Thursday, September 16, 2010

what's up the pike: so nice, we had to do it twice (updated)


Hilton Ga_den _nn
How could we forget?- Oprah will be the first talk-show host to interview hostages held by gunman James Lee at the Discovery Building in downtown Silver Spring earlier this month. Check it out on your local ABC station at 4pm today.

- Go-go pioneer Chuck Brown will play on Ellsworth Drive in downtown Silver Spring next Tuesday at noon. Or will he? Brown's website says the show will go on, but a "new location" has yet to be announced. It doesn't help that Gazette reporter Jeanette Der Bedrosian automatically compares Brown's forthcoming show to a go-go concert last spring where dozens of people were arrested. Seriously? Chuck Brown may put on a wild show, but I doubt that his fans will be rioting on Ellsworth.

- - We've got lots of new elected officials after yesterday's primary election, but there are a few I'm especially happy to see taking office. New District 14 delegate Eric Luedtke (pictured at right) and at-large County Councilmember Hans Riemer have been friends of JUTP since the beginning. In fact, Hans was my very first interview four years ago, which led to a mention in the Examiner.

They're both smart, immensely talented and committed to improving East County, and I'm proud to see them fight - and win.

- Of course, you've likely heard that the Kojo Nnamdi Show will be broadcasting live from the Silver Spring Civic Building next Tuesday at 6:30pm. The two-hour program, called Kojo In Your Community, will "[provide] area residents with a forum to ask questions, make comments and share the view from their neighborhoods." From the looks of the show's blog, Kojo might want to hear what you think about skateboarding.

What a great opportunity for y'all to show what Silver Spring is about! Unfortunately, I can't be there, but I'll be listening online here in Philadelphia.

- Today, county officials cut the ribbon on The Argent, a 96-unit apartment building located at East-West Highway and Blair Mill Road. Built as condos, the complex was purchased by the county for conversion to rentals for low-income households - defined as those making between $30,000 and $78,000 a year.

DCmud gets a little sloppy with reporting, counting up all the government-subsidized apartments in South Silver Spring without noting that they're required by law in almost all new housing developments countywide. This list of apartments with low-income rentals reveals some very desirable addresses in Rockville and Bethesda, in addition to a handful of complexes in East County.

- Over at GGW, there's a breakdown of plans from the Transportation Planning Board - which plans transportation improvements in the D.C. area - to expand bus rapid transit regionwide, including in East County. Are those lines on Georgia Avenue, New Hampshire Avenue and Route 29 I spy?

2 comments:

Elysian said...

I feel the need to point out that the primary election doesn't put officials in office. It puts people on the regular election ballot. So while we all know that the Dems are a foregone conclusion for almost every seat, can we at least make an attempt to recognize that there is still more democracy to take place?

Silver Spring Skaters said...

I and pro skater Darren Harper were guests on The Kojo Nnamdi show yesterday discussing skateboard politics in Silver Spring and DC.