Washington Hilton Upgrading & Expansion Plans on Agenda

Mon., Feb. 11 (7pm): The Sheridan-Kalorama ANC will hold its regular MONTHLY MEETING at Our Lady Queen of the Americas Church (Phelps Pl. & Calif. St.). Among the items on the agenda will be a discussion with DDOT representatives concerning residents’ priorities for traffic and parking solutions in the neighborhood. Also joining with residents at this meeting will be representatives from the new owners of the Hilton Washington who will present their plans for upgrading and expanding the hotel. For more info, send email to ancperlmutter@aol.com.

Wine Tasting Event in Adams Morgan

Tue, Feb. 12 7-9pm): AdamsMorgan MainStreet will be having another one of its fun WINE TASTING events, this time at Toro Mata (2410 18th St.) where there will be luscious wines from South America to sample along with complimentary pisco sours & traditional Peruvian hors d’oeuvres. Other things to keep one pleasantly diverted at this fundraiser to benefit the work of the organization will include the opportunity to browse Toro Mata’s fine jewelry, furnishings, and imported folk art from Peru – plus, door prizes to win and to meet their special guest, artist Pepe Piedra. $25 per person. For more info, call 232-1960 or visit www.AMMainStreet.org. Also, while at the event, ask about what’s being planned for the next FIRST TUESDAY event, which will be on March 4th – from what we have heard, it will be a fun evening.

HPRB New Board Members Controversy on Agenda

Wed., Feb. 13 (7pm): The Dupont Circle ANC will be holding its regular monthly MEETING at the DC Jewish Community Center (16th & Q Sts.). Among other items on the agenda, the commissioners will be considering the comprehensive review and update of DC Zoning Regulations, giving consideration to a resolution supporting ANC 2A regarding the deplorable building conditions of the West End Library and West End Fire Station, discussing the recent nomination of four new members to the Historic Preservation Review Board, and reviewing the application of Club Chaos at 17th and Q Streets for an entertainment endorsement to be added to its liquor license.

Also, back on the agenda from the November meeting will be further consideration of the proposed mixed-use (residential/retail) development project that would be built largely behind the existing two-story commercial buildings opposite the Reeves Center on U Street and extending west from the southwest corner to the large Storage USA building and south along the west side of 14th Street until about opposite Wallach Place where it would then fill in the now empty lot across from the Post Office.

Washington Sinfonietta to Perform at Thomas Circle

Sat., Feb. 16 (3pm): The magnificent interior of the John Russell Pope-designed National City Christian Church on Thomas Circle will resonate with American music in a concert to be presented by the Washington Sinfonietta. Featured will be Aaron Copland’s Ceremonial Fanfare, William Grant Still’s Wood Notes, Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915, and the world premiere of Sy Brandon’s Legacy, with soprano Michele Gutrick joining as soloist. The Sinfonietta’s music director, Dr. Rufus Jones, views this work as “an excellent musical complement to the other outstanding works on the program. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the door (age 18 and under admitted free). For more info, call 797-0103 or visit www.nationalcitycc.org.

Dance the Night Away to Prince Tunes in Adams Morgan

Sun., Feb. 17 (9pm-1am): Adams Morgan’s popular Chief Ike’s Mambo Room (1725 Col. Rd.) is where PRINCE FANS will be able to dance the night away to Prince tunes spun by special guest dj Dane, a/k/a “enariley.” Hosted by Chief Ike himself and with no cover charge, there will even be a raffle for Prince collectibles (tickets $1, drawing at 11:30pm). For more info, visit www.chiefikes.com.

14th Street Improvement Plans Nearing Completion

Tue., Feb. 19 (6:30-8:30pm): The on-going 14th Street Transportation/Streetscape Study being undertaken by the city’s transportation department (DDOT) will be the subject of a PUBLIC MEETING to be held in the atrium of the Studio Theatre (14th & P Sts.). Since the time of the second public meeting in late September of 2007, urban planning consultants Baker Inc., the contractor hired by DDOT, has been making major progress in developing preliminary findings and recommendations to present at this meeting; the fourth and final public meeting will feature the presentation of the final report. The underlying goal of this project is to develop short- and long-term options for improving transportation and streetscape along the 14th Street corridor between Thomas Circle and Florida Avenue, taking into account the “visions priorities” for the length of the street being studied that were suggested by the approximately 50 persons who attended the very first meeting in late June of 2007 — arts and entertainment, retail, and bicycle and pedestrian orientation. For more info, call DDOT’s project manager Christopher Ziemann at 671-2555 or visit http://www.14thStreetStudy.com.

