
Stir It Up
Councilmember Wells Helps Kickoff Library Book Sale
September 10, 2011

And Ginnie Cooper, chief librarian, circulated in the crowd while all enjoyed a generous spread of wine, cheese and hors d'oeuvre donated by CairoWine and Liquor, Pana’s Gourmet Empanadas and Policy, Zaytinya and Busboys & Poets restaurants.
"It warmed the cockles of my old bookish heart, said Georgetownbook-fan Marcia Carter, the co-owner for 35 years of Booked Up, the former rare book store on 31st Street. "The books were to easy to look at. It made the MLK Library a very happy place, especially with the music. I hope it becomes and annual event"
The various branch libraries will have their own Saturday sales: October 1, Tenley, October 8, Southeast, October 22, Cleveland Parkand West End and Woodridgein December.
The Thursday MLK sale raised more than $2,000 to benefit the summer reading program and the collection operations of the Library.

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Great Heartland Cookout at Yards Park
September 7, 2011Get ready to party Midwest style when the Inaugural Heartland Cookout rolls into the capital this Saturday, September 10, 2011. The fun kicks off at 4:00 pm at Yards Park, Washington D.C.’s premier waterfront destination. For this event, Coca-Cola has teamed up with Rolls Royce and Fortune Brands to benefit the Fisher House Foundation which provides “comfort housing” to America’smilitary families while their loved ones receive medical treatment.

The festivities included in the $40 ticket price are a bounty cookout food, bear and wine, a live band, bag toss and other heartland games.
Kristen and the Noise, an energetic cover band that can knock the roof off almost any music genre, goes on at 7:00 pm. And remember, this is a Midwestern themed event so don’t be shy, you are encouraged to dress up in your best pair of overalls and BBQ gear.
All proceeds for this event will go directly to Fisher House Foundation. Your attendance can help the organization support our military service members. Fisher House recognizes the extraordinary sacrifices made by these men and women and the lengths often need to travel for specialized medical care. The organization enables family members to be close to loved ones during stressful times, in a comfortable, home environment. A cause worth celebrating.

Now through Saturday at 2:00 pm, at www.ForkingDeals.com you can snag a general admission ticket for $40 which buys admission to the concert and free drinks and food all night.
By Lauren Stovall

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Mayor hires new chief of staff and deputy
August 29, 2011Having survived an August marked by an earthquake and a hurricane, Mayor Vincent Gray is filling in some key administration posts in time for the fall.
Veteran city hall reporter Bruce Johnson of WUSA 9 News says the appointments are an effort "to try and restore credibility to [Gray's] administration."
The mayor has named Christopher Murphy, most recently deputy chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to be chief of staff.
Murphy succeeds Paul Quander, deputy mayor for public safety, who has been Gray's interim chief of staff for the past five months. Quander was appointed to the post after Gray fired Gerri Mason Hall, who was badly damaged by her role in the hiring scandals that dogged the administration almost from its outset.
Murphy is seen as newcomer to District politics.
"As an outsider Murphy enters the job with no local baggage," said political consultant and Dish columnist Chuck Thies. "That status is likely to be welcomed by Gray's critics."
In addition to a new chief of staff, Gray has hired Andrea "Andi" Pringle to be deputy chief of staff. Pringle is a political and communications consultant with local and national experience.
City Paper's Loose Lips writes: "During the last mayoral race, she helped design an award-winning mailer critical of then-Mayor Adrian Fenty paid for by developer Don Peebles to help the Gray campaign in Ward 8.
Pringle, a Howard grad, served as Gov. Howard Dean's deputy campaign manager during the screamin' doctor's 2004 presidential bid. She's also worked for former presidential hopefuls Gov. Bill Richardson, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Sen. Carol Moseley Braun.
Pringle's résumé also includes several local campaigns, including at-large Councilmember Vincent Orange's last two races. Pringle's done consulting or direct mailing work for Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. and attorney-to-the-stars A. Scott Bolden (who unsuccessfully challenged Councilmember Phil Mendelson in 2006)."
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