Friday: CM Charles Allen Community Office House: CIVIC on 8th Street. 8:30am – 10:00am.
Friday Night Live on Eastern Market Metro Plaza. Asian Pacific American Heritage Month – Celebration Performance – Aloha Boys – Hawaiian group – 5:00 PM – 6:30pm – Free
ANC6B Alcohol Beverage and Cannabis Administration Committee met Tuesday night.
Hearing May Spell the End for Aloha Weed Shop on Barracks Row
by Larry Janezich
Posted May 6, 2026
CM Charles Allen has informed ANC6B and residents concerned about the Aloha weed shop at 539 8th Street, SE that the Alcohol Beverage and Control Administration has voted to hold a Qualification Hearing on Aloha’s pending Medical Marijuana license application. The hearing is to determine the eligibility of the applicant to apply for a license – a due process hearing where the Board may decide to deny the license application based on the evidence provided to the Board in a March 25, 2026 ABCA inspector’s report.
According to the report, the activities of Aloha owner Saleh Salim are being probed by law enforcement agencies in Fairfax County, Virginia. Salim and his two sons were arrested on March 18, 2026, by the Fairfax County Police Department and charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana and conspiracy to commit money laundering. (See below)
ANC6B’s Alcohol/Cannabis Committee chaired by Commissioner Karen Hughes discussed the issue at Tuesday night’s monthly meeting. Hughes told the committee “We don’t know the date of the hearing, but in its wake the Board will issue a final decision,” and suggested that the committee move promptly to state its preferences and recommend the full ANC file that letter with ABCA. (If the Board were to deny the license that would not prevent a new operator or other entity from taking over and applying for a license. That being said, there are legislative efforts underway to tighten location restrictions regarding weed retailers, though it’s not clear if any of the new criteria would apply to the 539 8th Street site. ANC6B is in the process of launching a community discussion regarding ways to encourage a better retail mix on Barracks Row.)
March 25, 2026
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE AND CANNABIS ADMINISTRATION
CASE REPORT (Excerpts)
Summary
(Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration investigation determined that on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, Saleh Salim, owner of pending Medical Cannabis License for Aloha, located at 539 8th Street S.E., was in violation of:
5400 GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS FOR ALL APPLICANTS
5400.1 Before issuing, or renewing a registration or permit for either a business applicant
or an individual applicant, the Director shall determine that the applicant meets all
of the following criteria:
(a) The applicant is of good character and generally fit for the responsibilities
of registration;
5300 DENIAL OF REGISTRATION FOR VIOLATIONS OF LAW
5300.1 The Director may deny registration to an applicant if evidence shows that the
applicant has permitted conduct at the cultivation center or dispensary which is in
violation of this subtitle.)
Details
Specifically, Mr. Salim owns several tobacco businesses in Virginia, and on March 18, 2026, he was arrested and charged in Fairfax County, with conspiracy to distribute marijuana and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Additionally, Mr. Salim had a Fact-finding Hearing with the ABCA Board on February 26, 2026, where he stated that he was not involved in any unlicensed / illegal activity.
On Wednesday, March 18, 2026, ABCA received information that the Fairfax County Police Department executed search warrants at 13 vape stores, two storage units, one vehicle, and one warehouse in Fairfax County, as well as three residences in Prince William County. During the operation, detectives seized a vehicle and confiscated marijuana in multiple forms, including flower, vape cartridges, pre-rolls, and edibles. Detectives also recovered approximately 40 pounds of suspected mushroom-infused gummies, unknown pills, and suspected prescription medications being sold without authorization. Additionally, detectives located two storage units containing hundreds of pounds of marijuana. FCPD reported that coordination among local, state, and federal partners led to the seizure of narcotics with an estimated street value exceeding $2 million, along with more than $500,000 in cash. Detectives also seized and froze 30 bank accounts associated with the organization, containing more than $100,000….
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The annual Capitol Hill House & Garden Tour will be held on Mother’s Day weekend, May 9-10. This year the focus of the tour will be the Southeast Capitol Hill. The tour is a two-day event: Saturday May 9 from 4pm-7pm and Sunday May 10 from 1pm-5pm.
The 2026 tour will include eight homes, three semi-public buildings and a newly installed native plant garden. Some homes have been part of the tour before but now have had fresh and unique updates. Go here for tickets: https://bit.ly/4nc7hvU
CHRS members will receive a discount code to purchase tickets for $30 each. The regular advance non-member price is $40, and the price increases to $50 on the weekend of the tour.
Refreshments from local DC vendors will be offered in the lobby of 507 8th Street SE on Barracks Row, which will also operate as tour headquarters. “The 507,” as it is known, serves as an event venue and also the offices of Taoti Creative.
Homes on the tour feature both historic and more modern layouts and interiors. A few of the homes are on lightly used streets. Some are homes you may have always wondered about due unusual exterior shapes or paint colors. There are standalones, corner lots, clapboards, and former boarding houses. There’s an infamous alley, an infamous business and one with some curious collections.
Also featured are stately and well-behaved stops, such as the Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church and the Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital, both of which have graciously offered their locations as rest stops and will also offer tours of their buildings. The church is a beautiful example of Gothic architecture with impressive stained glass windows, and the Hill Center has made a few changes to its outdoor garden.
