jazz, the other for blues and soul. Headlining on Saturday night is D.C. go-go legend Chuck Brown.
Most of the Federal Triangle area will be closed to traffic from 8 p.m. Friday until 10 p.m. Sunday. Here are the closures:
» Pennsylvania Avenue between 9th and 14th streets NW
» 10th and 12th streets NW between Constitution Avenue and E Street NW.
» 11th and 13th streets NW between Pennsylvania Avenue and E Street NW.
Continue Reading "BBQ Battle, Caribbean Festival Set for Weekend" »
THE 14TH STREET NW CORRIDOR in the District has seen periods of decline and revitalization over the past few decades. Within the past few years, though, the trend has been toward new additions, including the introduction of a Whole Foods market, galleries and new retail.
Now, the District is taking a closer look at how part of the well-trafficked corridor pictured above, between Thomas Circle and Florida Avenue, can be further improved. Tonight, the D.C. Department of Transportation is holding a public meeting to solicit opinions about transportation and streetscape design along 14th Street — a stretch of road often identified as belonging to several neighborhoods, including Dupont Circle, Logan Circle, Shaw and U Street-Cardozo.
» Source Theatre, 1835 14th St. NW, 6-8 p.m.
WHEN YOU LOOK at Pierre L'Enfant's plan for the nation's capital, 8th Street NW has always been an odd, smaller and chopped up north-south street. 7th Street and 9th Street are essentially one-block, with 8th more like a half-street. Two different scenes from two different streets, one block away:
First, from Off Seventh, on Saturday's fatal shooting at the Kelsey Gardens apartments at 7th and Q streets NW, the latest incident in what's described as "a major gang/drug war":
Mayor Fenty, Chief Lanier, Commander McCoy and the DC City Council...you have BEGUN to step up to the plate and we are happy that you are finally putting people in place but it is not enough. How many more bodies need to fall in Shaw before you fix the deployment issues in PSA 308? Will it take a 20 something Yuppie getting shot walking home from work? Maybe a 5 year-old who is hit by a stray while playing at the Kennedy playground across the street from Kelsey?The shooting was one of a string of six unrelated shootings and attacks in the District (in addition to the 7th Street shooting, there was a fatal beating on nearby on 11th Street NW; two shootings were east of the Anacostia River) and two in Prince George's County (one in Oxon Hill, another closer to Laurel), The Post's Mary Beth Sheridan and Rosalind S. Helderman report. Here is video of D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier discussing the city's new strategy to combat crime.
Second, from Remaking Le Slum Historique on brunch at Vegetate, which recently obtained permission to serve liquor after a nasty regulatory battle in its corner the neighborhood, at 9th Street NW near O Street:
I finally got to enjoy a Bloody Mary with brunch at Vegetate earlier today. It was delicious--Grey Goose and a homemade spicy tomato mixture (with a hint of smokiness) made it a unique and tasty concoction.
» "Breaking News — Kelsey Gardens Murder" [Off Seventh]
» "Six Slain In D.C., Prince George's" [WaPo]
» "Fenty, Lanier Outline Crime Strategy" [News Channel 8 via WaPo]
» "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" [Remaking Le Slum Historique]
WITH A PROPOSAL to build a new D.C. United soccer stadium at Poplar Point on the banks of the Anacostia River, opposite the Washington Nationals' South Capitol Street ballpark, let's not forget about the quiet flirtations between D.C. officials and Redskins owner Dan Snyder, at right, to bring the area's popular football franchise back to the District. Where to exactly? Possibly at RFK Stadium, which would likely be razed to build a new facility. The Post's Marc Fisher writes today:
... [T]he soccer and football concepts are structured in a new way: The team owners would pay all or nearly all stadium costs in exchange for the right to develop adjacent land with hotels, retail and housing. The city can say that it's getting free stadiums, and the team owners can win control of — and massive profits from — choice real estate.But the discussions are certainly not for public consumption, so really, there's no indication when, or even if, any such plans might make it from the idea stage to actual negotiations. Must we hire a lipreader to figure out where the courtship stands?
Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post
» "Next 2 D.C. Stadium Deals Might Smell a Bit Sweeter" [WaPo]
» "Girlfriend Kate Watches 'So Sexy' William" [Manchester Evening News]
» PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY: With many eyes in the local education community watching what might happen with D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty's schools takeover proposal, let's not forget that Prince George's County is weighing a reform plan of its own. The Post's Nelson Hernandez has more. [WaPo]
» SHAW: It looks like everyone's favorite little Thai joint on Florida Avenue, Thai Xing might be moving to 9th Street NW. Reports blogger In Shaw:
It wouldn't be anytime soon, possibly not even this calendar year, because as you know, speedy and slap dash are not the Thai Xing way.[Free Ride/Express; In Shaw]
» SOUTH CAPITOL STREET: It appears that construction work to rehab the Frederick Douglass Bridge over the Anacostia River is about to start. As JDLand notes, this is not associated with the bridge's total replacement, planned to start sometime in 2011. [JDLand]
IN HIS TINY KITCHEN with just enough space for himself, his ingredients, take-out containers and other delivery paraphernalia, Taw Vigsittaboot admits it takes a little longer for him to prepare cuisine similar to that of other restaurants in the area.
Despite the wait, Vigsittaboot continues to build a loyal following since opening Thai Xing in a small basement space on Florida Avenue on the edge of Shaw nearly two years ago. Working alone in his tiny kitchen, Vigsittaboot adheres to what he calls his mother's strategy for cooking. "When I use limes, I squeeze fresh lime while cooking, so I don't lose the smell and taste of them. I peel and crack each clove of garlic," he said. "I take cooking seriously and that takes more work."
Those who crave a lively, flavorful dish while adhering to a resolution to eat healthy after the holidays may want to order the larb gai, a spicy ground-chicken dish that Vigsittaboot claims is a variation on traditional preparations. Using fresh lime and Vietnamese coriander as well as cilantro, yi-ra — Thai for cumin — and chiles, he prepares a healthy dish with a kick. He said of his larb gai, "It's a spicy dish that will cheer you up."
» Thai Xing, 515 Florida Ave. NW; 202-332-4322 (Shaw-Howard U.)
Story and photo by Express contributor Melissa McCart
IF YOU READ HANK STUEVER'S list of what's in and out for 2007 in The Post, you probably saw that Paula Deen is out, replaced by Amy Sedaris, while Jamba Juice has been kicked to curb, replaced by Los Angeles-based frozen yogurt chain Pinkberry. Pinkberry's taken New York City by storm with its handful of Manhattan locations, but there are no outposts in the nation's capital ... yet.
Here's one thing of local interest that didn't make Stuever's list, but did show up on an Out/In list tailored for Montgomery County by blogger Just Up the Pike: How to market the renaissance in Silver Spring. Out goes "Silver Sprung." In, the blogger suggests: "Silver Bling." See? Who needs marketing agencies.
Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post
» "The List: What's In and Out for 2007" [WaPo]
» "Pinkberry Rising: New York State Domination Plans!" [Eater]
» "In and Out for MoCo: 2007 Edition" [Just Up the Pike]
» CAPITOL HILL: Inter-party friendship is evident on the first day of the 110th Congress! [The Fix/WaPo]
» DISTRICT: For many, the three-day Martin Luther King Jr. weekend is a time to escape work and the city. But with skiing conditions less-than-ideal this year, why not think about volunteering for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service? It's what the holiday is really about anyway. [DC.gov]
» SHAW: The controversy involving defeated advisory neighborhood commission member Mahdi Leroy Thorpe and the alleged misuse of public funds continues. As gentrification-fueled tensions percolate, the D.C. auditor's office is investigating whether Thorpe improperly directed ANC funds to a Thorpe-controlled community organization, The Post's V. Dion Haynes reports. [WaPo]
HERE'S WHAT the aftermath of Sunday night's crash on Florida Avenue near 6th Street NW looks like. As you might recall, an SUV traveling west on Florida Avenue, the driver apparently drunk, hit another car and drove his vehicle headlong into a rowhouse. The crash killed two passengers in a Honda Civic, which was struck about 10:30 p.m., The Post's Debbi Wilgoren and Petula Dvorak report. The driver of the SUV, 23-year-old Jesus Flores-Cardenas has been charged with driving while intoxicated and negligent homicide. The crash, unfortunately, has created a new landmark to gawk at in LeDroit Park. As you can see, the exterior of the once-turreted rowhouse was severely damaged and D.C. inspectors ordered that the house be demolished.
