Archive: City Life
City Officials Meet With CFSA Senior Staff
Acting Attorney General Peter J. Nickles and the City Adminstrator Dan Tangherlini met with senior staff of the Department of Children and Family Services today, including the new interim director Roque Gerald, Nickles said. They met to discuss caseloads and other issues raised by the court monitor as the city...
By Marcia Davis | July 18, 2008; 06:10 PM ET | Comments (0)
Linda Parke Gallagher Dies
Linda Parke Gallagher, 64, has died. Gallagher, who owned a management and development consulting business, will be remembered for many things, but especially for her role in revitalizing Eighth Street in Southeast, or Barracks Row. She died yesterday at Washington Hospital Center after a stroke. Barracks Row Main Street Inc.,...
By Marcia Davis | July 18, 2008; 03:44 PM ET | Comments (0)
More Help for CFSA
Acting Attorney General Peter J. Nickles and Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) say the District's Child and Family Services Agency needs an influx of social workers and funds to help get the caseloads under control. In the wake of the resignation of its director, Sharlynn E. Bobo on Wednesday, Nickles...
By Marcia Davis | July 18, 2008; 08:40 AM ET | Comments (6)
New Gun Regulations Announced Today
District residents will be able to keep a handgun in the home for self-defense but that right would be limited to the home and not outside it, city leaders said today, announcing new gun regulations in response to the Supreme Court's recent ruling striking down the city's handgun ban....
By Marcia Davis | July 14, 2008; 04:36 PM ET | Comments (5)
Edwards Speaks to Students in District
John Edwards told more than a thousand college students yesterday that they must join the fight against poverty and offered policy changes that he said could improve the economic lives of 18 million poor in 10 years. Edwards spoke at the Campus Progress National Conference in at the Omni Shoreham...
By Marcia Davis | July 9, 2008; 06:45 AM ET | Comments (0)
Political Blogger Shot in Adams Morgan
Liberal political blogger Brian Beutler, 25, was shot and wounded early today during an attempted robbery in Adams Morgan, D.C. police and friends said. He is recovering at a local hospital from gushot wounds to his shoulder and spleen. Beutler, 25, is a Washington correspondent for the Media Consortium, a...
By Marcia Davis | July 2, 2008; 06:13 PM ET | Comments (14)
It's Payday for City Summer Workers
The city may be on the road to working out its payment kinks in its Summer Youth jobs program. Today was the first payday for students who started work on June 16, and at least 10 participants were paid right on time. That hasn't been the case in years past,...
By Marcia Davis | July 1, 2008; 03:15 PM ET | Comments (3)
WASA: Reduce Partial Pipe Replacement
The D.C. Water and Sewer Authority general manager recommended yesterday that WASA scale back its lead-pipe replacement program, but a board committee deferred judgment, saying it needed time to review the proposals. The Committee on Drinking Water Quality ran out of time before it had a chance to review WASA...
By Marcia Davis | July 1, 2008; 06:57 AM ET | Comments (1)
Barry, Others Call for EPA Tests
Surrounded by TV crews and other media, Council Member Marion Barry and a few concerned activists, stood outside Anacostia High School this morning and called for EPA testing of school athletic fields. The group said it's concerned that the toxic silica sand has been used in the renovations of six...
By Marcia Davis | June 25, 2008; 12:30 PM ET | Comments (1)
Barry, Activists Calling for EPA Testing on School Fields
Council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) is holding a news conference this morning alongside community activists, parents and educators outside Anacostia High School to demand the EPA do immediate testing on all public school and recreation fields for toxins associated with silica sand. Activists say the fields refurbished by the...
By Marcia Davis | June 25, 2008; 07:30 AM ET | Comments (1)
Donna Brazile Testifies About Naming Park For Capitol Hill Legend
Political pundit Donna Brazile, better known for her appearances on cable news television, appeared on Channel 13 today as she testified about naming a small park in Capitol Hill for late friend and neighborhood legend Lola Beaver. Beaver died Nov. 28, 2006, at age 96. She lived a full life...