The tour, as always, is pedestrian-friendly. This year’s map will take participants through some of the beautiful parks south of Pennsylvania Avenue, and CHRS will provide information about them in the tour catalog.
Interested in volunteering as a docent? No experience is necessary and training will be provided. All docents who sign up for a minimum of a two-hour shift will be given a free ticket to visit the other tour stops. Contact the CHRS House Tour Committee at caphillhousetour@gmail.com for more information.
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Last Sunday, Congressional Cemetery held its Spring Fair. Batalá Washington DC – this all woman drum band led a joyous procession through the cemetery to the Circle of Life for the dedication of a new bench for reflections and contemplation. Batalá’s music is dynamic samba reggae rhythms from Salador, Bahia. Photo: Sharon Metcalf
The Circle of Life. The Circle of Life is a recent installation of land art or earth art which celebrates nature’s perseverance. The site comprises a 60 foot circle of linden trees aligned with the points of a compass and serves as an observation site of the sun’s path during solstices and equinoxes. It celebrates and pays tribute the natural environment, invites meditation and reflection. It was created by a group of friends interested in Congressional Cemetery in partnership with Congressional Cemetery and a testimony to those who choose green burial as a simple and sustainable end to their existence. Photo: Sharon Metcalf
Congressional Cemetery Executive Director Mark Hudson and Circle of Life Designer & Arboretum Partnership Coordinator Sharon Metcalf untie the ribbon, inaugurating the newly installed bench with a Nature Sacred journal, making it available so visitors can leave a reflection or drawing for the next passersby. For more, go here: https://bit.ly/48C3qCh Photo: Sharon Metcalf
More on trees. Here’s an early spring image of the “Moon Tree” on the Grounds of the West Front of the US Capitol, near the Botanic Garden. So named because the seed for the American Sweetgum was carried around the moon on the historic Artemis I mission in late 2022. It was planted on the Capitol Grounds on June 4, 2024, in honor of NASA’s Artemis missions, part of a long-term plan to explore the moon and eventually Mars.
Barracks Row has been getting a lot of attention recently. Here’s one of Capitol Hill BID’s “Men in Blue” working to bring spring to 8th Street, SE.
Last weekend, a couple of young fishermen were testing the waters of the Anacostia near the RFK Stadium site.
Thursday: 6B Planning and Zoning Committee continues consideration of Wingstop’s application for a fast food exemption for a new carryout on Barracks Row.
Friday: CM Charles Allen holds Community Office Hours at CIVIC on 8th at 8:30am.
Tuesday, May 5
ANC6B ABC Committee will hold a hybrid meeting at 7:00pm
Meeting location will be 700 Pennsylvania Ave SE; Second Floor, Conference Room 1 (entry adjacent to Trader Joe’s).
Application of Wingstop/Emerald Wings for an exception to the fast food restrictions on Barracks Row
Friday, May 8
Friday: CM Charles Allen holds Community Office Hours at CIVIC on 8th at 501 8th Street, SE, 8:30am – 10:00am. RSVP here: https://bit.ly/3P2gNVM
Capitol Hill Corner Would Also Like You to Know About:
FREEDC EVENTS for May
Go here to see a list of upcoming events for this week and to sign up to join FreeDC: https://freedcproject.org/
Tuesday, May 5
Cajun Dance on Capitol Hill.
7:30 to 9:30pm, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 301 A Street, SE.
Lively Cajun French music from southwestern Louisiana. Dance to two steps and waltzes played by the Capitol Hill Cajun Orchestra (led by members of the Capitol Hill Billies). All ages welcome; free admission. Next Dance, June 2.
Wednesday, May 6
Hill Center
7:00 pm – 9:00pm $12
At Issue: The Campaign to Undermine the 2026 Midterm Elections with David Becker, Executive Director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, Democracy Docket Senior Reporter, Matt Cohen, and New York Times Reporter, Nick Corasaniti
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month – Celebration Performances
5:00 PM – 6:30pm
Aloha Boys – Hawaiian group – Free
Friday, May 8 – 10
Folger Consort
2:00pm and 8:00pm
An English Garden: Friday, May 8 – Sunday, May 10 – Tickets $20-50
Folger Consort presents a program of Elizabethan songs and instrumental music interspersed with short readings of poems and gardening advice from contemporary authors. The Folger will welcome back audience favorite soprano Emily Noël and an ensemble of viols and lute for this springtime program, curated by Mary Springfels
Nicole “Ms. Niki” Addison is a classically trained singer/songwriter from Washington, D.C. One of family music’s most compelling and talented new emerging artists, Ms. Niki is a member of the GRAMMY-nominated 1 Tribe Collective’s All One Tribe album featuring “Rainbow.” Described as a new age cross between Mary Poppins and Ms. Frizzle. Ms. Niki is sure to please audiences of all ages.
Congressional Cemetery is the final resting place of many mothers. Some were biological mothers, like Lucy Bell, who devoted her life to fighting for her family’s freedom from slavery. Sarah Reed was an expectant mother who died reportedly trying to save her stepchildren during an explosion on the steamship Wawaset. Some mothers are metaphorical, like Barbara Gittings, “Mother of the Gay Rights Movement,” and Flora Adams Darling, the founding mother of the National Society United States Daughters of 1812.
This Mother’s Day weekend, we invite you on a stroll to learn about the history of mothers of all kinds, through the lens of Congressional Cemetery.
CAPITOL HILL CORNER 