There is a new record for the most expensive condo ever sold in DC, according to BizJournals. The $11 million sale of Penthouse 2C at 3150 South St. NW, the Ritz-Carlton Residences Georgetown breaks a record set just two months ago by another penthouse… in the same building.

“The Ritz-Carlton penthouse was first listed for $18 million in January 2021, then reduced to $14.5 million about eight months later to better reflect market dynamics.” according to the article. The record-breaking unit belonged to the late philanthropist Michelle Smith, the daughter of late developer Robert H. Smith whom the Maryland School of Business is named for.

The building is home to 28 residences, which feature “high ceilings and generously proportioned windows overlooking the Potomac River, providing an elegant backdrop and allowing for natural light to fill The Residences, which enhances the generous sense of space.” Residents of The Residences also get to enjoy the personalized services of The Ritz-Carlton.

The Ritz-Carlton Residences Georgetown opened in April 2003. The developer has sold all homes at this property and no longer operates a sales office. Two months ago, the previous record was set when Penthouse 2A at 3150 South St. NW, at the Ritz-Carlton Residences Georgetown was sold for $9.5 million.

Starting March 1st, DC’s indoor mask requirement will be lifted in indoor areas including, restaurants/bars, sports venues, gyms, and other areas listed in the image below.

On February 15, 2022, DC stopped requiring venues to verify that patrons are vaccinated. The indoor vaccine requirement went into effect in DC on January 15th, after being announced by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser in December. Businesses can still choose to keep the vaccination requirements in place.

The Montgomery County indoor mask requirement expired on February, 21st.

DC

American University and Georgetown University have both announced that their upcoming semesters will start virtually, joining George Washington University in the delayed start to in-person learning.

In a letter sent to the American University community, school officials communicated that classes will temporarily move online from January 10 to January 30 with in-person instruction resuming on Monday, January 31 due to increasing Covid cases in the D.C. region and across the country.

Georgetown University also stated that it will use virtual instruction through January 30, 2022. In-person classes across the University are planned to resume on Monday, January 31, according to a letter sent to the community, citing the emergence and rapid spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the Washington, D.C., region, across the country, and globally.

Last week, George Washington University sent a letter to the GW community informing them that the Spring 2022 semester would start virtually. Per the letter, the adjustment is expected to be temporary as the school projects a return to full in-person operations on January 18th (following the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday).

Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced at a press conference today that she will declaring a State of Emergency in the District as COVID-19 cases continue to increase.

Beginning Tuesday, December 21st at 6 AM, the indoor mask mandate will be reinstated in DC until 6 AM on January 31, 2022. DC had dropped its indoor mask mandate back in November.

DC will also institute a change to its Government vaccine mandate to now include the booster shot, with no test-out option.

Last week it was reported that Washington, DC had recorded its highest number of single day COVID-19 cases during the entirety of the pandemic.

3) Institute DC Government vaccinate mandate, including boosters, with no test-out option. pic.twitter.com/07AxxpKpTY

— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) December 20, 2021

Washington, DC recorded its highest number of single day COVID-19 cases during the entirety of the pandemic on Wednesday of this week when 508 people are reported to have tested positive, according to FOX5.

Last week DC only recorded 126 new cases.

NBC4 is reporting that this week 2,400 DC public school students and 432 teachers are currently in quarantine, twice as many as reported last Friday.

Here in Montgomery County, current numbers are not available as of December 4 because the Maryland Department of Health COVID-19 data website has been down due to a reported server outage. The site currently only features updated hospital and vaccination statistics.

From Montgomery County’s COVID-19 Database:
“Update for December 17, 2021:
On Sunday December 5, 2021, a technical issue occurred at the Maryland Department of Health (MDH). The COVID-19 information below is current as of December 4, 2021. Our MDH data display cannot be updated until the data feed is restored.  We will continue to keep this message updated as to progress on resolving the issue. Please visit the State of Maryland COVID-19 Data Dashboard for the most current statistics.”

Information on where to get a COVID-19 vaccination in DC below:

It’s now easy for the whole family to get vaccinated together.

Booster shots available at all sites.

To book an at-home vaccination appointment, call 1-855-363-0333.

Find more vaccine access points at https://t.co/rP2UX7RU99
Pre-register for testing at https://t.co/gwfNlT3pPj pic.twitter.com/arL2deWs90

— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) December 17, 2021

As a D.C. suburb, Montgomery County plays a big role in helping make Washington D.C the 7th ranked “large sports city” in the country, according to a new report. While many have jumped ship on the Football Team, the Wizards fast start this season, and the recent success of the Capitals and Nationals has likely been helpful.

With NCAA athletes now able to make money from sponsorships using their name, likeness and image, potentially earning them thousands of dollars per year, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2021’s Best Sports Cities.

To determine the cities where the game is always on regardless of season, WalletHub compared 392 small to large cities across the five largest sports in the U.S.: football, basketball, baseball, hockey and soccer.

D.C. ranks 19th in terms of football and 24th when it comes to baseball, but is in the top ten for basketball (9th) and soccer (8th), while coming in 13th for hockey.

