From Robert Marus: Mayor Vincent C. Gray today announced the re- formation and leadership of a task force that will help him shape a comprehensive housing strategy for the District of Columbia.
 
“The goal of the Comprehensive Housing Strategy Task Force is to help city leaders...more ensure the creation of more affordable housing for residents of the District of Columbia,” said Mayor Gray. “While I believe that every D.C. resident deserves a decent, safe and affordable place to live, I also know this goal can prove challenging to reach in dense, fast-growing cities like ours. The work of this Task Force will help us make these efforts more achievable for all of our residents.”
 
Mayor Gray named Harry Sewell and Deborah Ratner Salzberg to co-chair the Task Force.
 
Harry Sewell is Executive Director of the D.C. Housing Finance Agency (DCHFA) and he has more than 30 years of public- and private-sector housing experience. Mr. Sewell has served as Executive

This weekend, I took a break from the DC tour of homes, and The Cribline House Pick of the Week, and I went South to Rappahannock County, VA the home of the Inn at Little Washington (Washington, VA) and Sperryvillefor the President’s Day weekend.
There are no cell towers out there, so I...more was disconnected for 2 solid days. When was the last time your smartphone was useless? No email, no texts, no mobile phone.
I went out with a couple friends and I made a reservation at the wonderful and friendly Hopkins Ordinary bed and breakfast in downtown Sperryville… with some of the best chocolate chip cookies around btw… great rooms, great hospitality… only the reservation was for the wrong night. So, just when I thought we were stuck without a place to stay, my good pal Jimmy, a local resident, put me in touch with his friend Pam who was just putting the finishing touches on her newly restored and impeccably decorated rental cottage. It was available. What for a moment seemed like a

These are some items from Peter Marco's limited edition NBA pendants series, which showcase "a stunning collection of diamond jewelry featuring the iconic marks of the NBA".  
Read all about the Washington Wizards necklace here.

 
The following information was sent to us by Brie Hall:
 
Lent will begin on February 22, 2012, with Catholics around the world fasting and receiving ashes on their foreheads in the sign of the cross as a symbol of penance and conversion. In the Archdiocese of Washington, Lent...more also marks the beginning of “The Light is On for You” initiative and also “Operation Rice Bowl.”
 
            Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and is the 40-day penitential period before Easter and the celebration of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. The imposition of ashes is an ancient practice found in the Old Testament. Once a public sign of an individual’s repentance, it became part of the Church’s Lenten preparations by the seventh century. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday (the Friday before Easter), Catholics between 18 and 59 years old observe a modified fast. Guidelines allow for one full meal per day. Catholics age 14 and over abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and every

How much are you willing to pay to show your allegiance to our hometown Washington Wizards?  
Perhaps $20 for a hat?  Maybe $35 for sweatshirt?  
Or how about $11,000 for a diamond necklace?
Yeah...take a moment to let that pricetag seep into your system.
A WUSA9 reader who was...more strolling around Beverly Hills, California on vacation spotted the necklace pictured above at Peter Marco Jewelers on North Rodeo Drive.
The white and black diamond necklace of an old Wizards' logo is one of Peter Marco's limited edition NBA pendants, which showcase "a stunning collection of diamond jewelry featuring the iconic marks of the NBA".   
SEE PHOTOS OF MORE OF THE NBA DIAMOND NECKLACES HERE
The necklace weighs 3.18 carats, is set in 14-karat white gold, and is priced at $11,200.
I wonder if Nick Young or Andray Blatche have one...
For more information about the necklace or other Peter Marco NBA items, visit their website at PeterMarco.com.
So, what are

Last night the National Building Museum at 401 F Street NW played host to the 14th Annual St. Jude Gourmet Gala.
The Gala, which acts as a fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a pediatric cancer center, featured food from some of D.C.'s best restaurants like Jaleo, J & G...more Steakhouse, Marcel's and more.
Take a look at the photos above from the event and see some of the absurdly delicious food that was served.

Thanks to our caring community, we found the foster homes needed and then some for the dogs who were temporarily displaced during a renovation project at our New York Avenue adoption center. We can’t thank our friends and supporters enough for stepping in to help animals in need. In an effort...more to provide a better environment for all of the animals in our care, major improvement projects continue at our New York Avenue facility, and this time, it is our cats who are looking to their community for help.

