|
The comprehensive DC politics roundup — Jan. 18, 2022
|
|
|
|
|
Voting rights and statehood
|
| |
With the family of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. using Monday's holiday honoring the civil rights leader to highlight the importance of voting rights, DC officials echoed their calls and highlighted the lack of DC autonomy as a similar affront.
King's family led a march across the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge and joined the annual MLK Peace Walk on its two-mile route through Southeast DC.
— WTOP's Megan Cloherty reports on Mayor Muriel Bowser's comments at a press conference held after the morning's events: "D.C.’s mayor is weighing in on the landmark voting rights bill that is expected to reach the Senate Tuesday. Mayor Muriel Bowser used her time at the podium — alongside the family of Martin Luther King Jr., Democratic leaders and civil rights activists — to bring attention to D.C. residents’ inability to elect their own voting members of Congress.
" 'The plight of Washington, D.C., is the same plight that millions more Americans could find themselves in if we don’t pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Cut out from the democratic process and treated as second-class citizens, you will be expected to pay taxes, you will be expected to serve in the military, and you will be expected to follow the rules set by the Congress,' Bowser said at the event at Union Station." [WTOP]
— WaPo's Katherine Shaver provides an overview of the political context: "Members of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s family demanded Monday that the Senate scrap the filibuster and pass voting rights legislation as they led a D.C. march on the holiday honoring the civil rights icon.
" … Monsignor Raymond East, 71, pastor of St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church in Anacostia, said the brisk temperatures and slushy mess from the previous evening’s snow and freezing rain didn’t discourage him from joining the peace walk, as he has for about the past 10 years. With voting rights legislation pending in Congress, he said, participating this year felt even more pressing.
" 'I can’t think of another time in my life when we were at a juncture like this — where we have the opportunity for us to do the right thing and act on the side of justice and democracy,' East, a District resident, said as he brought up the rear of the crowd. 'When Dr. King was marching, I was a teenager. Now it’s about voting and how important it is for people to be enfranchised.'
"Speaking of which, East said, 'it’s a good time to talk about D.C. statehood.' " [WaPo]
— DC Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton issued a statement that called for Senate action on voting rights as well as the Washington, D.C., Admission Act, which passed the House last April: "Dr. King spent his life giving a voice and bringing voting rights to the most disenfranchised members in our society. He supported home rule for D.C. well before the city focused on statehood. His efforts led to passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, allowing people of color to exercise their franchise in states with chronic histories of enacting restrictive voting laws.
"Although the Supreme Court in 2013 gutted the Voting Rights Act, the Court invited Congress to update the Act. In the absence of responsible action by Congress, states have felt emboldened to pass new voter suppression laws. Dr. King’s birthday is not only for commemoration of past victories. His birthday should inspire the Senate to act to complete the nation’s work on civil rights.”
— Other coverage: 'Hundreds march in annual MLK Peace Walk over Douglass Bridge' [WTOP]
|
|
Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC Health launched four new COVID-19 centers today, with plans for another four to debut next week. The centers provide access to vaccinations, boosters, and take-home antigen tests. Hours will stretch into the evening to facilitate access.
The centers that opened today are located at 800 Euclid St. NW in Ward 1; 926 F St. NW in Ward 2; 3925 Minnesota Ave. NE in Ward 7; and 3640 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE in Ward 8. Similar centers in wards 3, 4, 5 and 6 are slated to open next Monday.
"With the COVID Centers, we are doubling down on our commitment to equity and accessibility and ensuring we have the systems in place to support a long-term response that can be dialed-up or down and quickly modified to meet our community’s needs," Bowser said in the press release.
