The owner of the Carolina Q barbecue truck, Rosa Maria Toto, told 91���� that it was a new truck her and her husband had just purchased. They were driving it for the very first time today. They had been in downtown D.C. with the food truck earlier in the day with their dog in tow.

“We were just going back to my house to clean, I was driving,” Toto said. “Next thing, I see fire. We got out of the truck onto the street with our dog. It all happened so fast.”

Flames engulfed the front of the truck, burning off the windshield and part of the roof.

There were no injuries in the fire. Firefighters and police arrived on the scene soon after and blocked off New York Avenue from oncoming traffic.

Charles Pumilia, a roadside assistance worker, arrived at the scene with a temporary car for the Totos and filled it with gasoline for them.

“That truck’s never been on the road yet. It seems like the engine blew out,” Pumilia said. “The family was just trying to drive home.”

Toto said that their new truck needed to get inspected before they could begin using it to sell food. They had planned on taking it to get inspected today.

Workers at the school bus lot at the intersection of Kendall Street, next to where the incident occurred, watched from the sidewalk as emergency service workers put out the fire.

“First I saw smoke in the air and then I smelled a bunch of gasoline,” said a worker at the school bus lot. “I walked over to New York Avenue and saw a truck in flames.”

According to DC Fire and Emergency Services public information officer, Vito Maggiolo, the fire was extinguished with the help of just one unit. 

“Luckily there were no injuries. It was a routine, single vehicle fire that was contained,” Maggiolo said. “It was a meat and potatoes kind of fire that we’re used to dealing with daily.”

As a stretch of New York Avenue was blocked off, drivers approaching the fire were directed right on Kendall Street NE. This caused a traffic jam, with many cars being stuck on Okie Street NE next to the DC City Winery. Once emergency services contained the fire, the right lane of New York Avenue was reopened for traffic to get by.

The post Food truck catches on fire on New York Avenue, causing traffic jam first appeared on 91����.

As the impeachment hearings continue, two rival cable news networks are taking radically different approaches to interpreting the events. You could tell by watching Tuesday night, Nov. 19.

Hannity: ‘There was no quid, no pro, no quo’

Tuesday at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Fox News’ Sean Hannity opened his show by calling the hearings a “huge dud” and an “embarrassing spectacle.” A variety of headlines scrolled below him, calling the hearings a “witch trial” and a “sham.” 

Lawmakers are holding hearings to figure out if Trump abused his power by pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate his political rivals in a July call. But Hannity defended the president by citing the , saying that Trump never said that he would restrict foreign aid. While it is not explicitly mentioned in the rough transcript, the Washington Post Trump ordered a hold on military aid to Ukraine days before the call.

Hannity rejected the witness’ testimony and insisted the only witness the American people need to hear from is the whistleblower.

“Not one witness was necessary, not a single one,” Hannity said. “There was no quid, no pro, no quo, no pressure, no extortion.”

As the show continued, Hannity said Americans don’t care about the impeachment hearings because fewer people have been watching the hearings on TV than those who tuned into former President Richard Nixon’s impeachment proceedings 45 years ago. (91���� 13 million Americans watched the first impeachment hearing Nov. 13, . But “tens of millions” watched unedited tapes of the 1973 impeachment hearings that led to Nixon’s resignation, reported.)

However, it’s difficult to tell how many people watched livestream videos of the hearings as Nielsen doesn’t track that data.

Hannity added the first hearings failed to change public opinion of the inquiry, citing a indicating support for the inquiry has decreased. (In contrast, a released Tuesday suggests most Americans think Trump committed an impeachable offense.)

The guests on his program included Rep. Jim Jordan, who questioned each of the witnesses at the hearings, and the president’s son Donald Trump Jr.

Maddow: Hearings didn’t help the president

While Hannity glossed over Tuesday’s hearings, MSNBC commentator Rachel Maddow called them “a double header.”

