The Early Bird

By Jennifer Deseo | Dec 28, 2009

Employees at Penguin HQ had an assload of fun this year keeping the publication afloat day after day. That’s why we’re rolling out some of our favorite stories of 2009. Don’t call them reruns or leftovers or filler. Instead, let’s call them “encore” publications.

Of course, there were more serious stories to consider. There was the Red Line crash in June that killed nine people and created an all-new circle of hell for commuters. An endless debate over whether to build a pedestrian bridge over Wayne Avenue pitted drivers against walkers. And in November, a pedestrian died after being struck by a car on 16th Street, drawing even more attention to the clash between people and cars in downtown Silver Spring.

Here’s hoping the good outshines the bad, and that the bad leads us to do better.

 
1 Comments

This (Long) Weekend

By Jennifer Deseo | Dec 24, 2009

The Penguin newsroom survived this year’s Airing of Grievances, but the Feats of Strength part of Festivus is usually an abject failure. Blame our lack of upper body strength.

Happy Festivus to all!

Thursday

All day. Metro expands its bus service to BWI-Marshall and Dulles airports. Click here for more information.

Friday

All day. The county observes Christmas. All county offices, courts, libraries and liquor stores are closed. Parking at county-operated garages, lots and curbside meters is free; mass transit operates on a Sunday schedule.

Saturday

All day. The Mayorga Coffee Factory (8040 Georgia Ave) offers free coffee and espresso drinks during morning and midday hours. This offer ends Dec 31, when the company closes its South Silver Spring coffee house.

Sunday

7:00 p.m. The Sonic Circuits Festival of Experimental Music presents performances by slicnaton, Mahlon Hoard, and Violet with BLK. This event takes place at the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center (8230 Georgia Ave); tickets are $7 each.

 
0 Comments

New ped path bisects South Silver Spring block

By Jennifer Deseo | Dec 23, 2009
Photo: Evan Glass, of the South Silver Spring Neighborhood Association, speaks at the opening of Bottleworks Lane. Courtesy of Jason Gedeik.

Photo: Evan Glass, of the South Silver Spring Neighborhood Association, speaks at the opening of Bottleworks Lane. Courtesy of Jason Gedeik.

County officials and residents last Friday celebrated the opening of a new roadway and pedestrian path connecting two South Silver Spring streets.

“We’ve hit the trifecta,” MoCo council prez-elect Nancy Floreen (D-At large) said of the newly constructed Bottleworks Lane. The one-way, southbound street connecting East-West Highway and Kennett Street “improves pedestrian safety, promotes business and helps to make Silver Spring a generally great place to live.” she said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Other big wigs at the ceremony included MoCo exec Ike Leggett (D), US Rep Chris Van Hollen (D-Md 8), and State Sen Jamie Raskin (D-20). “Southside Evan” Glass, friend of The Penguin and president of the South Silver Spring Neighborhood Association, and Reemberto Rodriguez, director of Silver Spring’s regional center, were also there. (more…)

Tagged with: ,
 
3 Comments

Storm is over, but snow lingers in Silver Spring

By Jennifer Deseo | Dec 22, 2009
Photo: Thanks for not shoveling the sidewalk, asshole. Credit: J. Deseo/SSP.

Photo: Thanks for not shoveling the sidewalk, asshole. Credit: J. Deseo/SSP.

The snow dumped by this weekend’s gangbuster storm is off the main roadways, though residential streets could use a touch-up, the county’s transportation department reported Tuesday.

The area’s emergency routes, bus routes, and main roadways were passable after Saturday’s storm unleashed 21 inches of powder in Silver Spring, the transportation department announced in a press release. By Monday night, Colesville Road, Georgia Avenue and East-West Highway in downtown Silver Spring were back in business, though rush-hour traffic was lighter than usual.

However, residential streets were still in need of a snow plow’s scrape despite an initial visit. The transportation department’s goal was “to make every residential street passable — not to necessarily clear them to bare pavement,” the press statement read. The department will continue to plow and spread “abrasives” onto those streets until conditions improve, it added. (more…)

Tagged with: ,
 
15 Comments

Snow storm smothers downtown Silver Spring

By Jennifer Deseo | Dec 21, 2009

UPDATE — A weekend storm delivered as promised, dumping between 15 and 20 inches throughout greater Silver Spring.

Photo: East-West Highway was tough to manage in the middle of a snowpocalypse. Courtesy of Jeff Lautenberger.

Photo: East-West Highway was tough to manage in the middle of Saturday's snowpocalypse. Courtesy of Jeff Lautenberger.

“Just measured the front and back yards — 17 inches so far for Silver Spring!” reported @platinumforests via Twitter around 4:00 p.m. Saturday. By 6:00 p.m. that evening, she was calling it a cool 21 inches.

Official measurements from the National Weather Service put snow accumulations at 15 inches at Reagan National Airport, and 20 inches at Baltimore Marshall Airport.

Meanwhile, weather wreaked havoc on mass transit. By 1:00 p.m. Saturday, Metro rail’s outdoor stations and bus service were in the crapper, and MoCo’s Ride-On bus service was down by 3:00 p.m., according to press statements. Many downtown shops, like the Whole Foods Market on Wayne Avenue, closed early as well. (more…)

Tagged with: , ,
 
9 Comments

The Early Bird

By Jennifer Deseo | Dec 21, 2009

I have to question the wisdom of holding civic meetings only a few days before a holiday. Kudos to those with the drive to attend, but I’ll be straight up: The Penguin staff will be too busy mainlining eggnog to show up.

It’s not that we don’t care. We do, sorta. But after eleven and a half months of big-wig media events, county council meetings, pounding the downtown pavement, and squeezing into the Silver Spring regional center’s shoe box of a conference room, we need a damn break.

Knock yourselves out with this week’s calendar of events: (more…)

 
0 Comments
« Previous Entries Next Entries »
Go To Top »
Site Meter