By Nikita R Stewart | June 24, 2008; 04:22 PM ET | Comments (1)
New Gig for Former D.C. Attorney General
Linda Singer, who lasted a year as Mayor Fenty's first D.C. attorney general before leaving in frustration in December, has landed a job with Zuckerman Spaeder LLP, where she will be co-chair of a new division called the Public Client Practice. According to a news release from the firm, Singer's...
By David A Nakamura | June 18, 2008; 10:59 AM ET | Comments (2)
O'Connor Trumps Outages to Talk Politics--and Game Design
Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor beat power outages and Washington traffic yesterday to give a speech at the National Press Club that chastised Washington politicians, advocating a less divisive American political scene. O'Connor arrived at the Press Club five minutes after power was restored to the building, narrowly...
By Marcia Davis | June 14, 2008; 07:01 AM ET | Email a Comment
Fenty Gets New Wheels
(David Nakamura - TWP) With gas prices soaring, Mayor Fenty has traded in his fuel-guzzling sport utility vehicle for an efficient Smart Car convertible, as WTOP reported He drove it to his news conference at an elementary school in Northeast this morning, where he was mobbed by the media....
By David A Nakamura | June 13, 2008; 12:49 PM ET | Comments (5)
In Today's D.C. Extra
Meet the Spring 2008 All-Extra high school sports team...Students from the D.C. Creative Writing Workshop -- a mix of kids from elementary, middle and high schools -- are making their mark in area poetry competitions....Caribbean American Heritage Month brings a film series, literary festival and more to the District.... Also,...
By Marcia Davis | June 5, 2008; 11:32 AM ET | Email a Comment
Who's Making Noise?
Labor unions have banded together to stop the final approval of the controversial Noise Control Protection Amendment Act with a three-day radio campaign that begins tomorrow morning on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, said Dwight Kirk, a spokesman for the groups. The D.C. Council voted 8 to 5 earlier this...
By Nikita R Stewart | May 29, 2008; 06:24 PM ET | Comments (20)
Fort Reno Park Reopens
Fort Reno Park in Northwest Washington was reopened today after officials said comprehensive tests at the 33-acre field found that arsenic levels in the soil are not at unsafe levels. The park near Woodrow Wilson Senior High School was abruptly closed May 14 after the U.S. Geological Survey reported finding...
By Marcia Davis | May 28, 2008; 05:07 PM ET | Email a Comment
The Question of a Soccer Stadium
Aides to District Council members met afternoon to try to talk through some of the details of a possible soccer stadium at Poplar Point in Ward 8. The Washington Post reported this morning that council legislation is in the works that could be introduced as early as Tuesday in support...
By Marcia Davis | May 28, 2008; 02:45 PM ET | Email a Comment
Soccer In Ward 8?
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty takes questions from the Anacostia Coordinating Council. (By David Nakamura--TWP) To build a soccer stadium or not to build one? That has been the question for months and now it looks as if the city is ready to commit to a financing plan, as we...
By David A Nakamura | May 28, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (22)
Fort Reno: It's Not Over Yet
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has declared Fort Reno Park safe after conducting its own tests for arsenic levels. It released its findings yesterday for the small federal park in Northwest that was closed last week after a scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey produced soil samples with dangerously...
By Marcia Davis | May 22, 2008; 09:30 AM ET | Comments (4)
Quarter Debate Begins
A day after a citizens' advisory panel recommended that a design featuring Benjamin Banneker be used on the upcoming D.C. quarter, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton is speaking out to say that the decision is far from final. Norton contacted the U.S. Mint to be sure that the other two design...
By David A Nakamura | May 22, 2008; 08:00 AM ET | Email a Comment
In Case You Missed It:
District Council member Mary M. Cheh decided yesterday to table her energy bill after being pelted with questions from council colleagues and heavy lobbying from utility companies such as Pepco. A big sticking point: aid to the poor to help pay utility bills. Also, auditor Deborah K. Nichols issued a...