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and National Security Council advisor Tim Morrison discussed their knowledge of Trump’s relationship to Ukraine in the morning. Jennifer Williams, an aid to Vice President Mike Pence, followed in the afternoon talking about what she overheard during the Trump-Zelensky phone call. Williams said she found the call unusual because it included a discussion of a “domestic political matter.”

According to Maddow, the testimony had not gone the way House Republicans hoped, given that the witnesses were Trump-appointed officials that the Republicans had selected to speak. Their testimony, she said, only served to prove that Trump was guilty of bribery.

“Their testimony wasn’t awesome for the president’s defense,” Maddow said.

 Maddow then went on to discuss how the witnesses each played a part in constructing a narrative of Trump’s guilt.

“They’re all fleshing out different parts of the story,” Maddow said, “but it’s one singular story about what the president did and what was wrong with it.”

Maddow’s guests included Rep. Val Demings, D-Florida, who questioned witnesses in the hearing, and Chuck Rosenberg, former Administrator of the Food and Drug Administration.

Two Different Approaches to Cable News Commentary

Maddow’s approach, of a spectator parsing the statements from the hearings, could not be more starkly different than Hannity’s broad condemnation of the entire impeachment process. While Maddow unpacked what was said and used it to confirm her assertions about the president, Hannity did not treat the hearings or the witnesses as legitimate. He focused on perceived apathy toward the hearings by Americans, using metrics like TV ratings and polls about support, in order to drive his message home. 

This, however, is in keeping with how Fox News has run for some time, according to Steven Livingston, a media professor at George Washington University.

“I think that will continue until Trump ends up being more of a liability for the right-wing cause,” Livingston said. “What’s going to have to happen is Republican senators would have to start breaking from Trump. At some point, Fox News could start being the lone Trump voice.”

The potential for Fox News commentators to flip on Trump may involve a shifting of focus, rather than of position, according to Peter Loge, associate media professor at George Washington University.

“They could say Trump has to step down and let Pence pick up where he left off, because the distraction of impeachment might trick people into voting for a Democrat,” Loge said.

While MSNBC and Fox represent different ends of the political spectrum, they’re not necessarily ideological opposites.

Media critic Nicole Hemmer two of MSNBC’s main anchors, Joe Scarborough and Nicolle Wallace, once represented Republicans. Scarborough used to be a  Republican member of Congress.

“It has become whiter and more conservative in the Trump era,” Hemmer wrote about the network. “Melissa Harris-Perry and Al Sharpton are both out at the network, while Nicolle Wallace, White House director of communications under George W. Bush, now anchors the 4 p.m. hour.”

The post An hour of TV time with Sean Hannity and Rachel Maddow first appeared on 91����.

Last week, Bill Skinner said that he parked his car on the street outside of his home as he always does and woke up the next morning with all four of its tires removed. He shared the photo with his neighbors in the Brookland Facebook group, where many others shared stories of tire theft that happened to them or their neighbors.

“Keep an extra eye out and be careful,” Skinner cautioned his neighbors in the post.

Clinton C. Johnson, a Brookland resident, said that the Metropolitan Police is not prioritizing the issue enough, the way they would with other cases of crime.

“It seems like this would be a very solvable case if they were doing any legwork,” Johnson said. “It has to be a team of people doing the same crime over and over again, not different people coincidentally.”

Brian Stevens says that he has seen tires being stolen from his neighbor’s cars on his street numerous times in the middle of the night. He says he has videos from several of the incidents.

“I have contacted the police every time and they have never followed up,” Stevens said.

Lauren Wiesner, a longtime resident of the neighborhood, told 91���� that she had seen it happen several times in recent months, though she was not able to identify who was committing the crimes.

“They’ve all happened by 20th Street,” Wiesner said. “It is scary.”

This was echoed by resident Michelle Tonelli. She told 91���� she’d seen a number of parked cars without rims or tires. However, she does not think it is unique to Brookland.

“I have no idea how it compares to other neighborhoods, but it seems like a citywide crime,” Tonelli said.

K.T. Stevenson said that he has observed tire thefts for several years in the neighborhood and that the issue is only getting worse. Last week, he saw tire burglars on his street late at night.

