“That wasn’t our plan, you know. Our plan was to just put a few flowers in [Kalorama Park]” said Speirn.

Mariposa Garden sits in the middle of Kalorama Park near the intersection of 19th Street NW and Belmont Road. Although a volunteer gardener originally named the garden Jardín de Mariposas, the volunteers later decided to change it’s name to Mariposa Garden due to the lack of Spanish-speakers in the neighborhood, according to Speirn.

When describing  Mariposa Garden, Speirn calls it a guerrilla garden because the couple began planting without approval from the district, yet it receives support from the Parks and Recreation Department, visitors, and D.C. residents.

“The fact of the matter is that the whole community loves the garden. And so when you do something that everybody appreciates and it’s for the community, it’s not for ourselves,” said Aviv.

Today, Mariposa Garden has around 60 to 70 volunteers who participate in Saturday volunteer days, tending to the 60 to 70 varieties of flowers in the Garden, according to the couple. 

Along with the large quantity of volunteers, the garden has made huge strides this year: it launched its first official website, hosted multiple fundraising events, and featured its first wedding.

“It’s not just about Sterling and Diana,” said Speirn. “We would not have Mariposa if it weren’t for all of these volunteers.”

How the park began to flourish

Initially, Speirn and Aviv said they were the only two residents running and funding Mariposa Garden.

Their responsibilities included seeding plants at home, deciding how to arrange the plants in the garden, purchasing necessary supplies, and watering the plants weekly.

The community began approaching Mariposa Garden with interest in volunteering not long after they initially started planting, according to Speirn and Aviv.

“I felt that it was affirming, what we had started to create, that people wanted it,” said Aviv. “It also tells me that people want to give. People want to give and they want to do, and it makes them feel a part of something.”

ANC Commissioner Chairman Peter Wood said he started volunteering in the garden sometime between 2020 and 2021. He recalled a moment while working in the garden where he realized that city life had kept him from connecting with nature.

“When you can kind of detach from that (city life), it’s nice to just get your hands dirty and be touching earth. That’s a really important thing, and we kind of overlook it,.” Wood said.

Wood said it’s important for the community to support projects like Mariposa Garden because people develop trust with one another when they have a “shared investment in something.”

“It’s collectively ours as opposed to any individuals,” he said, “that’s what public parks, in my mind, are supposed to be.”

Enthusiasm from the volunteers eventually allowed Aviv and Speirn to delegate tasks to “stewards,” or lead volunteers, such as coordinating Saturday volunteer days and watering the garden during the week. 

Despite planting in a park owned by the district, the D.C. Department of Parks and Rec has never interfered with Mariposa Garden, according to Speirn. 

He said the garden and the district have a “symbiotic relationship” — the district provides the water, and the volunteers do the rest.

“It’s like we take care of ourselves, but the city gives us water, which is essential,” said Speirn.

Wood said there are other community-led projects designed to take care of the park and support the community.

One volunteer group has taken over maintenance of city-installed plants near the plaza staircase, and another group has cultivated a community garden, according to Wood.

“I think it’s an example of how the city government doesn’t always provide the services that taxes are supposed to pay for, but also that people in neighborhoods often want to make the neighborhoods more beautiful,” said Wood.

The Department of Parks and Recreation did not respond to specific questions from 91����.

2025 – A year of firsts

This year has been the “year of first” for the Mariposa Garden, from fundraising, to volunteer involvement, to a new website, according to Speirn. He believes the garden will continue to have similar successes in the future.

From a fundraising perspective, this is the first year that Mariposa Garden gained a monthly donor and hosted events to raise money for the garden, said Speirn.

Speirn added that donations were generally healthy this year.

This is also the first year Mariposa Garden has its own , something that Speirn said he feels is a real game-changer for Mariposa Garden. The website features information about the Garden, a portal to contact Aviv and Speirn, and a donation tab.

“I think we’ve sort of hit a nice level of sustainability and dynamism now that we have a way for anyone to become a volunteer through the website,” said Speirn.

From a community gathering perspective, Speirn notes that 2025 is the first year Mariposa Garden hosted a wedding, and it’s the first year he has seen Marie Reed Elementary School bring students to the garden to learn about pollination.

Speirn added that Mariposa Garden has more volunteers and more sign-ups on the mailing list than in any other year. Aviv said she counted 100 volunteers who have worked in the garden at least once.

“We’ve just had such an explosion of interest this year,” said Speirn.

When thinking towards the future, both Speirn and Aviv said they see this year as a sign of continued success at Mariposa Garden for years to come.

“My hope is that the community feels more and more attached to it and cares for it. Maybe down the road somewhere, not for the next year or so, we can create a children’s garden if we can get enough volunteers to organize that,” said Aviv.

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Still, both parties are refusing to take the blame for the reasons behind the 36-day shutdown. Democratic leaders say the election day victories are a sign to hold their ground. Republicans say blue wins in blue states are not a reason to cave.

House Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said at a press conference Wednesday that he hopes the elections are a “wake-up call” for Republicans. Schumer said Democrats may have won the battle, but they have to keep fighting to win the war. 

“Americans have been feeling the real-world repercussions of Trump’s policies for months,” said Schumer, who Wednesday sent a letter asking President Trump to meet with party leaders.

Voters “know that Democrats are fighting for them and Republicans are doing nothing … Last night, Republicans felt the political repercussions.”

Bipartisan Stalemate

The shutdown has persisted because Democrats and Republicans cannot find a middle ground on health care tax credits, which makes insurance cheaper for millions of Americans. Those subsidies are set to expire Dec. 31.

