In the News

Could Memorial Day see largest gathering of EVs in DC in a century?

Autoblog Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Almost a century ago, in 1914, the Electric Vehicle Association of America gathered in D.C. for the "Electric Sociability Run." In their electric cars, the 54 drivers traveled 14 miles in an hour and fifteen minutes (they made cars different back then) to Rock Creek Park, where they had a picnic.

Now, a group of EV owners is aiming to recreate the original "run" of 99 years ago. They'll meet up on Memorial Day and drive to Rock Creek Park for a picnic, contests, and more. The organizers hope it will be the largest gathering of electric car owners since that 1914 run, though if the group's Meetup page is any indication, they will overshoot the 1914 attendance by a fair amount.

Read more here.

CaBi gets Gothamist writer to reluctantly compliment DC

Gothamist Wednesday, May 08, 2013

Who would have thought it possible? With New York set to get its own bikesharing system from the makers of Capital Bikeshare, a Gothamist writer trekked down to D.C. to see how our system works. And the kicker? The system, despite some of its flaws, elicited a begrudging compliment or two out of the New Yorker.

Ok, so the piece still included the line, "New York is not D.C., and thank god for that." But Lauren Evans liked the bike-finding app, the sturdiness of the bikes, and (sorta) liked how the bikes are rebalanced to ensure there's always a few bikes and a few empty docks where you need to go. "Citi Bike has assured patrons that it will be redistributing bikes from full racks to empty ones regularly. I hope it works better here than it does in D.C.—fisticuffs will ensue," she wrote. She must have tried a heavily-trafficked route; yours truly hasn't been "dockblocked" in months.

Read more here.

PBS MediaShift blog profiles the effort to set DC's laws free

Mediashift Wednesday, May 08, 2013

Until recently, D.C.'s laws were locked up. The city claims its laws are copyrighted, so the only way to actually know what laws say was to go to a library (hoping they had a physical copy of the code), pay almost $1000 to LexisNexis, or use a website that web advocates say is "awful."

Then Public.Resource.org bought the code, scanned it, and put it online, in a move hailed by online activists.

MediaShift covered the story and the why here.

Importantly, what Public Resource did could be considered copyright violation, and it's still possible that either the District or LexisNexis could take legal action against the distribution of the city's laws. But when the laws of a city are available for its citizens to peruse, that can only be a good thing.

USGS: Fixing the Watts Branch tributary contributed $6 million to local economy

U.S. Geological Survey Wednesday, May 08, 2013

Restoring the Watts Branch tributary of the Anacostia River has created 45 jobs, $2.6 million in local labor income and $3.4 million in intangible value to the local economy, a new study from the U.S. Geological Survey says.

Watts Branch starts in Prince George's County and travels five miles to the Anacostia. The restoration took place from 2010 to 2011, fixing the sediment deposition issues (the stream was depositing 1,500 tons of sediment into the Anacostia each year) as well as relocating and updating sewer lines to prevent leaks. The stream now supports wildlife and even a local nonprofit, Washington Parks and People, which is using the stream as a "living classroom."

Read more here.

9:30 Club named best venue in America by Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone Monday, May 06, 2013

Rolling Stone magazine has dubbed the 9:30 Club the best large music venue in the country.

"Playing the 1,200-capacity club has remained a rite of passage for indie acts on the rise," Rolling Stone says. "Says Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump, 'It's got so much character, you wonder if the locals know how lucky they are.'"

Get your hands on the hard-to-find documentary 930 F Street (a little on that here) for all you'll ever need to know about the venue, its history, its previous location, and the infamous "930 Club smell."

DC is second-best city for college grads

USA Today Friday, April 26, 2013

After New York, D.C. is perhaps the best city for college graduates, according to new rankings by Apartment Guide and published in USA Today.

With plenty of jobs for young, eager entry-level workers and a social atmosphere (USA Today spoke to a recent grad who sang the praises of happy hours and kickball leagues), the city is--as would be evident to anyone who actually lives here--not just the domain of buttoned-up lobbyists and lawmakers on the Hill.

Read the full rankings here.

Baltimore food trucks lend support to DC

Baltimore Sun Thursday, April 25, 2013

The Baltimore Sun is reporting that eight food truck associations including one representing Baltimore have signed a letter in support of the Food Truck Association of Metropolitan Washington, which is currently fighting proposed regulations that would limit where food trucks could vend downtown.

The letter, addressed to the D.C. council, says that the proposed regulations represent "some of the worst food truck laws in the country" and urges councilmembers to "reject the Mayor's proposed regulations and send them back to the drawing board."

Read more here.

