Local Group Renegotiates “Amenities”
In December, Friends of North Michigan Park Civic Association (FNMPCA) and housing developer K. Hovnanian Homes renegotiated a 2005 agreement that provided $120,000 for programs and improvements in North Michigan Park. Details of the new agreement were unavailable because neither the developer nor FNMPCA would release a copy.

Mexican Restaurant Comes to Brookland
In November 2008, Kellys’ Ellis Island Restaurant was sold to San Antonio Bar & Grill, a family-owned Tex-Mex restaurant with two locations in Virginia.

Sparks Fly over Proposal to Eliminate North Capitol ‘Cloverleaf’
At a stormy public meeting on January 13th, residents criticized the Office of Planning for launching the study under “false pretences” and for diverting resources from a much-needed comprehensive traffic and transportation study.

Ward 5 Mourns
The new year, normally a time for celebration, left Ward 5 residents grappling with loss as they buried eight of their own.

Brookland Heartbeat Holiday Pie and Cake Contest
13 year old Brookland resident Gabriela McFadden won the 2008 Brookland Heartbeat Holiday Pie & Cake Contest for her French Apple Pie. Gabriela’s pie, called a “Tarte Tatin,” was a confection of fresh apples and buttery crust.

Community Helps Local Dancer Leap into Big Time
Richard Freeman started dancing at the age of three. According to his grandmother Rose Smith, he hasn’t stopped dancing ever since.

All Aboard
On a cold, wet and rainy night, the new board of the Woodridge Warriors met at Turkey Thicket rec center to lay the foundation for the Warriors’ athletic programs. All of the parents, coaches, young people and concerned residents in attendance had one agenda: the improvement of a sports program that has been a mainstay for young people in the community.