Democrats have refused to reopen the government until Republicans agree to extend the tax credits.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Republicans have always been willing to talk about making health care more affordable, but have been reluctant to do so during the shutdown because they want to reopen the government before negotiating.  

Republicans have been reluctant to do so during the shutdown because they want to reopen the government before dialogue continues, he said.

“It was in no way necessary or appropriate to shut down the government in order to have bipartisan discussions about the subsidies,” Johnson said.

Mayoral Milestone in New York

In New York City, Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani beat former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, becoming the city’s first Muslim mayor-elect, and its youngest in over a century. 

Mamdani, who calls himself a democratic socialist, started his campaign relatively unknown last year before surging to victory Tuesday against Cuomo. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.,called Mamdani’s win “one of the greatest political upsets in modern American history.” 

Sanders said Mamdani not only took on oligarchs, President Trump and Republicans in the election, but also the Democratic establishment.  

“If you have an agenda that speaks for the working class in this country, if you are prepared to take on the oligarchs — explain to people that it’s unacceptable that the very rich become much richer while working families can’t even afford groceries or their rent — and if you put together a grassroots movement you can in fact win,” Sanders said.

Speaker Johnson called Mamdani an “avowed, openly proclaimed Socialist” at a press conference Wednesday. He said Mamdani’s win signifies a shift toward socialism in the Democratic Party.

“Mamdani is without a doubt the biggest win for socialism in the history of the country, and it is the biggest loss for the American people,” Johnson said.

Alejandro Medina, a marketer who splits his time between New York and Virginia, said he feels more comfortable living in Virginia now because of the election results, which flipped the governorship to Democrat.

Medina is an immigrant from Mexico who cannot vote because he is not a U.S. citizen.

“I have to allow people to vote on my behalf,” he said.

Electoral sweep in Virginia

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., said Democrats are “playing politics” with the lives of Americans during the shutdown. Republicans currently have a majority in both the House and Senate, as well as control of the White House. 

The Democratic sweep of Tuesday’s elections presents a new mainstream for the party, he said. 

“From a Communist mayor in New York City to a Virginia Attorney General who said he wanted to murder his political opponent. Pro-terrorist Marxist radicals are now the left’s mainstream,” Emmer said.

In Virginia, Democrats won the races for Governor, Lt. Governor and Attorney General in one fell swoop. 

D.C. Tour Guide Lori Cohen, said she wasn’t surprised that Democrats won the state elections, with the exception of Attorney General-elect Jay Jones. 

On the campaign trail, Jones sent text messages about shooting his political rival, then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, to a Republican state delegate. Jones had apologized but stayed in the race.

Cohen said she wasn’t too pleased with the messages.

“I almost didn’t vote for him, but I didn’t want to continue Trump policies for attorney general, so I voted for him, and I kind of held my nose while doing it,” she said.

She said she voted Democrat because she disapproved of the shutdown and recent policy decisions by Trump. She said that she believes other democrats voted for similar reasons.

“There’s no end to the things to hate about Donald Trump,” she said.

Eric, a federal employee and Republican, who did not want his full name used, also said he was surprised by the election of Jones.

Jones “wanted to shoot his opponent twice and murder his children. I find that kind of extreme,” Eric said.

Eric is a Maryland resident, but he says he would have voted for Winsome Earle-Spears if he could have participated in the Virginia elections.

“I’m a Republican and she’s a Republican. I kind of go for the underdog,” he said.

Blue voted blue

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La, said the recent elections do not represent most Americans’ view of Republicans’ performance during the shutdown. Many of the states that saw Democratic wins Tuesday voted for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.

“Is it any surprise that last night, blue states voted blue? We’re talking Virginia, New Jersey, New York,” Scalise said. “By the way, none of those were swing states.”

Pam Henkins, a retired federal employee who voted in the Virginia election, said that the federal shutdown was one of many factors that motivated her decision. 

Her husband is one of the federal employees furloughed as part of the shutdown, though he still works for the DOJ. The government has furloughed about 670,000 employees, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.

“I feel like this president is lawless,” Henkins said, “and I relied on the Supreme Court to institute the structure and uphold Congress’s authority and that’s just gone dead.”

Scalise said Republicans have worked with President Trump to deliver results on issues, like lowering taxes and securing the southern border.

But Ed Markey, D-Mass., said the elections are a clear call from voters for Republicans to come to the table and negotiate to end the shutdown. He said Trump has given himself “king-like power” and enacted economic policy that is illegal and destructive. 

“President Trump is taxing food, and toys, and clothing and even tea … the last time there was a tax on tea there was a revolution in Boston,” Markey said. 

The post Democratic wins deepen divisions on shutdown first appeared on 91����.

Adams Morgan PorchFest is a neighborhood music festival that sprawls throughout both the residential and commercial streets of Adams Morgan. The festival occurs twice a year: one in the spring, the other during fall.

According to the Adams Morgan BID , 26 porches and three main stages hosted 103 bands on Saturday from 2:00 to 6:00. 

Porches refer to mini pop-up performances outside of residential homes and businesses.

These numbers outrank participation in previous Adams Morgan PorchFests, according to Adams Morgan Partnership BID Executive Director Kristen Barden. 

She said this past spring, she believes PorchFest only had 20 porches.

The BID partnership has organized Porchfest since 2012, and it has grown immensely, according to Barden. That first year, she said she remembers PorchFest didn’t have any main stages, they didn’t close down 18th Street, and only 10 porches participated.

Long-time volunteer Mara Stewart also noted PorchFest’s growth over the years. She said that even four years ago, the event was a lot smaller. 

