Taken in 4K - Washington City Paper

Thank you for standing up for local news in Washington
Washington City Journal is supported by readers, and we are counting on you!

Home | City Lights | Best of DC

Washington City Journal has big plans. Your contributions will help us achieve them. By supporting Daily District Lineyou demonstrate your commitment to independent journalism. Thank you for your continued support.

And please help us improve. Washington City Journal by participating in our annual reader survey.

The Public Utilities Commission, an otherwise sleepy agency charged with regulating Washington’s gas and electric utilities, rarely makes headlines. But for the past few months, the PSC has been hiding a tantalizing secret.

A former PSC chief was caught having sex with a co-worker while at work and filming the incident on his work phone, the city’s Ethics and Government Accountability Council found in May.

Udeozo Ogbueuntil recently head of the agency’s Office of Compliance and Enforcement, admitted to the risky behavior in a settlement agreement with BEGA released May 2. He agreed to pay a $10,000 fine in lieu of pursuing a full hearing in the case, easily one of the stiffest penalties imposed by the ethics agency in recent years. (The only former Ward 2 councilman Jack Evans (He managed to get a higher total, earning a combined $55,000 in fines from his various scandals.)

Kellie DidiguPSC spokesperson, told Loose Lips via email that Ogbue no longer works for the agency, as of May 27. She declined to comment when asked by LL whether Ogbue had been fired or resigned, and he could not be reached for comment.

According to the BEGA agreement, the PSC became aware of all this when Ogbue turned in his work phone to the agency’s IT department in exchange for a new one. The commission found “40 sexually explicit images” on the phone and in its cloud storage, including “images and videos of Ogbue performing sexual acts with one of his PSC colleagues.”

“(Ogbue) was unable to explain how the images arrived on his work cell phone, but eventually acknowledged that the work cell phone, images and videos belonged to him,” the agreement said.

To learn more about the settlement, read the full article on our website.

—Alex Koma (any advice? [email protected])

Makiyah Wilsonthe grandmother of, Pandora Wilsonhas sat through nearly every moment of the criminal trials of those accused in the 10-year-old’s death. Makiyah was killed by a stray bullet from an assault rifle in the Clay Terrace neighborhood in 2018. “I’m so numb,” she told the Job. “But I have to be here. I have to find out for myself what’s going on.” (Post)
A runaway horse galloped during the Fourth of July parade in Takoma Park yesterday before being subdued by a “trained handler,” according to Takoma Park police. (Post, DC News Now)
DC Water issued a rare citywide boil water advisory late Wednesday night and lifted it early Thursday morning. The advisory for DC and Arlington was a precautionary measure after officials noticed an increase in turbidity. But the treated water never fell below drinking water standards. The advisory underscores the fact that the DC area is particularly vulnerable to a drinking water shutoff because the Potomac River is the only source. (WTOP)

By City Paper Staff (any tips? [email protected])

Alex Koma is out of the office. Loose Lips links will be back next week.

By Alex Koma (any advice? [email protected])

From craft cocktails to beer, whatever beverage you’re craving, you can enjoy it on a rooftop in the DC area. (WTOP)
The female blue crab population has plummeted this year to 133 million. According to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 215 million are needed for “a healthy population and sustainable fisheries in the Chesapeake Bay.” But last week, Virginia officials voted to lift a 15-year winter fishing ban. The move is causing tension between Virginia and Maryland. (Axios)
Chief Seng LuangrathThe new Laotian restaurant of Baan Maepresents her version of the Filet-O-Fish, which was her go-to order as a child in the 60s, when her parents took her and her siblings out McDonalds after church. The mini “fi-lao o’fish” burgers are an upgrade from the original with a brioche bun and a chili-cilantro sauce called jaew som. (Post)