Washington area companies raise lots of VC

Daily Deal Media Thursday, April 25, 2013

Companies in the D.C. area collectively raised more venture capital in the first quarter of 2013 than they had in the past 18 months, according to a new report.

Companies in the metropolitan area raised $286.3 million in 30 deals, a 30 percent increase over the first quarter of 2012.

That includes a $110 million investment in LivingSocial, which surely pumps up the District's numbers a bit. However, according to Brad Phillips at PricewaterhouseCoopers, which compiled the data, " I guess the reason we are so optimistic on the performance of the D.C. market for this quarter is we came up significantly when nationally venture dollars were down."

In addition, 12 of the 30 investments went to early-stage companies.

Read more here.

Local nonprofit featured on All Things Considered

NPR's All Things Considered Monday, April 22, 2013

"Life Pieces to Masterpieces" is an organization that helps young boys in D.C.'s Ward 7 express themselves through art. It's a place where they can share their fears--about growing up in a ward whose youth make up 23 percent of all youth in D.C.'s juvenile detention system. It's a place where the boys can share their hopes--about becoming pro athletes or doctors or more.

The program was recently featured on NPR's All Things Considered. Listen to the segment, or read the story, here.

DC region has high percentage of tax cheats

AOL DailyFinance Monday, April 15, 2013

Small business owners in the suburbs of Washington are more likely to cheat on their taxes than elsewhere in the country, according to a new study by the National Taxpayer Advocate.

The Advocate runs a separate office inside the IRS and used confidential IRS data to try to identify cheats, in an effort to learn why some taxpayers are more likely to cheat than others.

The IRS also uses the data to decide where to target their audits, so while you think you may be done with your taxes for this year, don't breathe easy just yet.

The study also found that large clusters of tax cheats can be found in Beverly Hills and Newport Beach in California, in Houston, and in Atlanta.

Read more here.

Relay Foods' funding round seen in TechCrunch

TechCrunch Monday, April 15, 2013

Relay Foods, the online grocer that sells conventional bananas and cereal next to organic milk and locally sourced quail eggs, has raised $8.25 million in new funding to help it expand into the District, build a mobile app and redesign its website.

Relay, based in Charlottesville, Va., already employs about 100 people, but has "large-scale" plans to expand its operations staff in D.C. and Baltimore.

The funding round was covered in TechCrunch.

If you're hungry for more about Relay Foods, read our feature on the company.

Startups concentrate in DC

Fast Company Monday, April 15, 2013

D.C. has the highest number of startups per million residents, according to new data from Startup America and Angellist, analyzed by Fast Company.

Not only did the District have the highest concentration of startups, but we have the second highest rate of Fundable entrepreneurs per million residents, as calculated by crowdfunding site Fundable.com.

The District also has the highest number of investors on Fundable per capita, proving that the District's startup scene is just short of crazy right now.

Read more here.

Silverdocs expands to DC; renamed AFI Docs

Variety Friday, April 12, 2013

Variety is reporting that the famed documentary festival Silverdocs is outgrowing its Silver Spring location.

The event was launched ten years ago at the AFI Theater and Cultural Center. But this year, in addition to screening new documentaries at the Silver Spring venue, the festival will show films on the National Mall and in the Penn Quarter area, Variety says.

“AFI Docs will bring film artists to the forefront of a dialogue with our nation’s leaders,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. “History has proven that great change in civil societies is often, if not always, catalyzed by art. It is this that inspires us to be in Washington, DC with storytellers whose voices serve as catalysts for action.”

Read more here.

DC is nation's seventh-most-walkable city

Huffington Post Thursday, April 11, 2013

Washington D.C. is the nation's seventh "most walkable" city, according to Walkscore.com. D.C. beat out Oakland, Calif., Minneapolis, Minn., and Miami, Fla., to claim the spot behind Seattle, Wash., Philadelphia, Penn., and more.

Within D.C., Dupont Circle nabbed the honor of "most walkable neighborhood," followed by the West End and downtown, Penn Quarter, and Logan Circle.

Read more here.

Cherry blossom 'light paintings' show same old trees in new light

Atlantic Cities Wednesday, April 10, 2013

For jaded Washingtonians, cherry blossom season is notable only for the month-long respite from weekend track work on Metro. Come on, you may be saying. We've seen 'em before. And there are too many tourists. Standing on the wrong side of the escalators, clogging the sidewalks around the Tidal Basin. Ugh. Spare us.

However, these gorgeous photos of the cherry trees--taken at night by a photographer using a flashlight to illuminate the blossoms from below--are something new. We (almost) guarantee you've never seen anything like them before. And they just may give you a new appreciation for these Washington icons. See the pictures at The Atlantic Cities.