Sala Thai opens 3rd sit-down restaurant East of the Anacostia River.

Shrimp Drunkin Noodle dish.

Sala Thai opened another location in Ward 7.  Its Grand Opening is scheduled for November 6, but Ward 7 and other DC area residents do not have to wait.  Sala Thai is open for business seven days a week until 8:00 p.m.   In addition to a full bar, they have a discounted lunch menu with all the popular Thai menu items currently offered in its other locations.  The restaurant is just steps away from the Minnesota Avenue metro stop (Orange line) in "downtown" Ward 7.  Parking is free in the next door garage on the weekends.  Here is the menu.  Public Transportation:  Minnesota Avenue and various buses

On March 11, 2015, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a series of tech initiatives during an event at Howard University.  One of the initiatives involved a unique fellowship program sponsored by Code For Progress, a social justice organization committed to helping underrepresented communities in to the coding field.  

Code For Progress' year-long fellowship starts with a three to five month residency in the District of Columbia in which fellows learn coding skills.   All Code for Progress fellows receive a monthly stipend and housing allowance. Code for Progress assists fellows in finding employment in the tech sector as junior developers, database managers, and innovation specialists. 

Bowser's announcement was that the District via its program Connect DC would sponsor 3 fellows in this year's cohort.  A key requirement of the collaboration is that Connect.DC-sponsored fellows must be DC residents from Wards 5, 7, or 8.  The fellowship is a valuable opportunity for residents especially those living in Ward 7.  Ward 7 folks who are interested in applying for this fellowship, should check the Code For Progress site.  The deadline is March 31.

RightRides DC expands East of The River

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  Collective Action for Safe Spaces (CASS), a DC group, empowers people in the DC metropolitan area to build a street harassment Washington, DC. CASS recently announced it was expanding its popular RightRides DC program to wards 7 and 8.  The project, which is currently in its pilot phase, is done on a quarterly basis on specific dates. The next service date will be March 27. 
  
  
  First launched on Halloween 2014, RightRides DC is a non-profit service that provides free, safe, late-night rides home for women, LGBTQ and gender non-conforming people (“Riders”). These populations are most vulnerable to experiencing sexual harassment and assault in public spaces. The RightRides DC program is possible because of the hard work of CASS volunteers—Drivers, Navigators, and Dispatchers, as well as a partnership with Zipcar, who donates driving time in the cars CASS uses. To participate in Right Rides, volunteers complete a training, must pass a background check, and then set out as a driver-navigator team in Zipcar provided vehicles.

• On March 27, riders in D.C. can call or text this number 202-556-4232 from 12 midnight to 3:30 AM to receive a free, safe ride home from CASS volunteers. The program is 100% volunteer-run and depend on volunteers, grants, donations and sponsorships to make this service possible.  Riders must both be picked up and dropped off/going home within Washington, DC. For more information, check CASS' web site at: http://www.collectiveactiondc.org/programs/rightridesdc/

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