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Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013 1:37 p.m.

Dense crowds hinder views of inaugural parade

by The GW Hatchet

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Rachael Gerendasy

Viewers struggled to catch a glimpse of the inaugural parade, which had a sluggish start thanks to a 45-minute delay, as thousands lined up along Pennsylvania Avenue Monday.

President Barack Obama and the first family began their march near the Navy Memorial on 7th Street after vendors and spectators had already crammed the route – spanning from the Capitol building to the White House – since early morning. The parade was originally slated to start at 2:30 p.m., but the inaugural luncheon pushed the procession’s kick-off to 3:15.

Ticket-holders huddled around entrance gates, straining to see the floats and marching bands, and some chose to go home early. Frustrated attendees argued with security, saying their tickets should have assured them access to the sights.

Parade performers included the Georgia State University marching band, the Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps, and the Lesbian and Gay Band Association of St. Louis. Ashley Lucas | Assistant Photo Editor

Christen Fraser from Orlando, Fla. said he had expected a large crowd, but he still had hoped he would get a peek at the president in the flesh.

“That’s why I came out here today,” Fraser said.

Students had trouble not only snagging a spot with a view, but also maneuvering among the 8,800 attendees.

“We came to see the parade but we can’t get in because of security. It’s such a long line,” Evan Doynow, a junior, said.

Groups showcased in the parade included the Georgia State University marching band, the Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps, and the Lesbian and Gay Band Association of St. Louis. Some students managed to stay optimistic despite the drawbacks from the packed streets.

“I’m just here to experience all of it,” freshman Aleah Brown said. “Even if I don’t get to see anything. I just want to be here for history.”

- Tiana Pigford contributed to this report

 

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Monday, Jan. 7, 2013 10:16 p.m.

Secret Service details inauguration security measures

by Cory Weinberg

The U.S. Secret Service released Inauguration Day security details Monday, two weeks before visitors swarm the National Mall for President Barack Obama’s swearing-in.

Barack and Michelle Obama walked along the inaugural parade route in 2009. Obama’s second swearing-in is expected to bring about 800,000 people to D.C. – a million fewer than his first. Photo used under the Wikimedia Commons license

Whether you snagged a ticket to attend the inaugural address on the Capitol grounds – or you’re without a ticket and will be watching from the National Mall – backpacks are prohibited. Alcohol, signs, portable chairs and umbrellas are also banned.

The non-ticketed area of the National Mall starts at 4th Street and could flood back as far as the Washington Monument.

The event will also cause several road closures on or near campus. Starting Jan. 20, K Street and 23rd Street each will have limited vehicle access, and 18th Street will block off starting Jan. 21.

The inaugural parade will follow Obama’s swearing-in ceremony. Parade attendees must go through security screenings, but some smaller bags and signs are permitted.

The closest entry point near campus for the parade route is at 14th and E streets. The procession will go along Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House.

You can use Metro’s inauguration website to find your best route to the events.

 

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Sunday, June 24, 2012 11:33 p.m.

Froggy Bottom Pub to shift one block north in February

by Matthew Kwiecinski

Froggy Bottom Pub will leave its 2142 Pennsylvania Ave. location over winter break and reopen at 2120 K St., one block away. Hatchet File Photo

Correction appended

Froggy Bottom Pub will move one block north of the campus landmark’s Pennsylvania Avenue home Feb. 1.

The bar and restaurant’s fate became uncertain after GW announced plans in November to demolish seven properties along the block in 2014 to create office space. Owner Hien Bui said she placed a security deposit for the 2021 K St. site Friday, securing the space as Froggy’s new home.

“It’s about time to change, and as long as the Frog is the Frog, it won’t be as hard as we think,” Bui said. “It will be a local bar to serve the community and college. It won’t be as dingy as this place, but it will still have the relaxing atmosphere, like you feel you are in your mom’s kitchen.”

With half-priced pizza and beer specials every Monday, Froggy has become a campus staple.

The traditional college pub atmosphere will carry over to the new location, along with the classic menu options like pho, burgers, pizza and cheap beer, Bui said. The lunchtime will see expanded offerings, like steak and salmon.

“At lunchtime we want to appeal to businesspeople, but at night we want to appeal to the college crowd,” Bui said, adding that the only adjustment for students would be “a new table and a new chair.”

The Buis bought the nearly three-decade-old college bar in 1999 with fewer than $10,000 in their savings account, after taking out a loan on their home and borrowing money from friends.

Junior Catherine Sangster said eating a final meal at Froggy’s Pennsylvania Avenue location is on her bucket list of to-dos before the summer’s end, as she plans to study abroad this fall. She said she even took her parents to the pub during Colonials Weekend.

“After being a frequent Froggy customer since I got to GW, it is a place that makes GW feel like home to me,” Sangster said. “I’m really looking forward to coming back after my abroad experience and seeing what they will have done with the new location, and all the new students that will appreciate Froggy as much as I do.”