Typically, Stewart said she has enough printed flyers and wristbands to pass out throughout the entire event. This fall, she said, that wasn’t the case.

“We ran out of things by 3:00 p.m. Usually we wouldn’t be running out of our main stuff, like our wristbands, like our physical paper maps until the end [of the event].”

Because of this, she said she thinks that Porchfest Fall 2025 was even bigger than Porchfest this past spring.

Barden said that although they cannot yet confirm that more people attended PorchFest this year, the Adams Morgan BID partnership will have official data soon.

While looking back at the success of Saturday’s event, Barden also noted that Fall Porchfest 2025 was all about community.

“It’s heartwarming to see the community really embrace this event and really enjoy all of the music together,” she said.

Tommy Faulkner, a resident of Adams Morgan, also said he noticed the community vibes throughout the live performances.

“We were just crying about this. There was a woman on the bus waving. It just feels like we need community,” said Faulkner. “It gives me sort of faith in humanity again. Like I feel like I’m happy to be around people.”

Wristbands bring in the business

This past weekend, 52 businesses provided discounts and specials through the wristband program.

A couple of years ago, the majority of businesses that had specials for wristband wearers were restaurants, according to Stewart.

Now, all kinds of businesses participate, she said. Ace Hardware Adams Morgan, A Little Shop of Flowers, and Fleet Feet were a few non-restaurant names that partnered with PorchFest.

“Which shows just how broad it has become, and how many people want to participate in Adams Morgan,” said Stewart.

Despite the large crowds, those businesses came prepared, according to Barden.

Cody Ayala, the general manager of Andy’s Pizza, said Porchfest is one of the restaurant’s busiest days. In order to prepare, Andy’s people had to double their staff and their food prep, he said.

“We stay busy from start to finish,” Ayala said.

How a band hijacked PorchFest and has participated ever since

The Dellas, an indie/rock/pop band, said they hijacked Porchfest last fall. They performed for the first time as a group without formally signing up for the event, according to the band’s bassist, Andrew McArthur.

“We were lucky because there were no porches immediately around us that were also playing at the same time,” said McArthur.

Although The Dellas weren’t officially on the Fall Porchfest 2024 setlist, the turnout was a success, according to McArthur. He said that

Since then, the band has signed up to perform at the Spring and Fall 2025 PorchFests.

The Dellas celebrated their first anniversary performing together this past weekend, said guitarist David Vega-Pulido. 

McArthur and Vega-Pulido said they think this Porchfest’s audience is the largest the band has ever performed for.

Last spring, about 100 people RSVPed for a digital invitation the band sent out. This Saturday, McArthur said, about 200 people RSVPed.

Vega-Pulido said that there were “way more people” this fall in comparison to last fall. Both Vega-Pulido and McArthur added that the energy of Fall Porchfest 2025 was high.

“I’m excited that a lot of our friends came out and got to see us,” said McArthur.

School of Rock dominates the main stage at PorchFest

Nola Kenney (17), Ella Hartwig (17), Marz Marissell (16), and Marie McGarry (17) are School of Rock youth band members who took turns performing at Marie Reed Stage. 

They said that Fall Porchfest 2025 is one of the biggest turnouts they have ever seen.

“I would argue this is one of our biggest crowds out of the year because there are so many people passing through, and we are at the entrance,”  said bassist and singer Hartwig. 

Hartwig has been playing the cello since she was five, and the bass for about 8 years, she says.

School of Rock is a Washington, D.C music program that teaches students of all ages how to read music, play instruments, and perform live. The students perform at community-based events and local venues, according to their .

This year, for the entire event, the School of Rock Youth Bands took turns performing 20-minute sets on rotation, a system they call round robin, said Hartwig.

Marissell added that PorchFest is one of the best places to play in DC because of the high volume of attendees. Marissell has been playing the guitar for about five years.

“They all love music and they all just want to have a good time,” said Marissell.

The post Adams Morgan PorchFest continues to flourish first appeared on 91����.

The spots, which will be added on top of two existing zoned parking spots on Mozart Place near Columbia Road, are part of a pilot program being implemented this year by the D.C. Department of Transportation.

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1C, which represents Adams Morgan, voted in October to provide a letter of support for the installation of the curbside charging stations, according to ANC 1C09 Commissioner Katherine Swanson.

Adams Morgan residents say they are curious to see if these EV curbside charging stations would be successful.

D.C.’s Comprehensive Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Access, Readiness, and Sustainability Amendment Act of 2024 created the Neighborhood Electric Vehicle Charging Pilot Program to increase EV charging access across the District. It became effective in March.

The District has only three public EV charging stations available, and 4% percent of vehicles are electric, according to a statement from DDOT Director Sharon Kershbaum.

It’s Electric, a curbside EV charging company, sent an email to Swanson in early September outlining details of the proposed pilot deployment with the DDOT to install 16 total chargers across the District.

Each of the eight wards will eventually dedicate one location to two charging stations.��

The DDOT’s goal is to have the first curbside charging station installed by the end of the year, Kershbaum said.

In Adams Morgan, potential candidates for the pilot program are two spaces currently governed by the Residential Parking Permit Program at 2651 Mozart Place NW near the luxury apartment complex The Silvia, according to the ANC’s email.

It’s Electric Public Affairs Specialist Shannon Dulaney told 91���� that, when the U.S. Department of Transportation froze funds to the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program in February, the company had to change its plans.

Dulaney said, “It does add uncertainty and, you know, quite frankly, frustration because all this work that you’ve done to put particular plans in place, and then you have to pivot.”

