Every Tuesday and Thursday, we run down what’s going on in local Internet discussion groups.

HillcrestDC
In Ward 7, some residents seem concerned that Mayor-elect Adrian Fenty’s transition team won’t include east-of-the-river neighborhoods in their future plans. Trish contacted the Fenty team to find out if any members from Wards 7 or 8. “Mr. Clarke was only able to provide me with one name,” she writes. “He said that this information was not obtained when initially asking for participants for the various transition committees.” Lucy was disturbed that the town hall meeting for Ward 7 was held during the Thanksgiving holiday week, as she couldn’t attend. “Can this be done with more notice and not 2 days before Thanksgiving?” she writes. “I am very interested in attending but have already made other plans that include getting ready for Thanksgiving.” Lucy took the scheduling snafu as a slight: “Either this is a purely male driven idea or real public participation is not wanted,” she wrote. But according to Trish, what turned into a scheduling mishap was originally intended as an ego stroke for residents like Lucy. “I further inquired as to why the transition meeting for Wards 7 and 8 were scheduled for the holiday week,” Trish writes. “[Mr. Clarke] responded that the thinking was to have East of the River first so that they would not feel slighted.”

Brookland
In Brookland, Roomforrent’s neighbor’s dog is driving her crazy. A self-professed “dog lover,” she says that her new neighbors let their dog out at sometimes at 5:30 a.m., and the dog won’t stop barking until they let it back in. “The owners do NOTHING to curtail this behavior,” she writes. “This morning the dog has been barking NON-STOP for 20 minutes. It finally tired out but will undoubtedly get a second wind and start again.” Roomforrent’s husband was thinking of confronting the neighbors, when Heather offered this tidbit. “There is something called Bark Free,” Heather writes. “Every time a dog barks within certain amount of feet from the device it will emit an ultrahigh pitch sound when the dog barks. So the dog then learns that when it barks the annoying sound occurs and it stops. It may sound cruel to some but if you are dealing with truly irresponsible dog owners with no regard for neighborhood peace then I’d check into it.”

ustreetnews
When Shar, a resident of 12th Place NW, peered into her alley one morning, something was missing. “Someone has cut back trees/plants that spilled over my fence into the alley way,” she writes. “They also butchered my lilac tree which gently leans into the alley—as it happens, the lilac is way past it’s prime, but I’m distressed that someone would feel free to cut back a tree that is in my garden quite haphazardly without asking me.” Perturbed that her foliage had been pruned without her permission, Shar wanted to know who was so offended by her plants. But when one of her tactless neighbors had the skinny on what happened to her trees, he unwittingly sparked a conversation on web etiquette. “Welcome to the city,” Clyde started. “In case you are not aware allow me to enlighten you on the law. Foliage growing into public space (alley or sidewalk) can be cut by the city with or without your permission.…Therefore, it behooves one to trim their foliage before it is trimmed for them.” “Holy condescension!” Renee wrote in. “What’s up with being such a jerk to your neighbors? Why not nicely respond or not at all?”