DCentric

Georgetown is D.C.: Mark Porter writes that former Georgetown basketball John Thompson Jr. was more than a great coach. He was apt representative of the racially divided D.C. Porter tells the Syracuse audience that the District and the team have changed, but the rivalry between the schools has not. Go Hoyas!(The Juice)

Columbia Heights Gets Hip NBC’s P.J. Orvetti writes a response to a New York Times travel piece highlighting the hipness of Columbia Heights. “Not all is well in the ‘hood’,” he says. He adds “Columbia Heights has become a synonym for “soulless gentrification” to many Washingtonians.” The NY Times piece says, “(Columbia Heights) saw gentrification come not with the usual creep but with a boom” Orvetti, who has lived in Columbia Heights for nine years indicates that it came with the usual creep and is still creeping along. (nbcwashington.com)

D.C. Walmarts “Will Not Offer Firearms”: “Our D.C. stores will not offer firearms,” Walmart spokesperson Steven Restivo tells DCist.(dcist.com)

Gray defends controversial hires and salaries: Mayor Vincent C. Gray denied cronyism after the media revealed that children of adviser Lorraine Green, communications director Linda Wharton Boyd and chief of staff Gerri Mason Hall have landed jobs in the administration.(voices.washingtonpost.com)

Good morning, DCentric readers! Brrrr. It’s cold in here…perhaps there are Clovers in the atmosphere.

DC Council Chair, Kwame Brown, Returns Luxury SUV and Will Pay His Share of Cost About time: “I apologize for the disruption this has caused, and I regret that I appeared insensitive to the financial challenges our city and residents face. As Chairman of the Council, it is my duty to make responsible fiscal decisions regarding the District’s use of tax payer dollars.” (myfoxdc.com)

Wal-Mart critics plot to stop 4-store ‘invasion’ in D.C. But not everyone is against the big W: “Some families can’t wait to have convenient access to fresh produce and affordable groceries. “Everyone can’t afford to shop at a Harris Teeter or Whole Foods,” Mr. Brown said.” (Washington Times)

Crime surges in Metro system Beyond smartphone-snatching: “…brutal attacks also have increased. Seven rapes and sexual assaults occurred in the Metro system in 2010, according to the statistics, more than all the cases in the previous five years combined.” (Washington Examiner )

Vincent Gray’s spokeswoman’s son lands city job Hmm. “When asked by Sherwood about all the children hiring, Gray said “I don’t think this is nepotism at all.” He added that the youthful new hires were plenty skilled and qualified for their new gigs. “I don’t think people should be punished when they are capable.” (Washington City Paper)

Facebook Burlglar Pleads Guilty Moral of story: don’t rob reporters! “In a case of social networking at its worst, Rodney Knight stopped to post his dirty deeds on the Facebook page of the son of the homeowner, a local journalist. It was like leaving a taunting calling card at the scene of the crime.” (NBC Washington)

Children Get Tested For Lead Exposure, Landlord Denies Contamination Denali is a river in Egypt. Oh, wait…I think it’s a GMC SUV. “Nuyen told 9NEWS NOW a DCRA inspection and the lead testing by Department of Environment are coverups. He alleges the actions are in retaliation by a group of tenants for taking them to court for back rent.” (WUSA Washington, DC)

Good morning, DCentric readers! Are you feeling hail and hearty after last night’s storm?

Brown might turn in keys to luxury SUV Uh…yeah: “Brown spokeswoman Traci Hughes said the council chairman will have the Navigator he’s using returned if it makes financial sense to do so.” (Washington Examiner )

Post office to be renamed in Height’s honor Dorothy Height was a D.C. resident and Civil Rights leader: “It will become the first federal building in the city to be named after a black woman.” (washingtonpost.com)

Who’s Hurt If Government Shuts Down? “Small business are likely to lose a fortune. “As a small business, if the government is shutdown, it’s very bad for us,” says Lamia Afroz of Sal’s Cafe in the Southwest Federal Center…Two thirds of her income is from federal workers in the offices that surround her. The tourists spend just a few hundred bucks.” (WUSA Washington, DC)

Metro Chief Slams Riding While Intoxicated “At one point, Nnamdi asked, “If people cannot take Metro home after a late night out, won’t that contribute to more dangerous, drunk driving?” Sarles replied, “I would hope that anyone getting on our train should not be drunk.” Nnamdi chuckled and moved on.” (NBC Washington)

Bread For The City: Shaw’s Historic Bakeries District of Carbs: “At the popular Pure Food Show at the Washington Convention Hall in 1909, D.C. bakeries put on a massive exhibit that filled the K Street end of the hall. Visitors could observe machines doing the work in a modern factory setting; dirty human hands never touched the bread.” (streetsofwashington.blogspot.com)

Hold Wal-Mart to its promises in D.C. “As a native Washingtonian, I’ve lived through riots and rebuilding, and I passionately want more jobs and retail to flourish in neglected neighborhoods. But as a member of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission for the Union Station area…I can clearly state, without hesitation, that Wal-Mart will not be welcomed in our community without a signed community-benefits agreement.” (voices.washingtonpost.com)

Good morning, DCentric readers! Here are your links:

Why Can’t We Put a Wireless Cloud Over the Whole City? Neighborhood pushers of internet: “…some new users will inevitably want the stronger connection they can only get from “fiber to the curb.” In that way, free or low-cost wireless is like a gateway drug.” (Washington City Paper)

Winding down Fannie and Freddie could put minority careers at risk “…despite several rounds of layoffs at the companies in the past few years, they have largely maintained diverse staffs. At the close of last year, nearly 50 percent of Fannie’s employees and 44 percent of those at Freddie were minorities.” (The Washington Post)

Accounts Of That Morning’s Foggy Bottom Escalator “Collapse” Eeeek! “The escalator was in operation and I was just about to step on to it when the panel below my feet rose and I head a great crashing noise. I saw the steps collapse in on themselves at the bottom and the woman immediately in front of me fell on her back in the middle of the wreckage, but not, thank God, into the chasm.” (DCist)

D.C. Social Worker Offers Brutal Choice To Homeless Mother “Because she is not being placed in a shelter, therefore she is unable to provide a safe place for her children to stay. If she does not agree to accept the arrangement that has been made for her [the bus out of town], we will be forced to take her children away from her.” (Washington City Paper)

Federal cuts in D.C. budget mean ‘sacrifices’ and higher taxes “For the District that means potential cuts to key D.C. programs, including public transportation ($150 million), courts ($25.5 million) education ($15.4 million), and water and sewer ($10 million).” (Washington Times)

Gray hires more senior staffers than Fenty did, and is paying them significantly more “Mayor Vincent C. Gray has hired more senior staffers than his predecessor and is paying his top managers tens of thousands more a year amid city employee furloughs and looming budget cuts.” (The Washington Post)