The current construction project will displace numerous cats from their temporary homes in our adoption center – once again, as the only open access shelter in Washington, DC, this impacts us tremendously. WHS takes in an average of 30 animals every day and we never turn away an animal who needs our help. We hope we can count on you to help by providing short-term emergency foster care, or by spreading the word your families, friends and communities.
 
Foster

Target Corp. will host free in-store reading events at all Target stores nationwide this Saturday, February 25 from 9 a.m.-11 a.m., in celebration of the National
Education Association’s (NEA’s) Read Across America program. Each event will include a reading nook inspired by Dr. Seuss’ “The...more Lorax,” a reusable Target
bag filled with activities for children, readings by Target team members, and more.
 
Since 2003, Target has supported the NEA’s Read Across America program, which calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on or around
March 2, the birthday of beloved children’s author, Dr. Seuss. As a result of its support of programs like this, Target is on track to give $1 billion for education
by the end of 2015.
 
Click here to find the Target store in your community.

This event comes to us from Pål Brekke:
Wednesday, Feburary 22 there will be a spectacular multimedia presentation on the dynamic Sun and the Northern lights down at the National Museum of the American Indian in the Rasmuson Theater.
Here you find one of the best digital projectors and...more large curved wide screens in town. Experience the world best footage and time laps movies of the spectacular light show on the night sky taken by the best photographers in the world.
Together with the amazing images of the Sun from NASAs flagship Solar Dynamic Observatory this will be a life time experience for the entire family
Find out more information an about this event and ticket prices here.

"Simon Says" is an opinion column by WUSA9.Com's D.C. Community Web Producer Simon Landau.  Follow him on Twitter @LandauDC.  Opinions are his and his alone:
Interpretations of the word “manly” can vary from person to person, and the definition of the adjective can be heavily...more debated.
For the purposes of this story, though, I will hold the word to the stereotypical definition of “manliness”.  You know that concept of being manly:  It refers to those rugged, wood-chopping, steak-eating, football-watching, Thor-looking kinds of dudes.
Google defines the word manly as “1) Having or denoting those good qualities traditionally associated with men, such as courage and strength” and as “2) (of an activity) Befitting a man, esp. in a traditional sense: "the manly art of knife-throwing".”
Knife-throwing?  That seems like it would fit the definition of ‘stupidity’ more so than the definition of ‘manly’, but I digress.
Anyway, take a look at the slideshow above for my

 
Take a look at these photos, courtesy of the Washington Humane Society, of dogs currently available for adoption at the WHS Georgia Avenue location.
To find out more information about the Georgia Avenue shelter or more information about any of the dogs you see above, visit the Washington Humane Society's website.

 
The following information was sent to us by Mike Bailey:
The Family & Youth Casting Call (FYCC) is a fun family and youth fishing event at Fletcher's Cove on the C&O Canal in Washington DC. The 2012 event is scheduled for Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21.
What better way...more to get kids “hooked” on nature than by teaching them how to fish?  This April, local and national fishing and conservation organizations will once again host the Family & Youth Casting Call to help “set the hook” for children to learn about nature and fishing in the Washington, DC area. A wiggling fish on the end of a taut line can be one of the most tangible connections between having fun outside and learning about conserving our natural resources.
During this action-packed event, partners will provide all the tools and training necessary for youth to catch fish in the C&O Canal. Volunteer instructors will teach safety and basic fishing techniques and our sponsors will supply the bait

February is known as Heart Month in American, and for good reason. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in America. Each day, across the country, roughly 2,200 people that die from the disease. It’s also the...more leading cause of disability across the country, preventing people from working and living their lives as they would like to. With this in mind, it’s a good time to pay attention even to the little things that can either help or hurt the heart.
“Snacks may seem like trivial things, overall,” explains Jolly Backer, the chief executive officer of Fresh Healthy Vending (www.freshvending.com). “But if you think about it in terms of a year, you will end up eating around 400 to 750 snacks per year, if you have one or two per day. That really adds up and can make a big difference in your heart health.”
Snacks, for most people, are a reality of life. Not many people will go day in and day out