By Marcia Davis | May 22, 2008; 07:30 AM ET | Email a Comment
How Many Lawyers Does It Take...
To get fired--in the interest of a balanced budget and "first-rate" staff. The Office of the Attorney General began informing assistant attorneys yesterday that they will be terminated for poor performance as the agency seeks to become "first-rate" and save $3 million in the fiscal 2009 budget, said interim Attorney...
By Nikita R Stewart | May 22, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (11)
In Today's District Extra
Remember local troops who made the ultimate sacrifice in a photo tribute, Faces of the Fallen....D.C. Council member and Democratic Party delegate Jack Evans switches his support from Hillary Rodham Clinton to Barack Obama.... Students from the Sew N Know Entrepreneurship Program showcased their creations at the first "Runway Youngins"...
By Marcia Davis | May 22, 2008; 06:59 AM ET | Email a Comment
You Know It's Campaign Season When...
But shouldn't the apostrophe be next to the 08?...
By David A Nakamura | May 15, 2008; 04:55 PM ET | Comments (2)
Douglass Family Offers 2 Cents on Quarter
The descendants of Frederick Douglass are having their say about the District Quarter contest. The DC Wire broke the story about the images being considered for the quarter: Douglass, scientist Benjamin Banneker and composer Duke Ellington. Here is the story. So guess which one the abolitionist's relatives say is the...
By Marcia Davis | May 15, 2008; 07:30 AM ET | Email a Comment
In Today's D.C. Extra
This year celebrating its 50th anniversary, Friends of the National Zoo has grown from four members to 100,000....At Ballou Senior High School students have begun a monthly prayer breakfast before the school day begins.... The Gertrude Stein Democratic Club hands out its candidate endorsements.....The Farmers' Market at the U.S. Department...
By Marcia Davis | May 15, 2008; 07:15 AM ET | Email a Comment
No More Stokes
For nearly five years, John A. Stokes has tried to sell city reporters on good news stories like summer meals for children and college tuition programs for D.C. high school students, as a spokesman for the state education office. Now he'll be doing it from a different perch, as the...
By Theola Labbé | May 14, 2008; 12:00 PM ET | Email a Comment
My First Taxi Meter
On the way back to the Post after covering the Fraternal Order of Police memorial service, I took my first D.C. cab with a time and distance meter installed. Here are the stats: Trip: From 441 4th St. NW to 1150 15th St. NW Start Fare: $3.00 plus $1.50...
By David A Nakamura | May 9, 2008; 01:30 PM ET | Comments (3)
Does This Man Look Angry to You?
Chinese artist Lei Yixin is working on the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial. (Courtesy Lei Yixin) No, not the sculptor, Lei Yixin, who's working on this statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for the Tidal Basin memorial, but the sculpture itself. Though some might understand if Yixin is...
By Marcia Davis | May 9, 2008; 08:15 AM ET | Comments (4)
Klingle Road Warriors
It's been nearly two decades, but did anyone really think the fight over Klingle Road was over? Okay, maybe some really did believe the question had been settled when the District Council voted in 2003 to spend millions to reopen the road. But that's beside the point. The DC Wire...
By Marcia Davis | May 9, 2008; 08:00 AM ET | Comments (1)
Bleacher Bums
Two years ago, the District scored a $100,000 grant from the Baseball Tomorrow Fund, one of Major League Baseball's community outreach programs, to renovate Fort Greble Field, where Ballou High plays its home games. The complex got new turf, dugouts, backstop and bleachers. But just days after then-Mayor Anthony...
By David A Nakamura | May 8, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (3)
WASA Says Conserve H20 After Main Breaks
WASA was kept on its toes in Southeast yesterday after five water main breaks in the early morning. Crews were still working on the problem late yesterday. Residents in neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River are advised to conserve water - no car washing, lawn watering or other activities that...