Photo by James M. Thresher/The Washington Post
» "2nd Victim Dies; Driver Is Charged In 2-Vehicle Crash" [WaPo]
» GEORGETOWN: Back in the summer of 2004, a source in an apartment overlooking the C&O Canal informed this writer of their failed attempt to get specialty grocer Dean & Deluca to clean up an overgrown patch of ground behind its M Street NW location that allegedly served as a haven for rats. When the source informed District authorities of the rodent issue, Dean & Deluca quickly cut back the foliage and the problem was taken care of. These days, it seems that the corporate higher-ups take any problems with the location's exterior very seriously. [Wonkette]
» ARCHIVES-NAVY MEM'L: Do you have an interest in planning the future of the National Mall and adjacent federal parkland? Tomorrow, the National Park Service will be holding a one-day symposium at the U.S. Naval Heritage Center at 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW on how the city's monumental and ceremonial core could be used. The symposium starts at 9 a.m. and lasts through 4:20 p.m. Agenda here. [NPS]
THE D.C. RAPE CRISIS CENTER, one of the nation's first such sexual assault resource centers, is sponsoring a screening of award-winning African-American feminist filmmaker and activist Aishah Shahidah Simmons' film NO!" at Howard University tonight. Following the screening, Simmons, herself a sexual assault survivor, and Lori Robinson, the author of "I Will Survive: The African-American Guide to Healing from Sexual Assault and Abuse will speak to the audience about sexual assault. Express spoke with Simmons yesterday.
» EXPRESS: What's your documentary about?
» SIMMONS: It's a documentary that looks at sexual violence and healing in African-American communities. Moving from the enslavement of African people through present-day, examining the intersection of race, gender and sexual orientation in the lives of black women, and girls, rape survivors. It is also a conversation between black women and men, scholar-activists, who have either done research or are doing activism to bring an end to this atrocity.
» EXPRESS: It took you 10 years to make the film, right?
» SIMMONS: 11 years. I started in '94 and I officially completed it in 2005. This year, I received a major grant from the Ford Foundation to support the international marketing and distribution. So it will soon be subtitled in French, Portuguese and Spanish, making it accessible in a global market.
Continue Reading "Tonight's Top Stop: Aishah Shahidah Simmons" »
ALTHOUGH WASHINGTON IS BETTER KNOWN for its Ethiopian restaurants, there's at least one Moroccan eatery in the District that's worth the detour for lunch or dinner today — particularly since Pyramids owner Khadiga Banouas has been cooking in preparation for the Eid al Fitr, the celebration that marks the end of Ramadan.
Much like Thanksgiving in the U.S., Muslims spend much of this Monday visiting friends and, well, eating. Markets around the Muslim world are overflowing with traditional food, like this one in Gaza City that sells a popular item called shrak, a thin whole-wheat bread baked on a domed griddle. The day is a feast that's been earned 30 times over, after a month of daily fasting from dawn till dark.
Although Banouas won't be serving a whole lamb as is tradition on the Eid in Morocco, she does expect to get more orders than usual for lamb tagine, for which the meat is rubbed with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and saffron, then stewed with honey and prunes. Most American recipes for lamb tagine call for lamb shoulder, but Banouas said she's been "stewing a lamb's head all day." The head? Yes, she said, the head. If you're squeamish, there's always chicken tagine. Both dishes are served with stewed tomatoes and rice pilaf.
Addison Road