Metro Washington

Metro Washington unemployment improves
Washington Business Journal - by Jeff Clabaugh Staff Reporter
Unemployment numbers for the metropolitan Washington area showed improvement last month.

The Department of Employment Services says the metro Washington unemployment rate was 6.3 percent in July, down from 6.7 percent in June. It is still sharply higher than the 4.1 percent unemployment rate seen locally a year ago.



Over the last 12 months, the number of employed residents in the Washington Metropolitan Division decreased by 66,600 and the civilian labor force has decreased by 12,700, the agency says.

The government continues to fuel job growth in the Washington area. Public sector jobs increased by 9,900 from June to July, led by state and federal hiring that offset a decline in local government employment.

Professional and business service jobs also saw month-over-month gains, while there were continued job losses in education and health services, information technology and finance-related jobs.

Friday, August 28, 2009, 7:29am EDT | Modified: Friday, August 28, 2009, 8:39am

Ray’s Hell Burger coming to Adams Morgan
Washington Business Journal - by Jonathan O'Connell Staff Reporter


Michael Landrum of Ray's Hell Burger.

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The local Ray’s Hell Burger chain, which attracted President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden to its Arlington restaurant in May — plans to open its first location in D.C. on one of the city’s busiest corners in Adams Morgan this fall.

According to Kristen Barden, executive director of the Adams Morgan Partnership, a new Ray’s Hell Burger will open in the coming months at 2465 18th St. NW in a building that formerly housed the Ghana Cafe, which did not renew its lease. The address is smack in the middle of one of the city’s liveliest entertainment districts.



“I think it’s going to be a great compliment to the neighborhood,” Barden said. “We have a great variety of bars, restaurants and places to eat, but we don’t have just a burger place. And a burger place of that caliber.”

Barden said she heard the news from the property’s owner, Wilma Roumel, earlier in August.

Neither Roumel nor the burger chain returned phone calls seeking comment.

The building is currently undergoing renovations, and Barden said the upper floors were being made into condominiums. The Adams Morgan Partnership is a business improvement district that promotes cleanliness and safety for the neighborhood’s businesses.

Restaurateur Michael Landrum owns Ray’s Hell Burger and Ray’s the Steaks, both in Arlington. The former expanded into a larger space this summer, where Landrum eventually plans to open a seafood concept, Ray’s the Catch. He also is planning a new Ray’s the Steaks in the Benning neighborhood of Northeast D.C.

Barden said she hoped the new burger place would build on the neighborhood’s late-night offerings, which already include mega pizza slices, falafel sandwiches and empanadas. “It’s going to make a great contribution to the already terrific shops and bars that we have,” she said.