MAYOR WILLIAMS COMES TO THE 'HOOD
From: Browningcb@aol.com (Cheryl Browning); webmaster@anc3f.org;
anc3b@att.net
WARD 3 TOWN MEETING With Mayor Anthony Williams on Emergency
Preparedness.
Tuesday, December 4, St. Columba's Episcopal Church, 4201 Albemarle
Street, N.W.
7:00 p.m.   (1 ½ blocks west of AU-Tenleytown Metro stop)

Also: Peter LaPorte, Director, Emergency Management Agency
Dr. Ivan Walks, Director, Department of Health
Chief Charles Ramsey, Metropolitan Police Department
Chief Ronnie Few, Fire & Emergency Medical Services or their
representatives
 
 
 

HELPING OUT A DESERVING STUDENT AT WILSON HIGH
(As requested by a fellow student)
From:  "Laura Akgulian" <l.akgulian@verizon.net>
A request from Jared Prudoff-Smith, a senior and basketball player at
Wilson (wlsnballer21@hotmail.com):

I am a student at Wilson SHS. Dwayne Crossgill is a very close friend of
mine who also goes to Wilson. He is one of the top sprinters in the
city, and rightfully so, as he is the most dedicated track athlete I
know. Aside from track he is also a serious student who maintains a 3.0
GPA, which he has accomplished without a computer. It is truly amazing
that he is able to achieve such high levels of success without a
computer, since it is necessary in nearly every class nowadays. To use
one he has to walk 15 minutes to the Mt. Pleasant library. His goal is
to attend a good college and run track, and a computer will be a
necessity there. Even now, without one, his potential as a student is
being limited. So, if anyone can, please donate a laptop or desktop
system, components, or anything that would help this fabulous young man
get closer to owning a computer. You don't know how much it would mean
to him. Thank you.
 
 
 

WISCONSIN AVENUE CLEANUP THIS SATURDAY
From: Kcolombant@aol.com  (Kersti Colombant)
Wisconsin Avenue Beautification Project Fall Clean Up
Saturday December 1, 1 pm - 6 pm
Celebrate Fall! Join with your neighbors to week, plant, cut back
perennials, mulch and pick up litter along Wisconsin Ave. We will meet
at the Fessenden block. Bring your family and friends, gloves  and
favorite gardening tools: weeder, trowel, clippers or strong scissors,
rake, broom. Come for the whole afternoon or just an hour, each minute
of work will help make Wisconsin Avenue greener and cleaner. Any
questions: call Kersti at 966-8837 or Ralph at 686-9550.

The Wisconsin Avenue Beautification Project is a partnership effort
among local residents, businesses, and institutions to relandscape
Wisconsin Avenue between Tenley Circle and Fessenden Street.
 
 
 

LOST IN CYBERSPACE -- AN AOL PROBLEM?
Last week three subscribers told me they had not received a COMMUNIT-E
for some time. I checked and each was on my distribution list. Each was
also on AOL.  Coincidence?  I'm not a computer expert so I would like to
hear from any experts who have a theory about this. It occurs  to me
that AOL may have some kind of antispamming device that sometimes
intercepts my newsletter. I send it out in a single batch of more than
900 addresses. If you're on AOL and sometimes missing COMMUNIT-E you
might want to contact them.

In general, if you have not received a newsletter for some time and are
wondering if one came out, you might want to check the ANC3F web site at
www.anc3f.org, which carries my back issues. You can also contact me,
but bear in mind that I sometimes do go off on vacations and might not
get back to you for a week or more.
 
 

LOCATING INFORMATION IN BACK ISSUES OF COMMUNIT-E
Again, I refer you to www.ancef.org. Start at the Winter, 2000 issue of
STREET SMART and work your way forward.  And don't forget to thank Bill
Maudlin for this much appreciated service that he provides to me and my
readers.
 
 
 

POLICE OFFICERS AND DETECTIVES DESERVING RECOGNITION
Congratulations  to Detective Perry Soares in the Auto Theft Unit. He
was recently given a much deserved award from GEICO Insurance Company
for his part in a large investigation of tow crane operators. The
investigation itself came about because of his persistence and resulted
in 50 arrests and recovery of $2 million in stolen property, mostly cars
and parts.

The fallout of this investigation is still happening. Regulations are
being drafted to deal with corrupt towing companies and related
problems, which still exist in the city. In addition,  a hearing on the
towing situation in the city is scheduled for Thursday,  December 6 at
10:00 at  One Judiciary Square.  It's a joint City Council (Judiciary
Committee) and DPW hearing. The regulations will be completed sometime
after the hearings. If you've had a bad experience with a towing
company, this would be a good place to tell about it.  The person to
contact for more information or to testify is Katherine Mills at
724-7758. She is in Kathy Patterson's office.