Officials noted that existing services — such as PCR testing at firehouses and at-home test pickup at libraries — won't change. [DCist]
- DC will get $225 million over five years from the federal government for repairs to DC bridges, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the District Department of Transportation announced Friday. Along with accelerating efforts to maintain all of the city's bridges, DC's share of funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will target eight spans that are considered to be in poor condition, according to a press release. Projects ultimately will include rehabilitating or replacing high-cost connections such as the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Bridge and the bridge carrying New York Avenue NE across the Anacostia River. [WTOP]
- A week after a group of substitute teachers rallied to protest their pay, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that DC Public Schools will increase the rate for daily substitutes to $136 per day. That's up from $121.50 per day, meaning the hourly wage will go from $15.20 to $17. "This compensation increase will allow DCPS to retain our valuable educators and continue to compete with neighboring school districts to recruit more substitute teachers and continue to provide quality instruction," DCPS Chancellor Lewis Ferebee said in a press release. [WTOP]
- Nate Fleming, a candidate for an at-large DC Council seat, reported over the weekend that he had been carjacked at a gas station at Nannie Helen Burroughs and Minnesota avenues NE. "I’m shocked, angry, and a bit embarrassed," Fleming said in a statement. "To be threatened at gunpoint is extremely shocking, but sadly I am not surprised to have been attacked given the crisis we are facing with carjackings and violence in general in our city." When a few raised questions on Twitter about a DC Council candidate owning a car with Virginia tags, Fleming responded: "Car was purchased in VA & is registered to my wife, we were recently married. Working to get changed, things moving slow with pandemic." [WTOP, WaPo]
|
|
► 'District vaccine mandate garners mixed reactions and awkward searches for proof of doses.' WaPo's Antonio Olivo: "Restaurants, fitness centers and other indoor businesses in the District Saturday began requiring patrons to show proof of vaccination, the first day of a mandate in the nation’s capital that is geared toward curbing the latest surge of the coronavirus.
" 'Can I see your vaccination card and photo ID?' workers across the city asked customers over and over, receiving warm smiles from some who readily complied while others unaware of the new rule awkwardly searched their wallets and phones.
"The new rule applies to anyone 12 or older entering sit-down restaurants, bars, gyms, theaters and most other public places where people spend long periods sitting inside. Grocery stores, retail stores and houses of worship are among the exempt locations." [WaPo]
— 'On first day of D.C.’s new vaccine mandate, businesses and patrons adjust.' [DCist]
— 'Ready your vaccination cards: D.C. businesses prepare to enforce new mandate' [WaPo]
— 'D.C. prepared to enforce indoor vaccine mandate' [Axios]
► 'D.C. is requiring vaccines to enter restaurants and gyms. In most of its suburbs, it’s a very different story.' WaPo's Teo Armus: "At El Rey, a buzzing Mexican taqueria and bar in Northwest Washington, a bouncer planted outside on Saturday night asked the line of customers on U Street to show their vaccination cards. It was the first time staff had asked for the cards, meant to comply with a new vaccination rule in the District.
"But eight miles away, at a sister El Rey location in Ballston, the door was open for anyone 21 and older to walk in and order a margarita or birria tacos — regardless of whether they had proof of vaccination or whether they were vaccinated at all.
"The very different scenes on either side of the Potomac River over the weekend reflect the increasingly uneven patchwork of local laws on vaccines and public-facing businesses: As some parts of the D.C. region move ahead with these requirements, their intended objectives may be hampered by a lack of regional cooperation, health experts say." [WaPo]
► 'An anti-vaccine mandate protest is coming to D.C. Here’s what we know.' DCist's Amanda Michelle Gomez: "Just a week after Mayor Muriel Bowser requires select businesses to check proof of vaccination, thousands of people appear to be planning a trip to D.C. to protest vaccine mandates on the National Mall. 'Defeat the Mandates: An American Homecoming' is a march and rally on January 23rd that organizers say is being held in order to show their objection to vaccine requirements on businesses or schools that have taken effect across the country.
"The event, headlined by several conservative, anti-vaccine advocates, is taking place on federal land, as national protests hosted in D.C. typically do. But some residents are concerned for local business owners and hospitality workers, who could be on the receiving end of protesters looking to buck any mandate and make a point. Residents recall times when right-wing protesters from out of town descended on D.C. and caused mayhem." [DCist; also WTOP]
► 'COVID outbreak exacerbates an already strained situation at the D.C. Jail.' DCist's Jenny Gathright: "At the end of December, 164 residents in the jail — about 12% of people being detained by DOC – were in isolation because they had COVID. Around that time, 214 staff members — about 20% of corrections staff — were out of work with the virus. Those numbers have since fallen by more than half, but about 60% of residents of the jail remain in quarantine because of potential exposure to the virus, according to D.C. Health
"The surge in cases has worsened an already strained situation for the city’s Department of Corrections — leading to complaints from jail residents, staff, and advocates that leadership has not done enough to respond to the facility’s most widespread COVID-19 outbreak to date.