Despite these setbacks on the federal level, Dulaney said she is confident EV charging initiatives will continue.

How the EV charging stations will work.

Typically, pilot deployment programs last one-to-two years before a municipality decides to expand or kill the project, said Dulaney.

Since the installation of EV curbside parking stations on Mozart has yet to be finalized, Dulaney said she could answer questions about similar projects but not about the D.C. pilot deployment.

It’s electric would add the EV curbside charging stations to two existing residential parking permit spaces, according to the email sent to Swanson.��

In cities undergoing similar pilot deployment programs, residents must have an electric vehicle and a residential parking permit to park in the EV curbside charging stations, according to Dulaney.

There is typically a grace period between the installation of the EV curbside parking stations and enforcement of the policy, said Dulaney. That grace period varies from city to city.

The DDOT did not comment on the grace period in its official statement.

It’s Electric and DDOT partners with buildings that have spare electrical capacity to install an EV charging station, according to Kershbaum.

Spare electrical capacity is available electrical power that a system or building can provide beyond its current load. It’s Electric leases out this spare electricity from the buildings to charge electric vehicles at the EV curbside charging stations.

Dulaney said three different reasons motivate buildings to volunteer themselves for partnership before It’s Electric has to reach out to them individually.

First, sometimes a single/multi-family home wants to work with It’s Electric for selfish reasons: the owners have an electric vehicle but don’t have a nearby place to charge that car, said Dulaney.

She said that other times, a larger property is trying to meet its sustainability goals or serve residents/employees who need EV charging stations to park at the building.

However, the most obvious motivation is that buildings earn 20% of the revenue that the charger generates, according to Dulaney.

“There’s, you know, no real reason for them not to monetize that if they have that opportunity.”

Before It’s Electric and the DDOT can install an EV curbside charging station, they need approval from entities like ANC and Pepco.

“Even though we are taking advantage of existing electricity at the site, we are installing a new meter so that we can pay the utility directly, and so that the property’s electricity bill doesn’t go up,” said Dulaney.

After It’s Electric receives approval from all relevant bodies, it can begin installation. Dulaney said she could not give an estimate as to when It’s Electric and DDOT would begin installing the EV curbside charging stations in Adams Morgan.

EV Curbside Charging Stations Pros and Cons

Dulaney said that EV curbside charging stations are beneficial in large metropolitan areas like D.C. because of their infrastructure.

According to Dulaney, in areas like California, residents feel more confident switching to electric vehicles because most people have driveways and garages that can house charging stations.

In contrast, residents living in densely populated northeastern municipalities are hesitant to switch to electric because parking is typically only available on the street and residents often cannot charge an electric vehicle at home, she said.

EV curbside charging stations would help eliminate this problem, according to Dulaney.

Swanson said she predicts residents might raise concerns that they would no longer be able to park at a station that was once a normal residential parking permit spot.

Swanson said she doesn’t see it that way.

“It is, in my eyes, really more like the moving around of a parking space instead of the true elimination of a parking space,” she said.

However, if people don’t like the EV curbside charging stations, or if the spots are always empty, then Swanson said a removal of these stations is “completely doable.”

One neighborhood resident, who wished to remain anonymous due to privacy concerns, said he understands arguments supporting the installation of EV charging stations, as long as the program doesn’t favor the upper class.

“If [the curbside charging stations] only favored more wealthy, higher-income families, I’d say ‘huh, you made it more convenient, but the people who would benefit are the people that are already benefiting in so many other ways,’” the resident said.

Another resident and federal government employee, Natalie Kates, said she doesn’t mind there being fewer residential permit parking spaces for non-EV vehicles.

However, if the stations are used by the same two cars, or if they remain empty, she said she wonders if there would be a better solution.

“The difference between the goal and the reality of implementation is always, for me, where the rubber hits the road,” said Kates.

Correction: The EV curbside charging stations would not replace residential permit parking spots. It’s Electric would add the charging stations to the parking spots.

The post Electric vehicle charging stations may come to Adams Morgan soon first appeared on 91����.

While the rest of the country focuses on national policy debates centered on affordable healthcare, people in Washington, D.C., feel the weight of the shutdown each day.

Here’s how the federal government halt is playing out on the streets of the District:

Museums everywhere – but they’re closed

George Washington Law School student Bradley Suarez often brings his dog Maple to play fetch on the lawn of the National Mall. The Florida native said his mom tagged along a few weeks ago. It was unusually barren – no local artisans or food trucks set up outside.

Suarez said that’s not the only thing that’s changed. He had to find a new place to take study breaks, since the Smithsonian Institution museums closed.

He used to “pick one museum a day” to walk around between class work. Now, because of the shutdown, the doors are locked.

“I don’t like it,” Suarez said.

By Isabel Del Mastro

New normal

Rachel Callahan moved to D.C. two months ago, eager to start college at George Washington University and explore the city. Federal layoffs and a government shutdown welcomed her to the District.

Originally from Pittsburgh, Callahan said her parents are eager to visit for family weekend. But, since TSA is “all messed up” from the shutdown, she said they may not make the trip.

As the National Guard troops walk by the Foggy Bottom Metro, Callahan said she has only known a D.C. in shutdown.

“It’s just like normal for me at this point — it would be different if I was here before,” she said.

By Ellen Tannor

Empty city, empty restaurants 

Kevin Gonzales, a manager at Carvings, a casual American restaurant in Foggy Bottom, said he wonders how long the government’s pause will affect business.