The city is operating off of 1940 regs when there were only a few tow
companies. Now there are over 60 in the city and it has become a very
lucrative business. Corrupt former police officers have had ties to some
of these companies. One of the scams is that a company will hold a car
on its lot for a long time and then notify the owner only after a large
storage fee has been racked up. This is extortion. Other companies have
been known to simply tow away a car they see on the street and sell it
later - auto theft. The corrupt operators need to be separated from the
legitimate companies.

In the meantime, the insurance companies are taking a real beating and
we taxpayers are saddled with large premiums because of  this and other
forms of auto theft in this city. Detective Soares has been involved in
the towing problem for 18 years. Our city officials need to hear him.
Hats off to him and to GEICO for their recognition of this valuable
resource in the MPD.
 
 

.... AND TO OFFICERS IN 2D
2D recently held its Annual Awards Ceremony. Officer Angelo Donadio and
Sergeant Harry Hays received recognition for their work in PSA 202 --
our 'Hood.  Other officers, detectives, and sergeants who received
special recognition are: Officers: Danella Santos, Eugene Kennedy, Bryan
Adams, Joseph Adams, Steven Baxter, James Garner, Jose Cidre, Paul
Cebeci, David Carter.  Detectives: James Bovino and Juan Davila.
Sergeants: Michael Farish and John Griffin.
Lt. Brian Bray was also honored. I know or have heard of some of these
officers and officials.   Although I've come across a few turkeys in the
MPD over the years, I am reminded by the above list that some of our
officers are the best of the best anywhere. We have a lot of good people
in the MPD.
Congratulations to all those who were recognized this time around.
 
 
 
 

MPD FLEET MANAGEMENT HAS A NEW HOME
Unless you're mad about cars it's hard to get excited about a place that
fixes them. But I got really excited recently when I toured the new MPD
Fleet Management operation. They took over and remodelled a former auto
sales building and lot off of New York Avenue NE. I have seen the old,
cramped, dark, dirty, understaffed facility when it was in SW and when
sworn police officers were actually fixing cars. (Arrrgh!)   The new
facility is under MPD civilian management and a contractor handles the
actual fixing of all motorized police vehicles.  They have room and
staff  to work on 16 vehicles a day plus motorcycles in a light, airy,
spacious building.  There are 1600 vehicles in the fleet (that includes
150 motorcycles), and they have 42 loaner cars for use in the districts
or in special operations.
Another feather in Chief Ramsey's cap!
 
 
 

MANY THANKS TO COUNCIL MEMBERS CATANIA AND AMBROSE
A long overdue bill has been introduced by Councilmembers David Catania
and Sharon Ambrose to deal with the burdensome problem of false security
alarms. According to the lead story in the November 21 issue of the
Northwest Current, there were 80,045 false alarms in the city last year
-- about 10 per hour every day of the year.  Almost 20,000 of those were
in 2D. This year there were over 66,000 in the city so far; 17,708 in
2D. When we wonder where our officers are, a good bet is that they're
chasing after some false alarm. Two officers are tied up on every run of
this sort. Sometimes they are the only officers on duty in the PSA.
Every jurisdiction around us has dealt with this problem. I'm grateful
to Councilmembers Catania and Ambrose that DC is about to come into the
21st Century on this.
 
 
 
 

WHERE ELSE ARE SOME OF OUR MISSING OFFICERS?
>From the last CAC meeting, I  learned that the force is now at 3625
officers. Of those, 106 are eligible to be called up for military duty;
20 have been called up so far. Ten percent of the force is on limited
duty, extended sick leave, administrative leave, etc. Each day there
are  enough officers off on some kind of leave to staff a whole police
district.

This does not include  those tied up in court or grand juries,
testifying or waiting to testify. They are on duty but not out on the
street or doing investigations.
 
 
 

A MODEST BUT CLEVER SUGGESTION FOR SAVING SOME TREES
From: "Patrick G. Talmon" <ptalmon@starpower.net>
I have a suggestion to make to our neighbors: When going for walks in
the neighborhood I have noticed a number of trees partially, or some
cases, completely, covered with ivy.  While this may be pleasing to the
eye, ivy is a parasitical plant and will eventually kill a tree.  What
to do?  Carefully cut the ivy vines in a manner not to injure the tree
bark and pull the vines away. What you cannot reach to pull down will
eventually die so long as you cut below.  This will help preserve our
dwindling number of trees.  Thank you.
 