“It is one of my worst fears,” Stevenson said.

Recent Catholic University graduate, Julia Bergamini, said that the police should not trivialize the crime and should take the instances of tire theft more seriously, as they have impacted many residents.

“Treating any crime as ‘general’ is tolerating it,” Bergamini said. “It only allows the deviancy to grow and worsen.”

Tips from the police

91���� requested Brookland tire theft numbers and statistics from the Fifth Ward of the DC Metro Police. The department said they don’t track tire thefts specifically, as they fall under “general” theft or auto vandalism, which are both large problems. 

Officer Jules Lucas told 91���� that while he could not provide records for tire theft in Brookland, his department takes each case very seriously. He said that buying a bolt lock for tire rims at a car repair shop “like AutoZone” is the main precautionary method they recommend to residents in order to prevent tire theft.

“We recommend this because once you buy the lock, you can feel more assured that your tires will not be stolen,” Officer Lucas said.

He also cautioned residents against leaving any valuable items visible inside of their cars as it will make them more susceptible to crimes like tire theft or break-ins. If a resident hears any strange noises in the middle of the night and does not feel safe going outside, he said, they should call the police department as they will then patrol their street.

“Usually, that scares them away,” Officer Lucas said.

The post Brookland residents say police should focus on stopping tire thefts first appeared on 91����.

Outside the Nationals stadium in southeast D.C. Sunday evening, a sea of red “W” hats flooded along the street leading up to the security detectors. Most of the crowd were buzzing with excitement, hopeful to see a historic win from the district’s premier baseball team. But one scattered group of fans wearing orange jerseys had different hopes.

A number of Houston Astros fans attended the fifth game of the World Series on Sunday, some living in the area currently and some traveling from Texas. They rooted on their favorite team as they beat the Washington Nationals, in a series that the Astros now lead 3-2.

Houston native John Heard spoke with 91���� prior to the game. He said seeing an Astros win would be especially significant to him. A lifelong fan of Houston teams, he worked in the Houston Astrodome, the first domed stadium of its kind, when it opened in 1965.

“It’s a great vibe here in D.C., I’m really impressed with the Nationals fans.”

Heard admitted that most people have been cordial, despite seeing a Nationals fan and an Astros fan in a heated argument the day before.

“Yesterday there was one squabble but it was broken up pretty quickly,” Heard said. “The mood might be more intense after tonight though, depending on what happens.”

Chris Young, a diehard Astros fan, would have made the trip anywhere regardless of who his team was playing against. He was surprised by the goodwill of Nationals fans.

“The Nats fans have been really gracious, especially last night which was a brutal game,” Young said. “The energy is a bit different tonight though because it’s all tied up. There’s two awesome pitchers so it could go either way.”

Freddy Granados, another Houston native, made the trip to D.C. intent on seeing an Astros win. He stood outside the stadium before the game in full Astros garb, and also brought a tricycle emblazoned with the orange Astros logo for his fellow Houston fans to get a photo op with.

“There has been no trouble, nobody has made any mess with me or talked smack,” Granados said.

For Hillary Ruiz, who was born in Texas but now lives in Virginia with her husband, an Astros win would make her the happiest person at the school she works at. 

“I’m the only Astros fan among all my students and colleagues,” Ruiz said.

For some Astros fans, the opportunity to see their favorite team play in the nation’s capital also served as a reason to visit D.C. attractions. Jill O’Neill and her husband had always wanted to take their three kids to see things like the National Mall and the monuments, so when their home team made it to the World Series, she saw it as the perfect chance.

“We came up from Texas on Friday and have been enjoying all that D.C. has to offer, like the museums and the Lincoln Memorial,” O’Neill said. “Even if we don’t win, the kids have really enjoyed their trip.”

Similarly, Houston native Amy Johnson and her husband got the opportunity to visit the White House.

“The timing worked out perfectly. It was a great excuse to come up for the weekend not only to see the game but the whole city,” Johnson said.