By Marcia Davis | May 7, 2008; 05:59 AM ET | Email a Comment
Yes, Mr. Mayor, Your Staff is Hard at Work
Mayor Fenty's aides work their BlackBerrys before today's mayor-council breakfast. (By David Nakamura--TWP)...
By David A Nakamura | May 2, 2008; 03:12 PM ET | Email a Comment
Dorothy Brizill's Slot Battle in Guam High Court
Dorothy Brizill may have defeated the slots initiative in the Disrtict, but she'll have to defend herself against defamation charges filed by gambling promoters tonight in Supreme Court in Guam. Yes, Brizill is being sued by John Baldwin and the case will appear before a three-judge panel in the Supreme...
By Yolanda Woodlee | May 2, 2008; 02:00 PM ET | Comments (3)
WASA and Verse
Last night's WASA Board of Director's hearing concerning the authority's lead service replacement program -- a $93 million effort so far to produce minimal success in reducing lead levels in water--garnered the routine round of witnesses. Some activists and residents complained about the agency's leadership and a lack of understanding...
By Marcia Davis | May 2, 2008; 11:26 AM ET | Email a Comment
Looking for Meters
Though today is no longer the deadline for D.C. taxis to have meters (today used to be the deadline, before the city recently extended it to June 1) it seemed like a good time to walk the streets and try to gauge how many drivers are getting with the program....
By Marcia Davis | May 1, 2008; 01:40 PM ET | Comments (2)
DC Cameras: Big Brother Arrives In a Big Way?
The District of Columbia launches its controversial camera network today. The program will link thousands of cameras under one roof. Cameras from public housing, schools, traffic and government buildings will feed into one central system. Some see it as a cutting-edge way to battle crime and deal with homeland security....
By Marcia Davis | May 1, 2008; 06:46 AM ET | Email a Comment
Gotta Keep Hydrated
From today's hearing on the city's federal budget allocation on Capitol Hill.(Photo by David Nakamura)...
By David A Nakamura | April 30, 2008; 05:07 PM ET | Email a Comment
In Today's D.C. Extra: The Guide
The Guide, the annual handbook for living in the District has important information about city government, schools, transportation, services and recreation. Plus, tips on the District's real estate outlook, the 10 best places to entertain children, the capital's standout attractions, higher education, historic sites and more. And, new this year,...
By Marcia Davis | April 24, 2008; 03:32 PM ET | Comments (2)
Church to DC DOT: Give Us Back Our Parking!
This isn't really a story about Washington's Nats, but it does involve the continuing saga about the new stringent parking restrictions imposed by the District Department of Transportation around Nationals Park in Southeast D.C. Granted, the new rules are designed to make sure that fans don't completely take over all...
By Sylvia Moreno | April 22, 2008; 06:59 AM ET | Comments (2)
Crossing Boundaries
Ward 1 Council Member Jim Graham called The Post's City Desk yesterday to talk about a story that was stripped across the District's metro section Sunday morning. Posties Allison Klein and Dan Keating reported that burglaries are up 21 percent in the city, and police believe that some of it...
By Marcia Davis | April 21, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Email a Comment
In Today's D.C. Extra
New leader of the D.C. Health Department Pierre Vigilance appears unworried that he's the District's fifth director in a decade, calling his job "a really good opportunity." .... A report shows that the District has the fourth largest incarceration rate in the nation and questions the cost... Jacqueline Dupree says...
By Marcia Davis | April 17, 2008; 02:15 PM ET | Email a Comment
Paying Respects to the Bishop
Thousands watched as Bishop Madison's casket moved through the street yesterday. (By Gerald Martineau-The Washington Post) Several thousand gathered at God's White House at the intersection of Sixth and M Street NW yesterday to view the open casket of Bishop S.C. "Daddy" Madison, the longtime leader of the powerful...
By Marcia Davis | April 14, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (2)
Housing Crisis and Opportunity
During testimony on the Hill yesterday about the foreclosure crisis, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty noted that the problem has not been as severe in the District as it has been for other jurisdictions but still has serious implications for city residents. "As of last fall, residents of the District had...