 
 

REGARDING GENTLEMAN WHO CLEANS STREET AND MUTTERS TO HIMSELF
(This is in reference to: **** From: "Jeff Spigel" <jspigel@hotmail.com>
Does anyone know who the bald, African American gentleman is who appears
to be living in the streets of AU sweeping the streets and muttering to
himself?  I am not sure what to make of him or whether he poses a threat
to the neighborhood.  I would welcome others thoughts.)

From: "Laura Roth" <roths@sprintmail.com>
I've seen the gentleman sweeping the streets on Van Ness @43rd and on
42nd, just north of Van Ness.  When I see him I have my 1-year-old on my
back and my lab on a leash.  He always calls out hello and makes some
kind of friendly comment and I've never felt threatened by him.  (We 3
take a walk every day so I see him 1-2 times/week on average.)  I don't
know anything about him, but he seems harmless.

On another note, I'd like to remind people to PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pick
up their dogs' poop.  I've recently found  droppings on 2 separate, but
close together, occasions.  Most aggravating is that they've been well
into my front yard.  My son plays in our front yard when I'm outside
raking or unloading the car and this is really a problem.  Please keep
your dogs on the perimeters of your neighbors' yards and if they poop
more often on a walk than you have bags to cover, go back out after the
walk is over and finish your job.  Thank you!
 
 
 
 

COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

**** From: "Kathleen McLynn" <kdmclynn@starpower.net>
Subject: nice local mover: We have been pleased with Multiple Services
in Glover Park.  Owner Mike Reidy is honest and nice and has a hard
working crew.  We've depended upon him for years and would be happy to
give him a reference.  Mike Reidy is on 202/342-9356.

**** Jackie Washington  <WashingtonEJ@npm.si.edu>
For Sale: Never or gently used. In Tenleytown. You haul.
Hampton Bay 52" polished brass ceiling fan, five reversible oak or
walnut blades - $30
Linens N Things Matelasse, full (84 x 90), 100% cotton, butter yellow -
$60
Tablecloth and 8 napkins, white, 100% cotton, cutwork and embroidered,
oval (68 x 86) - $20
Hondo electric bass, student instrument (and padded case) - $60
Toastmaster electric mini-food chopper - $5
Watercolor paper, five sheets (22 x 30) - $5
Container Store red cardboard, ornament storage box (16W x 26L x 11H) -
$5
Container Store glass canisters, with air-tight lids various sizes $1-$5
Storehouse Furniture bookcase, (30W x 12D x 31H), natural finish - $30
1 Pottery Barn wall shelf with mounting hardware, deep cherry finish
(33W x 9D x 6 H) - $15
2 Pottery Barn wall shelves with mounting hardware, deep cherry finish
(18W x 6D x 6 H) - $10 each
2 Folding cots with metal frames, wooden slats, and mattresses with
pocket sheets - $50 each
Please call Jackie, (202) 362-8598
 
 
 
 
 

THANK YOU MARC FISHER
I'd like to thank Washington Post Columnist Marc Fisher for mentioning
me and my newsletters  in his Thanksgiving Day Column "Some People Who
Really Get My Gratitude."  I was really touched and can only say that
it's a real pleasure and a huge amount of fun to help get the word out.
Thanks for making my day, Marc.
 
 
 

 
HOW TO KEEP A HEALTHY LEVEL OF INSANITY
(This is especially good for those of us who never quite left the 60's.)
From:  edw3qc@att.net (Ed McCauley);  "Raymond A.reedy"
<cojrail@kiski.net>

1. At lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a
hair dryer at passing cars. See if they slow down.
2. Page yourself over the intercom. Don't disguise your voice.
3. Every time someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries
with that.
4. Put your garbage can on your desk and label it "in"
5. Put decaf in the coffee maker for 3 weeks. Once everyone has gotten
over their caffeine addictions, switch to espresso.
6. In the memo field of all your checks, write "for sexual favors".
7. Finish all your sentences with "in accordance with the prophecy."
8. Dont use any punctuation marks
9. As often as possible, skip rather than walk.
10. Ask people what sex they are. Laugh hysterically after they answer.
11. Specify that your drive-through order is "to go".
12. Sing along at the opera.
13. Go to a poetry recital and ask why the poems don't rhyme.
14. Put mosquito netting around your work area. Play a tape of jungle
sounds all day.
15. Five days in advance, tell your friends you can't attend their party
because you're not in the mood.
16. Have your coworkers address you by your wrestling name, Rock Hard
Pat.
17. When the money comes out the ATM, scream "I won!", "I won!" "3rd
time this week!!!!!"
18. When leaving the zoo, start running towards the parking lot, yelling
"run for your lives, they're loose!!"
19. Tell your children over dinner. "due to the economy, we are going to
have to let one of you go."
 

--END--