“We are down to about 25% of our business’s revenue because federal employees stop coming to our establishment,” he said. The restaurant serves everything from quesadillas to Reuben sandwiches to chicken tenders.

The restaurant has been empty Wednesday, with only spurts of customers straggling in. Gonzales said the business may have to lay off morning staff if the shutdown continues.

By Lynn Howard

‘Disappointing’ trip

Rachel Jennische and Robert Muilenberg, both journalism professors at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas, flew with four undergraduate students to D.C. for MediaFest25, an annual conference for student journalists.

Jennische said she is disappointed, but not surprised, that the federal shutdown ruined their plans.

She wanted to take her students to visit the Smithsonian Institution museums, but the federal shutdown paused its funding. All 21 Smithsonian facilities closed their doors Sunday.

“I do mostly feel bad for our students because they don’t get the chance to travel much,” Jennische said. “That is disappointing.”

Instead, the group visited replicas of well-known D.C. sites, like The People’s House: A White House Experience.

By Isabel Del Mastro

No dinosaurs in D.C.

Matt, a French traveler who didn’t give his last name due to privacy concerns, is just in D.C. for two days as a part of a 60-day solo excursion throughout the United States. His trip started in New York and will end in Portland, Oregon.

He said he didn’t care about the federal shutdown at first. Then, it messed up his plans to visit the Smithsonian.

“Now, since I can’t go to see the dinosaurs, I’m kind of sad,” Matt said.

By Isabel Del Mastro

‘National gardeners’

Hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal workers are going without pay during the shutdown. The military, including National Guard members, could be the next to miss paychecks.

Protesting outside Union Station, veterans Matt Gordon and Blake Heinz said the National Guard should not have been deployed in D.C.

Gordon called the deployment “an embarrassment.” The guard has no clear orders, he said, and low morale. Guards assigned to beautification of the National Mall, have earned the nickname “National Gardeners,” Gordon said.

By Terrance Williams

Future ‘to be determined’

The shutdown is making it harder for Elizabeth Riekse, a senior international relations major at American University, to finish her capstone.

She planned to write about Thomas Jefferson’s Quran. Visiting the Library of Congress was essential to Riekse’s research. Now that it’s closed, the future of her project is “to be determined,” she said.

It’s not the first time the government changes have impacted Riekse. This summer, she interned at the US Department of Agriculture. Her job was cut during DOGE.

By Anastasia Menchyk

Democracy’s future

A group called For Liberation and Resistance Everywhere, a left-wing organization protesting Donald Trump’s presidency, has been on the lawn outside Union Station for months. Randy Kindle, a board member for the organization, said Trump’s presidency is a “multi-generational traumatic event.”

“If we don’t get Trump out by the end of the year, we won’t be a democracy for a long, long time,” he said.

Kindle said he has noticed fewer tourists since the shutdown started two weeks ago. He said he thinks Republicans and Democrats will reach a deal after the ‘No Kings’ protest Oct. 20.

By Terrance Williams

Federal workers ‘in panic’

Once a week Astor Archer stands around D.C. and spreads the word of God. He’s a Jehovah’s Witness, and said many of his friends and fellow parishioners who were furloughed are facing economic hardships.

Positioned in the heart of Foggy Bottom, across from Circa restaurant where federal workers pass by on their way to work, Archer said it seems like people are “in panic” at times.

Archer said he talks to everyone — doctors, nurses, federal workers and the general public. He looks through the pages of his bible for solutions for problems people are facing.

“It helps us see that there’s something better for mankind,” he said. “I’m here to give information, spread love and give hope.”

By Ellen Tannor

Nothing to see here

American University teaching assistant Jonah Gutterman, a 22-year-old junior from Philadelphia, usually escorts his intro-level government class on trips to federal buildings throughout the semester.

The shutdown cut those visits. “We were supposed to do a lot of really fun, exciting trips,” Gutterman said.

The class was scheduled to visit the Washington Monument and the Pentagon, he said, but the visit had to be cancelled. Gutterman said he doesn’t think the shutdown is close to ending.

“To be honest with you we haven’t covered it a whole lot in my congress class,” he said.

By Anastasia Menchyk

Life in limbo

Chris Ravenwind has been unhoused for four months. The path that led him there is tangled with the ripple effect of federal layoffs.

Originally from California, Ravenwind said he worked for a security company in Virginia — until he was abruptly laid off. He said he believed the layoffs were tied to the instability of the federal government.

Now, he said he spends his days submitting job applications and trying to find permanent housing, which is harder to nail down right now. Ravenwind said he is on a 5- to 8-year waiting list for government-assisted housing. For now, his next steps are simple: find food, get rest, keep trying.

“After I manage to get one responsible thing done, it’s about sleep and getting enough spare change to cope,” he said.

By Ellen Tannor

Staying optimistic

Fall is usually the busy season at Central Michel Richard, a French-American bistro near the Federal Triangle, said Ebony Miller, assistant general manager.

The restaurant’s main clientele are senators, lawyer groups and federal workers, she said.

The restaurant has seen a decrease in business since August, Miller said, but the federal shutdown has made it worse. She said her team is trying to stay optimistic.

“I’ve been trying to find creative ways just to make sure we put ourselves out there,” Miller said.

By Isabel Del Mastro

New business plan

Anuradha Mehra has sold handcrafted goods at Capital Harvest on the Plaza, a vendor market, for two years. But since the federal shutdown, she said her business has been suffering.

Mehra has 30 artisans crafting bags, scarves, and home goods in New Delhi, India, for her business IndiBlossom. She moved to D.C. 15 years ago and has been selling art for the past 10 years.