By Marcia Davis | April 11, 2008; 08:00 AM ET | Email a Comment
In Today's D.C. Extra
Meet the Winter All-Extra high school sports teams, featuring top performers in girls' and boys' basketball, girls' and boys' track and field, and more...Find out who's following in former Ward 5 Council member Vincent Orange's footsteps...Washington Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) plans to visit the Benning Terrace Soldiers' home field...
By washingtonpost.com editors | April 10, 2008; 02:42 PM ET | Email a Comment
A Tree Grows in Ward 5
Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. seems to be trying hard to keep the focus on a campaign against violence in his ward. He said there have been at least 10 homicides in the ward this year. Last week Thomas called for a crime emergency, but that idea was turned...
By Marcia Davis | April 9, 2008; 06:59 AM ET | Email a Comment
"Daddy" Madison's "House" Staying in D.C.
The trombone's and brass instruments were wailing Sunday at God's White House as hundreds of congregants reflected on the life of Bishop S.C. "Daddy" Madison, who led the District's most affluent congregation for the last 17 years. Madison died Saturday at the age of 86. While many downtown congregations have...
By Marcia Davis | April 7, 2008; 06:56 AM ET | Email a Comment
Weekend Events for King Anniversary
Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968. The Post takes an extensive look at the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Find a list of area events on this 40th anniversary weekend. In our online special report, find photos, videos, and more, as well as, these features:Friday:...
By Marcia Davis | April 4, 2008; 04:05 PM ET | Email a Comment
Pressing for a Crime Emergency in Ward 5
Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr. (D-Ward 5) called yesterday for D.C. police to declare a "crime emergency" in his ward, the second council member to raise an alarm about neighborhood violence this week. Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) held an emergency meeting Tuesday night to discuss the two homicides last weekend in...
By Marcia Davis | April 4, 2008; 07:05 AM ET | Comments (3)
Housing the Chronically Homeless
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's plan to provide permanent housing and supportive social services for D.C's chronically and "most vulnerable" homeless population is laid out in a plan that is open for public comment for 45 days after the plan was announced. The mayor unveiled the plan on Wednesday, April...
By Sylvia Moreno | April 4, 2008; 06:57 AM ET | Email a Comment
Official Winter is Over; Back to the Streets
The District's hypothermia, or winter, shelters close this morning, leaving more than 300 homeless men with no place to go other than back to the streets, according to the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless. At the official start of hypothermia season -- last Nov.1 -- the city temporarily...
By Sylvia Moreno | April 1, 2008; 08:00 AM ET | Email a Comment
Taking It to the Streets
Street vendors want the right to operate outside of Nationals Park the way they did at RFK. (Nikki Kahn) What's baseball without the hot dog? Like a hot dog with no bun, according to Council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3). She said she will introduce legislation today that...
By Nikita R Stewart | April 1, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (1)
Bus Stops, Parking Signs -- and School Safety
As a city reporter, I often get to story assignments by bus if I can, preferring to see the District through a big bus window instead of a dark Metro tunnel. I have also found the city's winding bus routes an asset if I need to get to a story...
By Theola Labbé | March 28, 2008; 07:10 AM ET | Comments (2)
Show D.C. Some Love: Don't Litter
So what's up with all the litterbugs in the District? And why are they the way they are -- especially the biggest offenders, young folks between the ages of 12 and 24? The D.C. Public Works Department wants to find out and today, it's calling in focus groups of...
By Sylvia Moreno | March 27, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (8)
The Vacant School Wish List
Recreation center? Art gallery? Charter school? Dozens turned out Monday night at Harriet Tubman Elementary school in Columbia Heights to give their ideas for what should happen with two school buildings in Ward 1 that are slated to close. Ward 1 Councilmember Jim Graham (D), ever eager to stay on...
By Theola Labbé | March 26, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (1)