David and Melinda Taylor also took time off from work in Houston to attend the game, but admitted that they would be disappointed if they came all the way just to see their team lose.

“We’re gonna win!” Melinda Taylor declared. “It’s all or nothing.” 

Johnson was similarly hopeful, but also said she is superstitious and did not want to jinx the Astros chances.

“The Nationals are doing better than we expected,” Johnson said. “But I’m sure our guys will pull through.”

The post Astros fans in DC for World Series in good spirits ahead of pivotal game first appeared on 91����.

One armed robbery and two additional robberies, including one at the 7/11 behind Catholic University, have occurred since late September. Additionally, items like wallets and laptops were reported being stolen from cars and from the Catholic University architecture building.

The most recent violent crime occurred last Friday, according to Metro Police. The incident involved two male suspects allegedly approaching a man playing basketball on Rock Creek Church Road. One of the suspects pulled out a handgun and asked for the victim to give them his Apple Airpod headphones, which he did. 

“This case remains under investigation,” said Alaina Gertz, public information officer for the D.C. Metropolitan Police.

Sam Rogers, a bartender at The Dew Drop Inn, has lived in Brookland for nearly nine years and said she had never heard of robberies like this happening until recently.

“Brookland is still usually very safe, but recently I’ve heard things like a guy on Monroe Street getting his wallet stolen,” Rogers said. “That did not used to happen frequently, and I am very familiar with the community.”

Yesook Catalan, a Catholic University architecture student, is being extra cautious amidst the robberies. In April of this year outside the Brookland-CUA metro station, Catalan was waiting alone for the bus at 10 p.m. when two men on bicycles approached her and snatched her phone from her hand.

“I tried chasing after them, but they sped away on their bikes,” Catalan told 91����.

Metropolitan police arrived shortly after and interviewed Catalan for two hours. However, they were not able to locate the men.

“Before that day I always felt safe in Brookland, but now I am seeing more robberies happening and I am definitely always thinking about it when I’m nearby,” Catalan said. “I try not to travel alone anymore.”

Also in the spring, residents of the Cornerstone building in the Bozzuto complex reported a variety of items stolen from locked apartments that had been broken into.

Some residents, while aware of the danger of robberies, still feel safe in the neighborhood. Catholic University nursing student, Kelsey Tan, said that the robberies do not bother her because of the security presence on and surrounding the campus. 

“There’s pretty much always campus or D.C. police around, even late at night walking to my apartment,” Tan said. “Even if I had to yell, someone would be there.”

In a recent statement to students, Catholic University police instructed students not to resist if someone is trying to rob them, and to take note of the robbers’ appearance.

Other Brookland residents, while acknowledging the severity of robberies, feel the issue should be handled differently.

The robbers must face consequences, but it should not be addressed as a “criminal” problem happening in Brookland, said writer Kymone Freeman, a D.C. native and current Brookland resident. He said he believes that law enforcement and residents need to examine the root causes of why people feel the need to steal from others.

“People in desperate situations commit crimes. We need to look at why this is going on,” Freeman said. “This is a public health issue, not a criminal issue”.

Rogers said she does not think the robberies are changing the safety of the neighborhood because people are aware of the issue and reporting them.

“If you are walking at night, as long as you stay on streets with lights and other people around, you should be fine,” Rogers said.

The post Brookland residents cautious amid string of robberies first appeared on 91����.

This week, a watering advisory was sent out by a forestry non-profit in Brookland which plants and cares for trees in urban areas.

Casey Trees stated that September tied the Metro-area’s driest month on record. Weather statistics show that a total of only 0.11 inches of rain fell in D.C. last month.

According to Casey Trees research associate, Sophie Earll, the lack of rainfall has made it difficult for their organization to keep pace with watering demands.  Casey Trees uses water trucks several times a year to help keep community trees healthy.

“These moments of drought are really challenging because internally, it’s difficult for our team to visit all of those sites,” Earll said.