She said she only sells her goods in popup shops but, since the federal shutdown, she might create an online shop to help supplement business.

“I think in some ways I feel compelled to start my online space because, you know, with the way things are. But the shutdown is really just impacting people’s ability to shop,” said Mehra.

By Isabel Del Mastro

The post ‘Disappointing’ D.C.: Locals are worried, visitors feel shut out first appeared on 91����.

Two rats under a flattened cardboard box seemed to be fighting in front of the house, they said.

Later, Vazquez said he saw another rat running about a different vacant property on their street.

Samaritan Inns is a residential addiction treatment center that owned the two properties and operated them as halfway homes. The treatment center sold the townhouses to developer Tennessee Plaza LLC in January, according to Samaritan Inns CEO LeRoy Pingho.

The neighbors say the two vacant Mozart Street properties raise concerns about rat infestation. They also wonder where Samaritan Inns moved the residents when they sold the property to Tennessee LLC.��

The long-term residents relocated to a Samaritan halfway house on 14th Street, according to Pingho.

Vazquez and Ruiz’s home is sandwiched between the former halfway houses, near the intersection with Fuller Street. They said they saw construction crews gut one of the properties a couple of months ago, but since then, they remained untouched.

“We thought they were maybe renovating, but it’s been so long now,” said Vazquez and Ruiz.

According to DC SCOUT Property Records, Tennessee Plaza’s Construction/Alteration and Repair permit is still in the review process.��

However, Tennessee Plaza cannot continue construction until the permit is approved. The property records show that Tennessee Plaza started the permit approval process in July.

Simple projects can receive permit approval between one and 30 days, according to the D.C. Department of Buildings official website. More complex projects can take between six to 12 months before a permit can receive approval.

Department of Buildings officials did not respond to specific questions about the properties.

Do rats target vacant properties?

When 91���� informed Vazquez and Ruiz about Tennessee Plaza’s pending permit approvals, the couple said they worry that when construction begins, it will bring rats to their property.

However, D.C. Health said in an email that rats do not specifically target vacant homes unless they can find food and water nearby. But, conditions like overflowing trash cans around the property can attract rats, the agency said.

91���� reported on trash and waste mismanagement issues in Adams Morgan September, finding that many residents in the area continue to deal with rat infestations.�� 

Vazquez, Ruiz, and their neighbor, Robert Feit, are also victims of trash management problems and rats. Vazquez and Ruiz said they calculated that residential trash pickup failed to collect their trash on 30% of all collection days this year.

The situation wasn’t rectified until Aug. 28, following an email from Robert Butler, public affairs specialist with the Department of Public Works. He said staff shortages were a major contributor to collection delays.

Since the residents received that email, they said the Department of Public Works has successfully collected their trash three weeks in a row.

While Vazquez and Ruiz have dealt with trash pickup issues, Feit said he has decided to take rats infesting his property into his own hands.

A private pest control company completes routine checks at his residence every three months, and Feit said he has completely reconstructed his backyard to mitigate potential rat damage.��

“I’m doing all that I can to address it, but even then, there are rats around the neighborhood,” said Feit.

ANC 1C09 Commissioner Katherine Swanson said that if the vacant properties are infested with rats, the city should do something about it.

“It would be great if the city could do more to pay attention to those vacant properties and make sure that we’re taking proactive measures to keep rats from making homes in them,” said Swanson.

The Residents at Samaritan Inns

When Samaritan Inns sold the properties to Tennessee Plaza, the long-term residents were consolidated into a Samaritan Inns building on 14th Street, according to Pingho.

Pingho said he sold the places for two reasons: the small size of the building and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) regulations.

Because the buildings were so small, the cost of running the halfway houses was always greater than the revenue Samaritan Inns could raise, according to Pingho.��

Furthermore, “none of the buildings were equipped for ADA. They were not the right types of buildings,” said Pingho.

Pingho didn’t say if the short-term residents were also consolidated into 14th Street.

“I’m going to say it really doesn’t matter because [short-term residents] are used to the notion that they’ll be moving around,” he said.

“I don’t want to sound heartless, but the people who’ve had [the halfway houses] had come out of being under bridges, so they were grateful for any space,” said Pingho.

The post Former Adams Morgan halfway houses lie vacant; neighbors want answers first appeared on 91����.

“The last two years, it really has felt like the rats and the trash have been such a bummer. It was never like that when I originally moved into D.C.,” the AdMo resident said.��

The couple spends most of their days in Virginia because rats have infested their Adams Morgan property. The couple asked to remain anonymous to protect their privacy.

The rats have chewed through chicken wire, nails, plywood, and steel to create a nest beneath their property, the AdMo resident said. The rodents also destroyed a wooden enclosure built to cover the property’s water and gas line, she said.

Apart from the property damage, the AdMo resident said the couple is constantly cleaning rat feces. Before the explosion of rats in Adams Morgan, the resident said they would deep-clean the patio every six months; now they are cleaning it as frequently as every two weeks.

“We are constantly cleaning. There are other things I’d rather do on a weekend than sweep rat feces off the patio,” said the AdMo resident.

This couple’s experience illustrates the frustration of many Adams Morgan residents. These residents say they started noticing a growing rat problem about two years ago, yet, despite filing multiple 3-1-1 service requests and reaching out to the Department of Public Works, City Council, the D.C mayor’s office, and Rodent and Vector Control, the rats continue to plague Adams Morgan’s streets.