Graduate student Jason Lifton, who also earned his bachelor’s degree from GW in 2011, called Froggy “as much a staple of GW’s campus as the Marvin Center or Thurston Hall” and said he is relieved the new location is nearby.

“Since [Froggy's] new location is only a block or so north of where they are currently located, I have no fear that Hien and Juan Bui will continue to keep GW students fed and happy far into the future,” he said.

This post was updated Sept. 20, 2012 to reflect the following:

The Hatchet incorrectly reported that Froggy Bottom Pub would relocate to 2120 K St. It will move to 2021 K St.

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Thursday, March 1, 2012 5:33 p.m.

University files zoning for Pennsylvania Avenue redevelopment

by The GW Hatchet
Pennsylvania Avenue, Froggy Bottom Pub, rendering

Rendering courtesy of the Office of Community Relations.

This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Danielle Telson.

The University released detailed plans Friday for a new office building on Pennsylvania Avenue that will replace a cluster of townhouses and commercial space.

The detailed designs filed with the D.C. Office of Zoning bring GW a step closer to tearing down an office at 2100 W Pennsylvania Ave. and two neighboring University buildings, as well as Froggy Bottom Pub, Thai Place, Panda Café and Mehran Restaurant.

Sara Bardin, director of the D.C Office of Zoning, said the project is being referred to the city’s Office of Planning for review this week. GW must receive a green light from the zoning commission to move forward with the site’s development.

Developer selection for the sleek 255,550-square foot office building will begin in mid-2013, according to the documents. Construction is estimated begin in early 2014 and last 24 months.

The building will include sustainable features, like a green roof, and will collect rainfall. It will also include 183 below-ground parking spaces and 50 bicycle spots.

The project follows a model similar to that of The Avenue – redeveloping a property for commercial use to draw in more revenue for the University’s academic programs, facilities and financial aid. A price tag has not yet been determined, University spokeswoman Michelle Sherrard said, adding that costs are typically calculated after meeting with a developer.

GW first announced plans to demolish buildings along the block in November, after learning that health care center Kaiser Permanente, the tenant at 2100 W Pennsylvania Ave., plans to relocate in late 2012. The 2007 Campus Plan outlined future demolition of the townhouses but the University must gain approval from the zoning commission to redevelop the building where Kaiser Permanente operates.

Alumnus and Foggy Bottom and West End Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Asher Corson railed against the project then, calling the commercial property a profit-maker that strays from GW’s academic mission.

He suggested the commission bring on legal counsel to evaluate GW’s development projects, a request that led the group to allocate $2,000 at its February meeting to hire an attorney specializing in zoning laws.

“I can remember as a student I had classes throughout every year when I was a student at GW that were blocks and blocks off campus,” Corson said. “The student health center is off campus still. Here is a major building on campus and instead of using it for the needed classroom space and instead of using it to house a student health center, which I would say should be on campus for the sake of the student body, GW is going to go and use this property to make money.”

Corson said the redevelopment of the block would eliminate several affordable neighborhood restaurants and the University should seek out dining options that are low-cost – on which young professionals and retired individuals in the area rely – when the building is erected.

Sherrard said GW is committed to maintaining a positive relationship with neighbors.

“The process of engaging with nearby building tenants and the community has begun and will continue throughout the planning process,” she said.

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Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011 1:39 p.m.

Police shut down Pennsylvania Avenue Saturday

by The GW Hatchet

Early Saturday morning, the Metropolitan Police Department shut down the area around 25th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue because of a suspicious package. The area was closed off for more than an hour and cars were diverted down 25th Street.

MPD installs flares at 25th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, blocking cars from going into Georgetown at 12:20 a.m. Gabriella Demczuk | Staff Hatchet Photographer

Police block students from walking down penn ave on the corner of 25th Street. Gabriella Demczuk | Staff Hatchet Photographer

A man lays on the street after a Metropolitan Police officer knocked him from his bike after the bicyclist attempted to pass the blockade. Gabriella Demczuk | Staff Hatchet Photographer

Cars drive away from 25th Street and Pennsylvania after police set up a barricade because of a suspicious package. Gabriella Demczuk | Staff Hatchet Photographer

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Monday, May 2, 2011 11:35 a.m.

Students storm White House gates to celebrate bin Laden’s death

by Priya Anand

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Kelsey Martinez.

Correction appended

Thousands of students shut their books and flocked to the White House following President Barack Obama’s announcement of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s death.

At about 11 p.m., revelers draped in flags were already swarming the gates, shouting “U.S.A, U.S.A!” and singing the national anthem in celebration of the death of the long-sought terrorist.

American forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan killed the al-Qaeda top-man Monday, Obama said in a late night address from the White House.

Freshman John Kelley from northern New Jersey said towns neighboring his home were affected by the Sept. 11 attacks.