HPRB Chairman, Planning Office Head & Others on Agenda

Mon., Mar. 3 (7:30pm) The monthly meeting of the Dupont Circle Citizens Association (DCCA) will be presenting a panel discussion on PLANNING AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION. Panel members will include the director of the city’s Office of Planning (OP), Harriet Tregoning; the chairman of the DC Historic Preservation Review Board, Tersh Boasberg; the director of the city’s Historic Preservation Office (HPO), David Maloney; and the secretary of the Dupont Circle Conservancy, Ron Leve. Among the issues to be addressed will be expanding the number of historic districts, the tension between zoning and preservation, addressing disability issues and ADA compliance. The program will be held at the Congressional Club (2001, New Hamp. Ave.; it is the Beaux Arts-style former mansion on the northeast corner where 16h and U Streets and New Hampshire Avenue intersect). Non-DCCA members are invited to attend. For more info, visit www.dupont-circle.com.

SELECTED STREET CRIMES Reported for January 2008

Adams Mill, 3200 blk.: man accosted by 2 others who punched him, causing him to fall to the ground & then robbed him [2:30am, Wed., 1/23]

Calif., 1800 blk.: man robbed at gunpoint by 2 others, one of whom stood behind him while the man with the gun was in front [11pm, Wed., 1/30]

Champlain & Euclid: man walking home, hearing footsteps behind him turned & was confronted by another who struck him in the face with a gun & then robbed him [2:15am, Sun., 1/27]

Chapin, 1400 blk.: man accosted by 2 others, struck in the face & robbed of shoulder bag & watch [8:15pm, Wed., 1/2]

Columbia & Harvard: 2 persons robbed at gunpoint by man who came from behind demanding money & got $50 from one and other property from the other person [12:15am, Mon., 1/7]

Conn. at Dupont Cir.: woman’s purse snatched from her arm by man who & another who came from behind [2am, Sat., 1/12]

Corcoran, 1500 blk.: woman approached from behind by 2 men intending to rob her but when she started screaming she was struck in the face several times with a gun after which the men then left the scene [3:15am, Sat., 1/26]

Euclid, 1400 blk.: person’s property snatched while passing 3 others who were standing on the sidewalk [5:15pm, Wed., 1/23]

Fairmont, 1300 blk.: woman approached by man as she was about to enter her front yard who asked for a dollar & when she refused & attempted to pass by he blocked her way & robbed her [3pm, Thu., 1/31]

Fla. & N. Capitol: woman robbed while at bus stop waiting for her bus when accosted by 3 men, one of whom pointed a shotgun at her & demanded, “Gimme your stuff” [12:30am, Sun., 1/27]

Georgia, 3600 blk.: woman’s purse snatched from her by man as she was getting off a bus [4:45pm, Tue., 1/22]

Harvard, 1100 blk.: person approached by another who demanded money but when refused, that person fled [6:45pm, Fri., 1/25]

Harvard, 1600 blk.: 2 persons sitting inside car approached by man who pulled open the driver’s side door, pulled a gun & robbed them [2pm, Sun., 1/13]

Harvard, 1600 blk.: woman robbed by another at gunpoint of $20 cash [4:15pm, Mon., 1/14]

Hobart, 700 blk.: man robbed of cash that he had withdrawn from his bank’s ATM by 3 men who had followed him from the bank to where they accosted him [2:45pm, Wed., 1/23]

Irving & Warder: man robbed at gunpoint by another [8am, Tue., 1/22]

Irving, 1000 blk.: man listening to music on his iPod while walking confronted by another man standing in the middle of the sidewalk blocking his way who demanded the iPod, at which point 3 others came from behind & pulled him off the sidewalk & robbed him [7:30pm, Wed., 1/30]