D.C. health inspectors respond daily to 3-1-1 requests sent to the Rodent and Vector Control Division, and each is handled within three business days. There are 18 licensed pest control inspectors, each assigned to different wards in D.C., according to an official statement from D.C. Health Public Affairs Specialist Robert Mayfield.��

These 3-1-1 requests are non-emergency service requests that D.C. residents can file to government agencies online, on the mobile app, or by phone, according to DC.gov. The Department of Public Works and the Health Department’s Rodent and Vector Control Division receive these requests.

However, Rodent and Vector Control doesn’t always fulfill these promises, said Commissioner Katherine Swanson of ANC 1C09.

“Sometimes I’ll get a great response from them and they’ll fix the problem. Sometimes I will never hear anything, and then my 3-1-1 ticket gets closed, and it doesn’t seem like anything actually happened,” said Swanson.

The AdMo resident said she remembers submitting a 3-1-1 request to Rodent and Vector Control, and 30 minutes later, the agency closed her ticket because the ground was “saturated.” 

However, the AdMo resident said she doesn’t remember any rainfall that day. “It was mind-blowing to get a dismissal that quickly,” she said.

“Why is it my responsibility to then also track the weather, know when it’s okay for them to come out, and do treatments. I’m not a pest control specialist,” said the AdMo resident.

Rodent and Vector Control declined a formal interview and did not respond to specific questions sent by 91����.

When did the rats get here?

D.C. has the fastest-growing rat population in North America, outranking cities like San Francisco, Toronto, and New York City, according to a led by ecologist Johnathan Richardson.��

The pandemic may have catalyzed the increasing rat population, according to Gerard Brown, the program manager of Rodent and Vector Control, in a Feb 11 .��

People stayed at home, leading to consistent food waste, leading to a “rat baby boom,” said Gerard.

Residents and the Public Works mismanage trash, leaving bulk items, litter, and food waste in the streets, according to residents and Commissioner Swanson. Swanson and residents are in constant communication with Rodent and Vector Control, Public Works, the D.C. mayor’s office, and City Council, but little has been done to solve the problem, said Swanson.

“It’s important to note that, like, there are a lot of agencies that are doing things they are supposed to do,” said Swanson. “But no one seems to be able to figure this out, and I don’t know why.”

Communication pitfalls between agencies and residents

Holes in the communication process between government agencies make rat and trash mitigation nearly impossible, said Swanson.

Although City Council members and staff are very responsive to the commissioner’s requests, they typically forward concerns to the Department of Public Works, according to Swanson. She said this is where emails “go to die.”

“[City Council members and staff] just don’t seem to have any other, you know, helpful next step for me beyond ‘we will forward this email and try to help you follow up.’”

Ariel Ardura, director of the Council’s Committee on Public Works and Operations, told 91���� that the City Council has trouble contacting Public Works. She said the agency is missing “key roles” that helped “interface with the conflict.”

Recently, Public Works lost their chief administrative officer who acted as the public facing side of Public Works. Ardura said this could have something to do with contact issues.

There is some “cross-agency collaboration” between D.C. Health’s Rodent and Vector Control Division and the Department of Public Works to mitigate the rat issue, according to Ardura.

Audley Feemster, sanitation supervisor of Public Works’ Night Litter Can Operations, directed 91���� to Public Works representatives who could speak on inter-agency communication, but they did not return calls for comment. D.C. Health declined an interview.

When 91���� asked Ardura if the residents, Rodent and Vector Control, City Council, or Public Works are responsible for mitigating the rat issue, she said “all of the above.” Ardura said everyone must take steps to alleviate the rat problem, but some factors are difficult to control.��

“I think it’s just a big city, lots of trash, and, you know, maybe some lack of awareness among residents about how to sort of properly handle waste. That does contribute somewhat to the problem for sure,” said Ardura.

Feemster said educating the general public is important, but not exclusive to mitigating waste issues. Stiffer fines, penalties, collaboration with agencies, and cracking down on illegal dumping are necessary to improve the Adams Morgan streets, according to Feemster.

Rats and Trash are inseparable: It’s time to take responsibility

A myriad of improper trash disposal and management habits have plagued Adams Morgan over the past few years, from illegal dumping, to other miscellaneous circumstances where trash is left to rot, according to Swanson.

Illegal dumping includes littering and leaving large bulk trash items in the street, according to the

“Talking about trash is important not just cause it’s gross but because it really is what’s causing the rat problem to be a problem,” said Swanson.

Swanson shared with the Wash an ongoing two-year email chain where residents started notifying government agencies about illegal dumping behind the Meridian Hill apartment complex on Ontario Road.

Frustrations escalated when a resident sent a follow-up email to agencies in May, highlighting the evolution of illegal dumping and the growth of rat infestations behind the apartment complex since the email chain began in 2023. Grievances included lidless overflowing trash cans, bulk items and garbage dumped onto the ground, active rat nests, construction waste, and abandoned furniture.

Supervisory Code and Rodent Inspector Andre Pittman notified residents that Rodent and Vector Control sent a $6,000 fine to the property owners in May, the email chain showed. Residents responded in June that the situation hadn’t improved since the fine.

Illegal dumping escalated in Adams Morgan when Public Works uninstalled two public litter cans last year due to “abuse,” according to Swanson.��

Feemster defines “abuse” as placing household trash and commercial bulk items in and beside the public litter cans. If a public litter can is abused too often, it can be taken away.

“I’ll be frank with you, it feels really backwards to me,” Swanson said. “It’s better in the trash cans than on the street because right now it’s just going straight on the curb.”

Feemster said that adding more public litter cans isn’t the solution. “It’s just giving uneducated individuals another place to dump their debris [illegally],” he said.