Best vs. Worst

• Cookeville, Tennessee, has the lowest minimum season-ticket price for a college football (FBS and FCS) game, $36.00, which is 31.9 times lower than in South Bend, Indiana, the city with the highest at $1,150.00.
• Charlotte, North Carolina, has the lowest average ticket price for an NBA game, $32.05, which is 3.9 times lower than in San Francisco, the city with the highest at $125.43.
• NHL fans in Pittsburgh are 28.1 times friendlier and more engaged than their New York counterparts.
• Pittsburgh has the lowest average MLB ticket price, $20.75, which is 2.9 times lower than in Boston, the city with the highest at $60.09.
• Atlanta has the highest attendance rate for MLS games, 163.06 percent, which is 8.1 times higher than in Chicago, the city with the lowest at 20.04 percent.

To view the full report, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-sports-cities/15179

Martin Amini was just hitting his stride in Los Angeles when the pandemic hit in March of 2020 and forced him to leave his dreams behind and move back in with his family in Montgomery County. The comedian had recently made Thrillist’s “Best Undiscovered Stand Up Comedian list” and had previously opened for headliners such as Trevor Noah, Jerrod Carmichael, and Hasan Minaj.

After over a year of the pandemic and most people staying at home, many businesses that were Martin’s favorite places to perform in D.C. were going out of business– namely Big Hunt and DC Drafthouse., so he decided he would open Room 808 (808 Upshur Street, NW) in DC to try to bring back a space where he and other entertainers could perform.“The art community had been impacted and there was a huge void.” Amini told us. “Those with dreams to grow in the arts were finding their dreams crushed.”

“I needed art more than ever…I needed it to feel safe.” he said. So he went out and found his favorite local painters, jazz musicians, and comedians, and placed them under one roof. Martin told us “I wanted to find anything that would remind people that community is still alive during these hard times and help them find comfort through the inclusivity of art.” In late-June, Room 808 was officially ready to go. As of just a couple weeks ago, starting in the month of September, Room 808 expanded its offerings to include entertainment 5 nights a week, including Comedy and Jazz with headliners flying in from New York and Los Angeles to perform at the venue.

Martin reminisced about his early days growing up on Bel Pre Road in Silver Spring. He wanted a space to have shows that looked and felt like his neighborhood growing up– one that included a wide array of diverse backgrounds. So far, he feels Room 808 has been a success in not only doing that, but also inspiring a new generation of comedians, which he teaches in his Wednesday comedy class. Amini’s stand-up material touches on what it’s like growing up mixed in America (primarily here in Montgomery County) and coming from an Iranian and Bolivian background. He hopes to be able to share it with everyone in the area through his new venue.

Beyond MoCo: DC Mask Mandate Could Stay in Effect Through Thanksgiving, Depending on Vaccination Rates

NBC 4’s Mark Segraves tweeted today that according to DC health officials, the current mask mandate could last a few more weeks and possibly through Thanksgiving if vaccinations do not increase.

While the number of COVID tests in DC has increased, vaccination rates are stagnant, at about 1,000 people per day.

DC reinstated their mask mandate back on July, 31.

The number of people getting tested for #coronavirus in DC has doubled in past week. As daily cases of #COVID19 continue to increase in DC. The number of people getting vaccinated remains stagnant at about 1,000 per day. @nbcwashington

— Mark Segraves (@SegravesNBC4) August 9, 2021

DC #maskmandate to stay in place for at least “a few more weeks” and possibly through Thanksgiving @_dcHealth official tells @nbcwashington “we’re hopeful that on Thanksgiving we’ll be in a different spot, but that relies on people getting vaccinated”

— Mark Segraves (@SegravesNBC4) August 9, 2021

Beyond MoCo: DC’s New 771 Area Code Will Start Being Assigned in November

DC will soon run out of new telephone numbers to assign to their current area code of 202 and will start assigning a new area code come November.  The North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) has chosen 771 as the new area code to the DC region.  If you currently have a 202 area code number, that will not change.

According to the DC Public Service Commission, “The District of Columbia has used the 202 area code since 1947 and it has become synonymous with city pride, but projections show the District will run out of new phone numbers during the third quarter of 2022” and “The NANPA plan will overlay the new 771 area code over the entire geographic area of the 202 area code. All existing customers with a 202 area code would retain that area code and would not have to change telephone numbers. However, once the new area code is active, customers making wireline or wireless phone calls within the District will be required to dial 10 digits (the 202 or 771 area code plus the local telephone number) instead of just the current seven-digit local telephone number to complete local calls.”

Click here to read our article about the history of MoCo area codes. 

Fun MoCo Memory…
Phone numbers from certain areas started with the same 3 digits, so you only had to remember the last 4. Please forgive me if any of these are incorrect, but here are a few:

Gaithersburg- 977
Potomac- 299
Bethesda- 365, 229, 530
Damascus- 253, 831
Colesville- 384
Olney- 774
Wheaton/Aspen Hill- 942, 946
White Oak- 622, 439
Silver Spring- 593, 587, 589
Kensington- 949, 649
Germantown- 972
Rockville- 424, 762, 340, 279, 270
Takoma Park- 585

Some Montgomery County residents near the DC border were woken up by the Wireless Emergency Alert for Northeast DC’s Boil Water Advisory just after 2am this morning.

If you live in Montgomery County, you are not affected by this issue and should not boil any water this morning prior to using it.

WSSC Water handles water services in Montgomery County and replied to a concerned resident that asked if the advisory applies to any WSSC Water customers in Maryland. WSSC replied with “No, it does not. Our system is separate to theirs.” at 2:28am.

Though the Wireless Emergency Alert reached many that it did nothing apply to, many experts are asking that you not turn alerts off as they are necessary for many weather related situations, such as tornados, floods, etc.

Photos courtesy of Cordell Pugh.