Here is the text from her February 2013 MidCityDC (we'll get to her March 2013 Bloomingdale Business page in a short while).
Petition Crops Up to Support Dog Park
Depending on who you ask, a new dog park may be coming to the Bloomingdale area. A group of area residents calling themselves the ``Eckington Dog Park Association`` started a petition in January to build a dog park on the grounds of the Harry Thomas Recreation Center.
The group is asking the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation to set aside land for a dog park as the department considers redesign plans for the Play DC program, a city-wide playground improvement project. The dog park advocacy group reached out to John Stokes, chief of staff at D.C. Parks and Recreation, to identify possible sites for the dog park. Thus far, the group has narrowed down two different sites for a 5,000 square foot dog park.
But everyone isn`t so happy about the addition of a dog park. In mid-January, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Joyce Robinson-Paul began collected signatures on petitions opposing the dog park. Robinson-Paul did not immediately respond to MidCity DC for comments. It should be noted that Robinson-Paul is not the neighborhood commissioner for Eckington.
More Legislation from Councilmember McDuffie
At the start of the year, Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie introduced three bills aimed at promoting campaign finance reform and economic activity. Working with Chairman Phil Mendelson, McDuffie introduced the ``Money Order Tiered Contribution Limit Amendment Act of 2013,`` a bill that could limit money order contributions an individual can contribute to a political candidate. The bill creates a system of caps on the maximum amount of a money order contribution to a political campaign.
``It is imperative that the Council take serious action toward campaign finance reform,`` said McDuffie in a press release. ``It`s important that we balance the desire for political participation with the regulation of money orders, which have been used as a means to conceal the identity of the underlying donor. This approach allows donors to utilize money orders in an amount proportional to the scope of the race they are supporting, and discourages those who seek to use money orders to conceal donor identity.``
Next, Councilmember McDuffie, along with Councilmembers Tommy Wells and David Grosso, introduced the ``Distillery Pub Licensure Act of 2013,`` a bill that creates a distillery pub license, to capitalize on the rise of local handcrafted small-batch breweries and spirit distilleries that have popped up in D.C.
``The District is considered one of the most brewery dense areas in the country, and I am pleased that many of these breweries are located in Ward 5,`` said McDuffie. ``This bill will bring a significant economic impact to our Ward and the city by creating new jobs and tax revenue generated by increased sales of craft distilled spirits.``
Finally, McDuffie introduced the ``Medical Marijuana Cultivation Center and Dispensary Location Restriction Amendment Act of 2013,`` a bill created to quell neighborhood fears that Ward 5 will become saturated with marijuana cultivation centers and dispensaries. The legislation would limit the number of cultivation centers and dispensaries that may locate in the ward.
``It is important not to allow these cultivation centers and dispensaries to disproportionately fall upon one Ward,`` said McDuffie. ``The residents of my ward consider the location of five cultivation centers and one dispensary to be more than their fair share. Ensuring that cultivation centers and dispensaries are equitably distributed across the city`s wards will facilitate both balance and access.``
The legislation would allow for two dispensaries per ward. At this writing, five of the six cultivation centers approved for registration in the city are located in Ward 5.
Orchestra, Mayor Celebrate Emancipation Proclamation Anniversary
On Sunday, January 13, 2013, the National Symphony Orchestra teamed up with the Florida Avenue Baptist Church Choir to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation with a moving concert for the second annual ``In Your Neighborhood`` concert series.
The event series, which took place at landmark locations in the U Street, Shaw, Logan Circle and Howard University neighborhoods, recognized the significance of the 1863 proclamation that freed slaves in Confederate territory. D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray attended the event, and local WUSA newswoman Andrea McCarren was spotted with at the church with her family.
As part of the concert, the Florida Avenue Baptist Church Choir and the National Symphony Orchestra performed ``Emancipation Jubilation,`` an original composition by Florida Avenue Baptist Church Minister William H. Sydnor, Sr.
The concert featured songs and hymns from the African Diaspora, as well as readings from the writings of former slaves. Bruce Henderson, director of the Olton Singing Society, served as the conductor of the church concert.
``We have been greatly honored to participate in an event so significant to our nation`s history,`` said Rita Shapiro, director of the National Symphony Orchestra.
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