Although Feemster has concerns about adding more public litter cans, Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the City Council’s CLEAN Collections Act on Jan. 16, which would require Public Works to place public litter cans in residential areas that are adjacent to commercial areas, according to Ardura.��

The act goes into effect tomorrow, Oct. 1.

When 91���� asked Swanson what she thought about the CLEAN Collections Act, she said she’s skeptical it will happen.

 “It would have been helpful for [the Department of Public Works], to mention that one time, or any of the times that we asked them about, public litter cans,” said Swanson.

The post Rats! They’re all over Adams Morgan, but who’s to blame? first appeared on 91����.

Approximately 7,000 attended Adams Morgan Day on Sunday, Sept. 14, according to Barden. In previous years, when 18th Street was closed,  Adams Morgan Day drew thousands more participants.

Adams Morgan Day celebrated its 47th anniversary as one of the oldest continuously running festivals in D.C., according to the festival’s official . The festival brings businesses, artists, service organizations, music, and the community together for celebration. 

Adams Morgan Partnership BID sponsors the Adams Morgan Community Alliance, the official organization of Adams Morgan Day.

“It’s hard when you’re not closing the street to get in the crowds. In Porch Fest, when we close the street, we get around 50,000 [participants],” said Barden. PorchFest is an annual music festival, also sponsored by Adams Morgan Partnership BID.

Adams Morgan Main Street ran Adams Morgan Day until “their funding dried up about 10 years ago,” according to Barden. 

Barden said volunteers from the area created the Adams Morgan Community Alliance to replace Adams Morgan Main Street. Now, Adams Morgan Day is run entirely by volunteers, according to the Adams Morgan Day website.

Angie Whitehurst, community fellow of the American University Humanities Truck, remembers the inception of Adams Morgan Day. 

“It was the best festival in town,” Whitehurst said. “This year is very scaled down because of economics, budgeting, and the city prices.”

Barden said the cost of creating a pedestrian zone hasn’t changed much over the past few years. She said that it typically costs approximately $50,000 total to shut down the area of 18th St between Columbia and Kalorama Roads.

Business in Adams Morgan was largely unaffected by the event, according to Barden, saying “it was about the same as any other Sunday.” 

Similar to Barden, Rise Bakery Manager Laprea Roberson said business wasn’t any different: a typical slow Sunday. According to Roberson, the pedestrian zone definitely brought more people into the bakery.

“I remember from past Adams Morgan days when we had the street blocked, we did have lots of business.” Said Roberson. 

Despite the turnout, the Adams Morgan Day hotspots still seemed busy. At around 2:00 p.m., approximately 40 people were in Kalorama Park to watch Reggae live, more than 30 were listening to live music in Jubilee Park, and large crowds of people were packed shoulder to shoulder in the Artisan Stroll: the reserved area for vendors.

The pre-festival activities were also crowded.  More than 30 people followed Eddie Becker around the neighborhood for his Deep History Tour at 10:00 a.m., and the Go-Go Fitness stage was filled with dancers at 11:30 a.m.

Many participants didn’t seem to notice that 18th Street wasn’t shut down. When 91���� asked Jamal Love, owner of Art of Love Gallery, what he noticed about Adams Morgan Day, he said he loves “the aspect of having an event like this in a community. The people like it, and attend it.”

“The reason why I love Adam’s Morgan day is because not one person can claim ownership over it,” said social media volunteer Tara Vassefi. “It’s been great for us (The Adams Morgan Community Alliance) to do it (Adams Morgan Day) how we went to do it.”

The post Lack of pedestrian zone reduces Adams Morgan Day foot traffic first appeared on 91����.

The vendor coordinator told 91���� that two vendors set up their booths in front of a Capital Bikeshare docking station. The officer told the vendors they needed to relocate, but according to the vendor coordinator, Adams Morgan Day organizers had a permit to use the space in front of the docking stations. The coordinator declined to offer her name because of privacy concerns.

Vendors Kyra and Zach tried to reason with the officer and moved their booths to provide access to parts of the docking station. According to Kyra, this wasn’t enough. The officer became confrontational.

Citing privacy concerns, Kyra and Zach declined to provide their last names.

“He (the officer) said, ‘You need to shut up because you’re making it worse,’” Kyra told 91����. After a heated verbal disagreement between Kyra and the officer, the officer kicked Zach’s table to the ground.

Kyra said the last thing a vendor wants is for “someone from the city acting like they’re crazy.”

“It seems like he came in here just wanting to cause problems,” Kyra said.

The vendors asked a vendor coordinator for guidance while the parking enforcement officer brought a nearby police officer to the scene. The vendor coordinator said that the parking enforcement officer was “just being rude.”

The police officer confirmed to the vendors that the Adams Morgan Day permit allowed vendors to park in front of the docking stations, according to Kyra.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department, no official police report of the incident was filed. No photos were taken of the parking enforcement officer.

Parking enforcement told 91���� that parking enforcement officers don’t regulate parking on Sundays unless there is a special event; if the event has a permit for the space, the officer cannot force the vendors to move, even if they are blocking Capital Bikeshare docking stations.

According to Kristen Barden, executive director of the Adams Morgan Partnership BID, around  7,000 people attended Adams Morgan Day.

The event was scattered all across the neighborhood: reggae played at Kalorama Park, artists sang at Jubilee Plaza, and vendors, sports clubs, and activist groups set up tents in the Marie Reed Elementary School Artisan Stroll. 

The post Parking enforcement officer kicks down vendor table at Adams Morgan Day first appeared on 91����.