The District, from what I've seen, isn't a big block party town—rarely are streets shut down for the purpose of eating, dancing, playing, whatever, in the summer, with your neighbors, with kids running around out of danger from rushing cars. Sure, people have cookouts, but they tend to be invite-only, and someone's personal front yard [...]
There’s a knock-down, drag-out fight inthe Wilson Building over redistricting, and politically active residents are incensed that they’ll be moved from one ward to another.
“For some, this may seem a logical, easy solution,” says a member of one affected Advisory Neighborhood Commission. “I call it racial gerrymandering and believe it is detrimental to east of [...]
As you may have realized, people in Ward 6—especially those east of 17th Street SE, which looks like the proposed dividing line—really, really do not want to be redistricted into another ward. So much so, in fact, that a number of them wondered why D.C. couldn’t just buck the constitutional principle of one man, one [...]
The number of unused properties held by Shaw's Shiloh Baptist Church has long been a bone of contention in the neighborhood–the church, which bought up land over the course of the last century, sat on vacant buildings while promising to rehabilitate them and claiming the money wasn't there to do it.
Finally, last year, they decided [...]
Yesterday, Southland Concrete workers rallied outside the United Forensics Laboratory construction site–complete with bullhorn-wielding councilmember Phil Mendelson!–in the first high-profile protest of the company's treatment of workers. Tomorrow, the Reverend Al Sharpton will give a speech at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial site to commemorate the 47th anniversary of the civil rights leader's "I [...]
Former D.C. Parks and Recreation director Clark Ray has been running a balls-out campaign for the city council at-large seat held by snoozy Phil Mendelson, and yesterday released a sharply negative ad that hits Mendelson on his smart growth credentials. Ray boils smart growth down to two things: Streetcars, and vibrant neighborhoods, highlighting Mendelson's opposition [...]
The Washington D.C. Association of REALTORs–yes, they capitalize the term–just announced their endorsement of Council Chairman Vince Gray for Mayor and Councilmember Kwame Brown for Chairman. The organization also backed incumbent Councilmembers Phil Mendelson, David Catania, Tommy Wells, and Harry Thomas.
The release reads: "WDCAR PAC endorsed after face-to-face interviews with candidates, a review of candidate's [...]
Over the three decades Brookland Hardware has operated on the corner of 12th and Monroe streets NE, it seems to have nested in place. Floor-to-ceiling shelves are densely hung with every kind of fastener, cleaning agent, and kitchen implement a home improver might desire. Narrow aisles are further crowded by power tools to rent, which [...]
Call them prescient: A week after the news breaks that Wal-Mart has finally found a viable place to locate in the District, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union has a poll out with evidence that D.C. residents support making big box stores pay a living wage and hire from local communities.
The idea failed in [...]
A few weeks ago, several dozen Woodley Park residents sicced Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh on the subdivision of a corner lot on Garfield Street NW, where the Zuckerman Partners were planning to build two gigantic houses on spec. Since then, they’ve gotten the support of five more councilmembers, who all signed a letter asking [...]