Casey Trees aims to visit the sites of the thousands of trees they have planted at least three times a year in order to water them. Each tree requires 23-30 gallons of water per week or about 1.5 inches of rainfall. As just a tenth of an inch fell in the entire month of September, it has required much more water for trees to stay alive and healthy.

Earll said that the higher number of trees planted and maintained in the more affluent areas of D.C., such as Georgetown and Rock Creek Park, is helpful to the overall problem because residents typically have the means to maintain their own green spaces. However, as Brookland is a middle class neighborhood, Earll said residents are not as easily able to contribute to the community effort of greenery.

“If someone is more concerned about getting food on the table, or need to find a better education system, you can see why maintaining trees would not be something in their interest,” Earll told 91����.

Casey Trees plans to continue promoting free watering programs and tree planting classes, in coordination with the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation. They also see the path to a healthier tree population in the neighborhood through educational means by hosting classes and events at recreation centers.

Other experts also acknowledge long periods of dry weather like right now create barriers for their operations as well as for residents.

“During times of low rainfall, obtaining irrigation for trees is difficult, so it’s up to the community to help maintain their green spaces,” said Trevor Putman, a spokesperson for Virginia-based Putman Tree Service. “Anyone who can should contribute to watering.”

Earl said when it comes to planting the right tree in this area, while they cannot predict weather patterns, they try to chose certain species that will work best in the dry temperatures of D.C.

“Based on some of the characteristics we get from each site, such as drier soils, or high P.h. levels, we select species that are more resilient to those factors,” Earll said.

D.C. attractions that house trees and foliage are feeling the effects of the drought. The United States Botanic Garden is seeing the leaves on many of their trees drying out faster, according to spokesperson Devin Dotson.

“Instead of coloring up, the leaves are going straight to brown,” Dotson said. “We’re not gonna see the typical fall colors this year.”

For those who want to contribute to helping the tree population as the dry weather continues, Casey Trees said that they recommend “deep soaking” trees in water as opposed to a simple spraying. Dousing trees in water provides more coverage.

The heat advisory has been extended throughout October and may continue even if temperatures drop, based on how much rainfall will accumulate.

The post Lack of rainfall leaves Brookland trees vulnerable first appeared on 91����.

In the weeks since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi initiated an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump’s conduct, political organizations on both sides have spent millions of dollars on Facebook advertisements.

Scott Talan, a media expert and professor at American University, said ad campaigns could persuade people who are unsure if the president should be impeached.

“There is a fairly high amount of the electorate that has not made their mind up yet on impeachment,” Talan said. “If the ads target and persuade those undecided folks, then the spending can have an impact.”

Thirteen percent of voters are undecided on impeachment, according to a poll released last week. The poll showed that support for impeachment was increasing, however, with 43% of Americans in favor.

The ads, some of which accuse Democrats of using the impeachment inquiry as a way to discredit Trump’s presidential campaign, could also serve the purpose of confirming the opinions of social media users who have already made up their minds on impeachment, Talan said.

I AM DRAINING THE SWAMP!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)

“I think part of the ad spend will also reach people who have made their mind up and this will simply be an echo and confirmation of what they already believe,” Talan said.

While digital advertising usually comprises a sliver of campaign budgets — usually 3 to 5% for most Senate candidates, Trump has invested heavily. He spent 44% of his media campaign budget on digital media in the lead up to the 2016 election, according to .

These ads had an impact, according to a from the University of Warwick.

A 10% increase in Republican voter turnout among key demographics was linked to the $44 million the Trump campaign spent on Facebook ads, the study said.

Who is spending more?

At least some political groups are sold on the idea that a big digital ad push can move the needle on the contentious impeachment debate.

Democrat-aligned group Need To Impeach, founded by presidential candidate Tom Steyer, plans to spend $3.1 million on advertising in the next several weeks, .

But Republicans may be set to outspend Democrats.

Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee have spent a combined $2.1 million on Facebook ads in the past week, a quarter of which were related to the impeachment inquiry, according to , a progressive nonprofit that tracks Trump’s digital spending. They also announced a planned $10 million dollar TV ad buy, .