"[Last] week, two DOC employees sued the department, arguing that they were being forced to report to work in-person even though their job responsibilities could be accomplished remotely. Family members of people incarcerated at the jail say they feel left in the dark on the facility’s response and concerned about the health of their loved ones. And in recent communications with D.C. Council members, the department indicated that there have been delays in access to booster shots, as well as the implementation of a rapid testing program." [DCist]
► 'Omicron deepens bus driver shortage, frustrating passengers as transit agencies pare back service.' WaPo's Justin George: "A surging omicron variant has sent ailing transit agencies into a heightened sense of crisis, prompting a fresh round of service cuts that have left passengers unsure whether they have a ride to work or school.
"Throughout the pandemic, bus operators have transported essential workers to jobs and riders who lack other alternatives to their destinations. But in recent weeks, the fast-spreading virus has proliferated throughout Metro and transit agencies across the country, sickening more drivers than at any other point in the pandemic as frustrated riders wonder whether their bus will arrive.
"Many transit agencies are paying higher wages while paring back schedules, reducing service for a second time after substantial cuts early in the pandemic. This time, transit officials say there’s likely no path to normal levels until omicron subsides and workers are healthy enough to get behind the wheel." [WaPo]
► 'How DC-area libraries became distribution hubs for coronavirus tests, vaccines.' WTOP's Scott Gelman: "In recent weeks, the start of Aryssa Damron’s day as a children’s librarian at Capitol View Neighborhood Library in D.C.’s Ward 7 has changed.
"She routinely arrives 30 minutes early, and by the time she approaches the branch, there’s a line that wraps around the building. The city’s health department facilitates the distribution of rapid and PCR coronavirus tests, in addition to vaccines. But library staff is still in the mix, she said.
"As Damron approaches the doors, she’s greeted by eager residents seeking information about when the branch opens and how the distribution will work. It’s more intense than bothersome, she said, but comes with the benefit having some residents explore the facility for the first time." [WTOP]
► 'Environmental advocacy group urges investigation into reported Potomac River spill.' WaPo's Fredrick Kunkle: "An environmental organization that monitors the Potomac River has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate reports of a spill that blackened the water and discolored rocks near Little Falls Branch on New Year’s Day.
"The Potomac Riverkeeper Network, which was alerted Jan. 2 to the spill by kayakers taking advantage of the balmy holiday weather, said it tracked the discharge to an outflow near the Washington Aqueduct.
" … Yet the Washington Aqueduct, a federally owned and operated treatment plant that supplies drinking water to about 1 million people in the District and Northern Virginia, said it has found no evidence that its facilities were the source of any such spill or discharge." [WaPo]
► OP-ED - 'DC schools need supports, not STARs.' EmpowerEd's Sarah Cole, Raymond Mullings, Maya Baum, Cody Norton, Armand Cuevas and Patricia Sanabria in The DC Line: "On Wednesday, the DC State Board of Education (SBOE) will vote on recommendations to modify the STAR Rating framework that is currently used for school accountability. Among the recommendations are welcome proposals to eliminate the summative rating in favor of a dashboard that assesses schools on factors like school climate; student growth and proficiency; access to well-rounded education; teachers’ experience, retention and diversity; and more.
"As educators and education advocates in the city, we are keenly aware of how the current rating system affects students, schools, and the communities they serve. In so many ways the current framework operates in opposition to our district-wide commitment to equity. Eliminating the summative rating is the first step in our crucial endeavor of eradicating the negative (and highly predictable) effects of racism, classism, sexism, ableism, queerphobia and the like on the outcomes and experiences of our most underserved community members.
"We call on all members of the SBOE to support a dashboard model that centers the needs and voices of the stakeholders who are too often ignored — namely, Black and Latinx students, teachers and families. But we also call on both the SBOE and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) to go far beyond that important change and create a system that truly focuses on school support and improvement." [The DC Line]
► 'D.C. schools partnership looks to provide glasses for students in need.' WaPo's Nicole Asbury: "Scores of D.C. Public School students go to school every day without the glasses they need. A new effort plans to remedy that by providing low-income students with vision screenings, eye exams and if needed, eyeglasses — all free of charge.
"The school system partnered with Vision to Learn, a national nonprofit based in Los Angeles, to help students across the city. The District effort began at Stanton Elementary School in December, when almost 40 students received a new pair of glasses at no cost.