“My best friend lost family,” Kelley said. “When I found out about this around 10:30 p.m., my knees went weak and I called my friend and told him I loved him, packed up my books and within five minutes I came here.”

The spirited crowd grew larger throughout the course of the night, extending to the back of Lafayette Park. Some students could be seen climbing trees and light posts while waving American flags.

Sophomore Davey Knific stormed the White House as well and said the excitement represented a celebration of America as a nation.

“We’re here celebrating someone’s death, which is a negative thing, but we’re celebrating our country as a whole,” Knific said. “There is unity whether you are Democrat, Republican or Independent.”

Sophomore Daniel Bassali drove home to Fairfax, Va. for the weekend, but upon hearing the news of bin Laden’s death, he immediately drove back to campus and ran to the White House despite a sprained ankle.

“It’s not that the war on terror is at all over, but this gives us a sense of closure,” Bassali said.

This post was updated May 2, 2011 to reflect the following:

The Hatchet incorrectly spelled freshman John Kelley’s name as Kelli. The correct spelling now appears in this post.

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Tuesday, March 1, 2011 8:14 p.m.

D.C. Council member seeks new name for Pennsylvania Avenue

by Amy D'Onofrio

A D.C. Council member is proposing to rename Pennsylvania Avenue to draw attention to the District’s continuing fight for statehood and full voting rights.

At-Large Council member Michael A. Brown is surveying residents to determine what ceremonial name the famous street should have, the Associated Press reported last week. Options include “51st State Way,” “Give DC Full Democracy Way,” and four other names.

“Our city hosts streets named after all the states in the country, yet the residents of those very streets are denied the full democratic rights that Statehood offers,” the survey reads.

Brown’s survey is open to only D.C. residents, and it notes that the renaming isn’t officially changing the famous avenue’s name – it would only be a ceremonial designation.

The survey also asks if Constitution and Independence Avenues should be renamed, as well as the city’s gateway signs welcoming visitors to D.C.

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Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2010 9:24 a.m.

Water main break reported at Pennsylvania Avenue and 22nd Street

by Amy D'Onofrio

A water main break at Pennsylvania Avenue and 22nd Street this morning has closed down parts of the streets, and buildings in the area may experience low water pressure, according to a Campus Advisory.

Pennsylvania Avenue is now closed from Washington Circle to 21st Street, and 22nd Street is closed from Eye Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, according to the advisory.

The Campus Advisory was released at about 7 a.m. Tuesday.

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Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2010 3:43 p.m.

Sexual assault reported near Washington Circle

by Amy D'Onofrio

Updated 6:49 p.m.

A woman reported that she was sexually assaulted by an unknown man near Washington Circle early Wednesday morning, a Metropolitan Police Department spokesman said.

Lt. Nicholas Breul said at about 1:45 a.m. a woman reported that a man forced a woman in her 20s to have “sexual intercourse against her will” in the 2300 Block of Pennsylvania Avenue. This area is near City Hall.

Breul is unable to comment if the woman is a student at GW, citing laws about victim’s privacy.

Breul suspect in the case is described as a Hispanic man, about 5’8” to 5’9” and about 135 to 140 pounds with short, black hair. He was wearing a black jacket and blue jeans. As of Wednesday evening, MPD has not made an arrest in this case.

A Crime Alert was sent to the GW community late Wednesday evening, after MPD informed the University Police Department of the crime Wednesday.

“The safety of the GW community is a top priority for GWPD. In the event of a serious incident which may pose an on-going threat to members of the GW community, a blast email Crime Alert is sent to students and employees on campus,” UPD Chief Kevin Hay said. “ In this particular case, GWPD learned of the alleged assault today from the Metropolitan Police Department. Once we received details of the crime, GWPD issued a crime alert.”

The crime occurred “outside on the street,” Breul said. He reminded students that at “2’oclock in the morning, Pennsylvania Avenue is a pretty desolate place” and encouraged students to be “very aware of their surroundings.”

This conflicts earlier reports from the Examiner who said the crime occurred Tuesday morning.

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Wednesday, July 22, 2009 5:54 p.m.

Boy robbed by armed juveniles on Pennsylvania Avenue, MPD report says

by Gabrielle Bluestone

Three males who appeared to be juveniles robbed a 15-year-old boy on Pennsylvania Avenue near 26th Street last Wednesday, according to a Metropolitan Police Department report.

The alleged victim was walking on the street at 6 p.m. when the three males approached him, according to the report. One of the males asked him, “What do you have in your pockets?” and lifted his shirt to reveal a black handgun, the report states. The victim gave him $5 and the three males ran south down 26th Street.

MPD is trying to crack down on robberies in the Foggy Bottom area, where 16 violent crimes have occurred since May 16, according to data from the MPD crime map Web site. At an Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2A meeting earlier this month, MPD’s Sgt. Dustin Nevel said many of the robberies occur during the evening rush hour from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and that Pennsylvania Avenue is a popular spot because of its proximity to the Foggy Bottom Metro station.

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