The Foggy BoTTom CurrenT
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Package thief gets 18-month prison term
Kalorama experiencing notable property deals
HEALTH AND FITNESS
■ Real estate: Government
of France to sell half an acre
By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer
A serial package thief who has been convicted of numerous crimes within a few blocks in Dupont Circle over more than a decade was sentenced on Friday to 18 months in prison, three years of supervised release and treatment for drug abuse and mental health issues. Wayne Bridgeforth, 60, was convicted of second-degree theft and felony contempt in D.C. Superior Court, where Judge Neal Kravitz called the case “unusual and difficult” and said Bridgeforth’s sentence would be stiffer than for a typical case of package theft because “he’s been here many, many, many times before.” His latest arrest followed an incident last July when he stole a package from a front stoop in an area of the neighborhood from which he had been previously ordered by a judge to “stay away,” according to a report from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The package contained a camera, which See Thefts/Page 31
By BRADY HOLT Current Staff Writer
A pair of recent real estate transactions in Sheridan-Kalorama have attracted national headlines: the Obamas renting a house at 2446 Belmont Road NW, and Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner purchasing 2449 Tracy Place NW right around the corner. But two other deals may have a longer-term impact on the neighborhood. Representatives of the
French government announced Monday that they will be selling half an acre of their five-acre ambassador’s residence, potentially allowing the development of up to four homes on Kalorama Circle NW. And at the other end of the neighborhood, residents have applauded plans to convert the former Textile Museum into one large single-family home — putting an end to concerns it could become a disruptive diplomatic property or a multi-unit residential building. Both projects were discussed at Monday’s meeting of Advisory See Kalorama/Page 15
Chads restaurant boasts new celebrity ownership ■ Business: Kornheiser,
Cory Royster/The Current
Povich among four buyers
NBC4 held its 2017 Health & Fitness Expo on Saturday and Sunday at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The annual event featured CPR demonstrations, motivational speakers, health screenings and fitness classes.
By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer
AU removes controversial statue after threats By MARK LIEBERMAN Current Staff Writer
From Dec. 9 to Jan. 3, a statue depicting Leonard Peltier — a Native American man convicted in 1977 of murdering two FBI agents and imprisoned ever since — stood at Ward Circle next to American University’s Katzen Arts Center. But on Dec. 29, American University Museum director and curator Jack Rasmussen and other university officials started moving hastily on plans to remove the statue. In a private email sent on that day to the statue’s artist, known only as Rigo 23, Rasmussen cited “credible threats the university received, to the statue and
Vol. XI, No. 5
Serving Foggy Bottom & the West End
Brian Kapur/Current file photo
The statue was removed from near Ward Circle on Jan. 3.
to the surrounding buildings and people.” The email’s subject line was simple: “Uh oh.” By the middle of last week, no traces of the statue were visible from the street, and the artist is now considering legal action
against the university. “Having it up for three weeks has been an honor,” Rasmussen wrote in the Dec. 29 email, obtained by The Current. “I don’t think another DC museum could have it up for three minutes ... including the National Museum of the American Indian, unfortunately.” Rigo 23 is part of a movement that seeks clemency for Peltier, whom various dignitaries from U.S. congressmen to Nelson Mandela have argued was wrongfully convicted. American University unveiled the statue — standing 9 feet tall and depicting a bloodied Peltier sitting down with his hand on his chin, lost in thought — on See Statue/Page 31
The restaurant Chadwicks has been an anchor in Friendship Heights since 1982, particularly for professionals in the local news media. Though it’s undergone some changes over the years, including the abbreviated name Chads, the affordable prices and friendly atmosphere have kept locals coming back. But in the next few months, the 5247 Wisconsin Ave. NW restaurant will see a transformation, thanks to several high-profile new owners: nationally recognized sports talk personality Tony Kornheiser; syndicated talk show host and former local news anchor Maury Povich; longtime University of Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams; and D.C. entrepreneur and socialite Alan Bubes. The quartet purchased the restaurant late last year and plan to change its name, upgrade its interior and add a studio where Kornheiser, a former Washington Post
Brian Kapur/The Current
The restaurant, located below street level, dates to 1982.
columnist and ESPN anchor, will record episodes of his podcast “The Tony Kornheiser Show.” Immediate tweaks will include new flooring and paint, an expanded wine list with help from Calvert Woodley Liquors, and a sound system that will simulcast Kornheiser’s podcast recordings, according to Geoff Dawson, a local restaurateur who’s helping the new owners with the business end of their new venture. Eventually, visitors will be able to view Kornheiser’s podcasts and interviews from an enclosed green room space in the restaurant, Dawson said. See Chads/Page 7
NEWS
EVENTS
PASSAGES
INDEX
Roof deck
Gallery reflection
Rhyming retrospective
Calendar/20 Classifieds/30 District Digest/4 Exhibits/21 Foggy Bottom News/11 In Your Neighborhood/18
ANC 2C opposes Penn Quarter Sports Tavern’s application for rooftop alcohol service / Page 3
Susan Calloway Fine Arts’ year in review looks back on pieces from 2016 exhibits / Page 21
Looking back at the highs and lows of last year’s Northwest news — in poem form / Page 10
Opinion/8 Police Report/6 Real Estate/17 School Dispatches/14 Service Directory/28 Week Ahead/3
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