Part of the spending differential may be because some Democrats are approaching the impeachment debate with caution.

Progressive super PAC Democracy for America plans to contribute some funds to social media advertising that pushes impeachment, according to Neil Sroka, a spokesperson. However, he said Democratic groups should focus on educating the members of the public who may not know how impeachment works. He suggests investing in advertisements that can also serve to promote issues outside of impeachment.

“I think it’s important to make sure false messages from the right are countered, but we should not let Republicans paint the Democrats as the party of impeachment,” Sroka said. “Democrats should lay out their vision for the country and put forward an alternative to the current administration.”

While Democratic political action organizations are spending funds on ads regarding the impeachment inquiry, candidates have been less eager to wade in.

The campaign of Biden, whose son was mentioned in the Trump-Zelensky phone call, has purchased several Facebook ads alluding to Trump allowing foreign governments to “hijack” the election, but none have mentioned the impeachment inquiry, .

The post Trump and Democrats up the ante on social media ads about impeachment first appeared on 91����.

The cranes are in the sky, the permits are approved, and Brookland residents are hopeful that the new building under construction on Monroe Street will become a fresh food grocery store.

The building will be the fourth in the Bozzuto apartment complex, which was first constructed in 2013 and spans two blocks.

The permit for the building was granted last year with Pritzker Realty Group aiming to build a grocery store beneath a luxury Bozzuto apartment.

Bill Dvorak, the Vice President of Pritzker, said that they cannot comment on the leasing of the property, but added several tenants are interested in occupying the building.

“I’m guessing that it will still be several months before we have anything to announce,” Dvorak said.

Right now, Brookland has one organic supermarket, Yes! Organic Market on 12th St., half a mile away from Monroe St. and the Brookland-CUA Metro stop. There is also a farmers’ market held each Saturday at the Monroe St. Arts Walk, which is a part of the Bozzuto complex.

The D.C. Policy Center does not consider Brookland a “food desert” because of the presence of Yes! Organic Market. However, while Brookland has many restaurants, there are limited options for fresh food such as produce and dairy.

Several Brookland residents are looking forward to having a new place to buy fresh food.

“Bring on the Whole Foods,” said Alex Miles, a Brookland resident, expressing a preference for what grocery store she wants built. “I’m for progress in the neighborhood.”

Miles says that Yes! Organic Market is too expensive, too far from the Metro, and that their produce is not as fresh as the farmers’ market, where she shops every Saturday morning. However, she acknowledged that a new grocery store may affect the business of the farmers’ market.

“I can’t imagine it would be good for this place,” Miles said of the farmers’ market.

Natalie Salgado, an Indiana native, moved to Brookland in August when she began her graduate business studies at Catholic University. Upon moving, she was surprised by the limited amount of places she could go grocery shopping.

“I like going to the farmers’ market every Saturday morning, but then by the middle of the week, I am out of what I want,” Salgado said. “Having a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods here would be really convenient.”

Mikela Sheskier, an American University psychology PhD student, works at the farmers’ market in a tent that sells locally grown produce. She says that many of her customers are older Brookland residents who use a voucher system from the D.C. government, Produce Plus, to buy fresh food. However, there are rules for what these customers can buy — fruits, vegetables, and cut herbs.

“People who use Produce Plus vouchers can’t get things like honey, cheese, or eggs,” Sheskier said. “It’s pretty limiting.”

The Produce Plus program concludes at the end of September, and the farmers’ market closes for the winter months in December. It is unclear whether there are any current programs from the D.C. government for recipients of Produce Plus to get fresh food in the neighborhood during the winter months.

Longtime Brookland resident, Larry Wiley, said that Yes! Organic Market is not affordable for him. He often goes out of his way to go to Whole Foods, he said, specifically because of their prepared food options.

“I want a Whole Foods because they’ve got hot food,” Wiley said. “I can’t get that at Yes!, or anywhere else. That would be great for us to have on Monroe.”

The post Potential new grocery store under construction in Brookland first appeared on 91����.