Irving, 1100 blk.: man robbed by another at gunpoint [8:30am, Tue., 1/22]

Irving, 1200 blk. (alley): man confronted by another brandishing a gun & demanding money, whereupon another came from behind, reached into his pockets & robbed him [7:15am, Thu., 1/30]

Kenyon, 1300 blk.: woman approached from behind by man who first punched her several times about her chest & then snatched her purse & fled [9pm, Wed., 1/23]

Kingman, 1500 blk.: deliveryman accosted from behind by 2 men as he was approaching the building where he was to make his delivery, shoved to the ground & robbed [9pm, Mon., 1/14]

Lamont, 700 blk.: man walking to work assaulted by man who came from behind, punched him in the face, knocked him to the ground & robbed him [5am, Thu., 1/24]

M, 900 blk. (alley): man approached by 3 others who asked for directions to Gallery Place, & when man continued toward the rear door of his house he was surrounded by the men, punched in the face & robbed [7:30pm, Thu., 1/31]

Mass., 1800 blk.: man robbed by another who had his hand inside his coat pocket as if he had a gun [3:15am, Sun., 1/20]

Meridian, 1300 blk.: woman grabbed by her hair & robbed by man who came from behind [10am, Sat., 1/5]
1/5/2008

Mintwood, 1800 blk.: man accosted by another who punched him in the face & demanded his wallet & when told “no” was punched again, this time the man warning, “I’m going to blow your face off,” whereupon the man handed over his wallet [7:30pm, Mon., 1/28]

Mt. Pleasant & Hobart: 2 persons robbed at gunpoint by man who cocked it threateningly as he demanded their money [6:15pm, Sun., 1/6]

Mt. Pleasant & Irving: person robbed at gunpoint by another of two $20 bills [7pm, Mon., 1/14]

Mt. Pleasant, 3000 blk.: woman talking on cell phone approached from behind by man who robbed her of a $20 bill [12:45pm, Sun., 1/6]

Mt. Pleasant, 3100 blk.: 2 persons robbed at gunpoint by another [11:15pm, Sun., 1/20]

Newton, 1400 blk.: man approached from behind by another who repeated, :Hold up, hold up,” & when he tuned around saw that the man was pointing a gun at him, whereupon he was robbed [11:15pm, Thu., 1/24]

O, 1700 blk.: [no such block; possibly, MPD meant 1600 blk.] man accosted by 2 others from behind who pushed him to the ground, struck him several times & robbed him [4am, Sat., 1/26]

Otis, 1400 blk.: man accosted by 2 others, one of whom punched him in the face, went through his pockets & robbed him [1:30pm, Thu., 1/17]

Park, 1400 blk.: woman robbed of diamond ring by man who grabbed her arm, demanded the ring & implied he had a gun though never produced one [3pm, Sat., 1/5]

Park, 1900 blk.: person robbed at gunpoint by another of $15 cash [10pm, Fri., 1/18]

S, 1400 blk.: man robbed at gunpoint by another [6pm, Sat., 1/26]

Sherman, 2400 blk.: man robbed at gunpoint by another who approached him while he was standing by the trunk of his car [6:45pm, Tue., 1/15]

Spring, 1300 blk.: person accosted & robbed by 3 men, all brandishing guns, one of whom approached from the side & pistol-whipped person on the head while the other 2 men with guns who had come from behind beat the person about the head & body & knocking person to the ground [10:30pm, Thu., 1/10]

T, unit blk.: man entering his front yard accosted by 2 others, one of whom claimed to have a gun & who ordered man to go into his house, whereupon they followed him in & robbed him [7:30pm, Sun., 1/27]

U, 600 blk.: delivery man waiting for customer to answer the door grabbed around his neck by man who came from behind while another went through his pockets, removed $100 cash & car keys following which both got into delivery person’s car & drove off [11pm, Sat., 1/5]

U, 1000 blk.: woman’s iPod snatched from her hand by man who approached her from the side [4:30pm, Wed., 1/22]

