🌸 DC Just Closed Its 100th Illegal Pot Shop

Good morning, DC. The tourists have gone home, the interns haven't arrived yet, and for a few weeks the city belongs to the people who actually live here. Time to use it: Washingtonian just named the 10 people who shaped DC in 2025, Restaurant Week reservations open, and the Caps are playing like a team that remembered they're good. Plus goat yoga, because January demands we try something.

In today’s District Download:

Let’s get to it.

Washingtonian magazine just announced its annual list of people who've actually made DC better. For once, it's not a parade of lobbyists and politicos. The 10 honorees for 2025 represent the kind of unglamorous, long-haul work that changes outcomes instead of headlines.

The list includes Yasmine Arrington Brooks, whose ScholarCHIPS program has distributed over $600,000 to children of incarcerated parents; Jean-Michel Giraud, who transformed Friendship Place from a $1 million operation to $24 million with a 97% housing retention rate; and Aza Nedhari, cofounder of Mamatoto Village, which tackles Black maternal health disparities in DC with an 85% breastfeeding success rate and zero patient losses. Christopher Bradshaw's Dreaming Out Loud addresses food insecurity in Southeast. Bob Nixon's Earth Conservation Corps brought bald eagles back to the Anacostia.

These are the people doing the work that doesn't make Twitter threads but shows up in actual lives improved. Worth knowing the names when they come up at dinner.

If your gym attendance has already collapsed but your New Year's wellness goals haven't, Washingtonian compiled a guide to alternative fitness classes that might actually stick. The kind of workouts that feel like events rather than obligations.

The standouts: Candlelit Neo-Soul Slow Yoga Flow at Eaton DC ($17, Sundays through March 29) features movement instructor Kaya leading sessions to Cleo Sol, Sade, and D'Angelo surrounded by candles. Goat Yoga in Arlington ($44) offers exactly what it sounds like: goats from Walnut Creek Farm wander freely during your stretches. If that's too chaotic, Restorative Yoga by Candlelight at the Omni Shoreham ($15 resort pass, January 14, 21, 28) includes guided meditation and journaling.

For something more structured: The Yards' Fresh Start Series (FREE, January 20 & 22) pairs a nutrition-focused grocery tour with heated yoga in a 90-degree studio and complimentary smoothies. And if you want to earn your indulgence: Brunch and Burn at 9Round Navy Yard ($58, January 24) combines kickboxing with brunch bites and champagne. The "I'll go to the gym tomorrow" crowd has options.

Restaurant Week returns in exactly one week, and if you've been eyeing a spot that's usually out of budget, now's the time to make the reservation. DMV Winter Restaurant Week runs January 19-25 (extended through February 1 at some restaurants), with hundreds of spots across DC, Maryland, and Virginia offering fixed-price menus.

The pricing tiers: brunch and lunch at $25 or $35, dinner at $40, $55, or $65. Montgomery County spots confirmed include Benihana (Bethesda), Caruso's Grocery (Pike & Rose), Founding Farmers (Park Potomac), Morton's The Steakhouse (Bethesda), and Motorkat (Takoma Park). The full participating restaurant list is filterable by cuisine, neighborhood, and outdoor dining.

The strategic play: Make reservations this week. Popular spots fill up fast, and waiting until January 18 means settling for what's left. After a brutal 2025 that saw nearly 100 DC restaurants close, Restaurant Week matters more than usual. It's a chance to support survivors and experiment with places you've been curious about without the usual sticker shock.

DC authorities closed their 100th illegal marijuana operation on January 1, marking a milestone in the 16-month crackdown that began in September 2024. The milestone closure happened at a residence on B Street SE, where police arrested three individuals.

The campaign, run jointly by the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration and Metropolitan Police, has now seized 700+ lbs of marijuana, 6,300 lbs of THC edibles, 3,000+ lbs of THC lotions, made 56 arrests, and recovered 12 guns from illegal shops. The gun seizures are the point. Law enforcement identifies these cash-heavy operations as violence drivers that attract robbery and competition.

Mayor Bowser's statement framed it around public health and the legal medical cannabis market. But the real story is the weapons cache aspect: these aren't just unlicensed dispensaries, they're armed operations. The enforcement isn't about cannabis morality; it's about removing unregulated storefronts that happen to be armed.

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Here’s what’s going on around DC this week:

Howard Theatre | Cate Le Bon | Welsh indie artist touring Michelangelo Dying, featuring collaboration with John Cale | Doors 7 PM, Show 8 PM

National Building Museum | Winter Skate Spectacular | Indoor skating beneath the Great Hall's soaring Corinthian columns. DC's most distinctive winter experience | 12-5 PM, $20

Kennedy Center | Shen Yun | Classical Chinese dance spanning 5,000 years, runs through January 18 (family-friendly) | 2 PM and 7:30 PM, $85+

Red Bear Brewing | District Trivia | Free weekly Monday trivia in NoMa. Winning team stakes bragging rights | 7 PM

Capital One Arena | Caps vs. Montreal Canadiens | Home stand continues, the Caps come off back-to-back road wins | 7 PM

Monday

44 🌡 30 | 🌧️ 10% | 💨 8 mph

Tuesday

48 🌡 30 | 🌧️ 10% | 💨 12 mph

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Howard Theatre | Cate Le Bon | 8 PM

Birchmere Music Hall, Alexandria | Derek Gripper & Ballaké Sissoko | 7:30 PM

The Capitals demolished Chicago 5-1 on Friday, continuing their Mentors' Trip (the annual dads-travel-with-the-team road stretch). Connor McMichael had a goal and assist, Ovechkin added another to his historic total, and the Caps (23-16-6) snapped the Blackhawks' four-game win streak without breaking a sweat. They played at Nashville Saturday and host Montreal Tuesday at 7 PM. The Metro Division remains tight, but the Caps look like contenders, not pretenders.

The Wizards (10-27) dropped another one Friday, falling 107-128 to the Pelicans. Trey Murphy III and Zion Williamson combined for 66 points for New Orleans. The Trae Young trade from Atlanta is the big storyline, but Young didn't play Friday. At Philadelphia Tuesday, home against Phoenix Thursday. This is still a rebuild with Alex Sarr as the cornerstone. Results are secondary to development.

Till next time,