DCentric

Good morning, DCentric readers! While you were sitting in your car for hours listening to WAMU, we were stuck on the metro, with no internet access (and you wondered why there were no new posts). Blame Thundersnow!

Why Hasn’t The Mafia Ever Made Inroads In D.C.? “Granted, even without Sicilian masterminds, D.C. has still had its share of colorful gangsters. In the 1930s, there was Emmitt “Little Man” Warring, known for his 5’4” frame and gaudy neckties. Warring and his brothers got their start paying Georgetown teenagers to smuggle in rye and corn whiskey during Prohibition and, later, moved into illegal numbers during the Depression…Most famously, there was Joe Nesline, who ran illegal gambling clubs all over the city—including, in the 1960s, a dubious million-dollar wig business on F Street.” (tnr.com)

Before meeting the press, they met green-room attendant ‘Mr. Aly’ “Aly, who died last month at 79 after contracting pneumonia on a trip to his native Egypt, served, greeted and ultimately endeared himself to the nation’s leaders, power brokers and influence makers for roughly 30 years. As (Meet the Press)’ perennially tuxedoed butler, “Mr. Aly,” as he was universally known, represented an elegant conduit to a vanished old Washington, a place of exclusive salons, bipartisan cordials and relative gentility…In a town that is repeatedly transformed by professional churn and the fight of the week, day or hour, Aly harked back to an era when loyalty was inspired and reciprocated…” (The Washington Post)

[VIDEO] What Snow? Bicyclist Isn’t Scared of DC Snow Just as impressive when watched with no sound, promise. (NBC Washington)

Final suspect in slaying of D.C. principal pleads guilty to lesser charges “Deontra Q. Gray pleaded guilty to two counts: robbery and use of a deadly weapon in a crime of violence. He is to be sentenced April 1. With Gray’s plea, the high-profile case concludes without a trial. One of the teens has been sentenced. Triggerman Alante Saunders, who pleaded guilty to felony murder, received 40 years in prison. The others, including Gray, are expected to receive less time. In April, four people – three of whom were 18 at the time – went to Betts’s home in Silver Spring, prosecutors said.” (The Washington Post)

D.C. Grey Farmers Market Goes Legal, Will Be At Kushi Jan. 30 “Once upon a time—last week, in fact—the inaugural D.C. Grey Farmers Market was to be held at an undisclosed location in Petworth. To skirt the law, would-be attendees had to subscribe to a newsletter that would alert them via e-mail where they should go on Sunday, Jan. 30. Because the Grey Market would be hosted in a location without proper permitting from the District Department of Transportation or the Department of Parks and Recreation, and its proprietor did not possess a business license—currently, the only requirements to host a farmers’ market—the guest list was a necessity.” (Washington City Paper)

Mayor sets furlough dates for D.C. workers “Gray will introduce emergency legislation on Tuesday that will finalize details of a furlough plan the council approved last month as it closed a $188 million budget gap. Falling revenues and overspending by city agencies have caused District officials to make deep cuts to city services. Gray’s furlough plan was designed to reduce some of those cuts. The furloughs for city workers will take place on holidays when they would not be coming to work anyway…During the pay periods when workers will be furloughed, they’ll see their paychecks drop by about 10 percent.” (Washington Examiner )