"The nonprofit works in more than 500 cities across the country, and has provided more than 1 million vision screenings and hundreds of thousands of vision exams to underserved students since it began in 2012. Austin Beutner, the founder and chairman of Vision to Learn, said he came up with the idea after learning from a member of a teacher organization that many students go to school without glasses." [WaPo]
► COLUMN - 'We ended our Helping Hand charity campaign on the highest of notes.' WaPo's John Kelly: "Honestly, I had no idea what to expect in November when we kicked off The Washington Post Helping Hand campaign. This column has been encouraging readers to donate to worthy local causes since it debuted in 1947 under the pen of its creator, Bill Gold. But had we ever had a year like this one, in the midst of a pandemic, cut off from friends and strangers alike, beset by a low-grade unease that seemed to permeate everything?
"Still, we set our Helping Hand goal at $250,000, hoping we would raise that much collectively for Bread for the City, Friendship Place and Miriam’s Kitchen. Last week, when we tallied all the donations, the total stood at $252,508.61. What’s more, the Robert I. Schattner Foundation — a Maryland-based organization funded by the late dentist whose inventions included Chloraseptic — had pledged $150,000 to Helping Hand, the funds to be distributed equally among our three charity partners.
"That means that Helping Hand 2021 raised $402,508.61 to help alleviate hunger and homelessness in Washington." [WaPo]
|
|
|
Recently published by The DC Line: Over the summer, the DC government announced a settlement in the 32-year class-action lawsuit that sought extensive reform of the city’s child welfare system — a case initially known as LaShawn A. v. Marion Barry Jr. With the end of court oversight, can DC’s system now ensure the safety, protection and well-being of the District’s most vulnerable children? Reporter jonetta rose barras conducted a six-month investigation, funded by SpotlightDC: Capital City Fund for Investigative Journalism, in pursuit of the answer to that question.
|
|
|
Video: 'DC area honors Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy with day of service' [ NBC4]
'Listen: Teachers at D.C. Public Schools say they’re feeling anxious and overwhelmed' [ WAMU]
'Paid COVID leave: DC workers who have to isolate won’t need to use personal sick time' [ WTOP]
Bill would streamline disclosure of unemployment claim to facilitate DC Council assistance for constituents [ City Paper]
'Founder of Amsterdam Falafelshop dies of COVID after month in hospital' [ NBC4]
Op-ed: 'How the 7000-series train outage makes Metro less accessible' [ GGWash]
'D.C. attorney general files complaint against developer for allegedly mailing 100,000 District homeowners false property taxes and foreclosure notices' [ Wash Informer]
'Lawsuit against Georgetown, other schools, renews questions over admissions practices' [ WaPo]
'D.C. court dismisses racial discrimination suit against nonprofit, former exec' [ WBJ]
'Wegmans hiring hundreds for new Alexandria, DC stores' [ WTOP]
'D.C. is obsessed with this snowy owl at Union Station' [ DCist]
'Security officers say Smithsonian staff shortages threaten safety of priceless treasures, and people' [ WaPo]
'Smithsonian museums shift to new schedule due to staff shortage' [ WTOP]
'Push continues for National Museum of American Latino on National Mall' [ WTOP]
'Cherry Blossom Festival needs volunteers' [ WTOP]
John Kelly: 'Old-timers may still remember Naylor’s Seafood. And don’t forget Benny Bortnick, the Watermelon King of D.C.' [ WaPo]
Restaurants
- 'DC prepares for Winter Restaurant Week with new COVID vaccination entry rule' [WTOP]
- 'Beloved DC Burmese restaurant Thamee is permanently closing' [Washingtonian]
- Northwest's Cafe Mozart closes after 41 years service German fare [WTOP]
- 'A comfort food pop-up starring spuds launches today in Shaw' [City Paper]
Arts and Entertainment
- 'First-ever Project Glow Festival tickets on sale for RFK Stadium grounds this spring' [WTOP]
- 'Choral Arts Society of Washington honors MLK with 'Living the Dream … Singing the Dream' ' [WTOP]
|
|
|
ICYMI — the top-two clicked items from DL's last newsletter: 'Pannell: Do not underestimate COVID' [East of the River]; 'Ward 8 residents react to Council member Trayon White’s mayoral bid' [Wash Informer]
|
|
|
Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge takes center stage:
|
|
|
Georgetown University honors local education leader with MLK Day legacy award:
|
|
|
A different look at the home of the Washington Nationals:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