U, 1400 blk.: woman accosted by man who attempted to snatch her purse but caused her to fall instead, whereupon he fled without the purse [9pm, Mon., 1/28]

Vermont, 2100 blk. (alley): man robbed by another who ran up behind him who yelled, “Hey,” & when he turned was struck in the face with a gun & when asked his assailant, “What do you want?,” was answered with, “What do you think I want?” [10:30pm, Sun., 1/27]

1st & S: man walking home confronted by 3 others who robbed him at gunpoint & then demanded the PIN number for his ATM card [9:30pm, Wed., 1/23]

4th & N: man & woman robbed by 2 men, one of whom grabbed man’s arm 7 demanded his wallet while the other one, with his hand in his pocket as if he might have had a gun, demanded woman’s purse [7:30pm, Tue., 1/29]

4th, 2100 blk.: person robbed at gunpoint by another [10:45am, Thu., 1/10]

5th & W (alley): man walking over to his car accosted from behind by 2 others brandishing a gun & robbed him [10:30am, Mon., 1/7]

5th, 1000 blk.: person robbed by 2 men, one of whom grabbed an arm & stated, “Give us everything you got; this is your lucky day if you give it up” [10:30pm, Mon., 1/28]

7th, 1200 blk. (rear): 2 men shot by occupant of a car that pulled up alongside them as they were walking through alley [7:15pm, Wed., 1/9]

9th & V: man robbed of $100 cash as he got out of his car by another who came from behind, shoved him against the car & pushed a gun into his back [1:45am, Sun, 1/6]

10th, 1300 blk.: man robbed of cell phone at gunpoint by 3 others who came from behind [10pm, Mon., 1/28]

11th & Irving: woman approached from behind by person who snatched her cell phone [10:30pm, Thu., 1/17]

11th & V: person accosted by 3 others armed with a gun, knocked to the ground & robbed [8:30pm, Sun., 1/27]

11th & W: man robbed by 2 others who accosted him from behind demanding “everything out of your pockets” [11:30pm, Sun., 1/20]

11th, 1400 blk.: man robbed by 3 others following his having walked into the adjoining alley shortly after he passed those 3 men comingout of the alley [8:45pm, Tue., 1/29]

12th, 2500 blk.: delivery person accosted & robbed of car keys by 2 others after having made delivery [7:45pm, Thu., 1/3]

13th & Irving: man accosted by 3 others who came from behind, one of whom brandished a gun & robbed him, whereupon man attempted to flee, was pursued by one of the other robbers who caught up with him & punched him on the nose [11pm, Tue., 1/29]

13th & O: man selling newspapers approached by 2 others who snatched his cell phone from him [7pm, Thu., 1/3]

13th, 1900 blk.: woman approached by man wearing all black & a black face mask who demanded her purse [2am, Mon., 1/28]

14th & Otis: man accosted by another demanding his money & when told he had none, was struck on the head with a glass bottle, whereupon his necklace was snatched from around his neck [1:30am, Mon., 1/7]

14th, 3400 blk.: man bending down to pick up a cigarette robbed by another who came from behind, pressed a knife to his side, reached into his pocket, stole the property & then rode off on his bike [10:30pm, Wed., 1/9]

15th & Harvard: person robbed at gunpoint of radio & $30 cash by 2 others [8am, Fri., 1/11]

15th & Rhode Is. (alley): man accosted by 2 others who first warned him to “be quiet, don’t say nothing,” then one of them struck him in the mouth & robbed him [1:15am, Sun., 1/20]

16th, 1700 blk. (*alley): man accosted by 3 others, one of whom grabbed him around the neck & bent his arm behind his back while one of the others held the other arm down at the man’s side while he was being robbed [2:45pm, Sun., 1/13]

16th, 3500 blk.: woman robbed at gunpoint by man who approached her riding his bike [4am, Sun., 1/20]

17th, 1600 blk.: man grabbed property from woman’s hand & then attempted to take her purse, causing her to be knocked down to the ground [2:15am, Tue., 1/1]

18th & Harvard: 2 persons approached by man from behind who demanded their cash while at the same time opening his jacket displaying a gun but left the scene when told tey had only $4 [12mid, Sat., 1/19]