District government

For many years, community health advocates, substance use disorder counselors and health care providers have decried the antiquated laws and stigma that have thwarted their efforts to reduce opioid addiction in the District. As The…

The DC Council handed a victory this week to the advocates who have worked for years to spotlight the limited availability of public restrooms in the District and to ensure that those in need have a place to go. “It is shocking that our…

The DC government is planning to replace the bulbs in more than 75,000 of the city’s streetlights with cheaper and more energy-efficient LED technology within the next two to three years. The change is expected to cut the city’s annual…

A new bill approved last week by the DC Council could add heft to the city's language access services, easing life for schoolchildren and parents who speak little to no English. The Language Access for Education Amendment Act,…

“Jambalaya.” The word typically refers to a large pot of Louisiana-style stew. It’s also the term Abimbola George uses to describe the melting pot of educational programs he’s helped introduce since 2014 at Malcolm X Elementary School in…

Last month’s pivotal midterm election provoked heightened frustration over DC’s lack of a vote in Congress. District residents on Nov. 6 may have found themselves longingly gazing across the Potomac River to spy on Arlington County, where…

After winning initial DC Council approval last month in an 10-2 vote, a bill to accelerate the timeline on a new Ward 8 hospital to be run by George Washington Hospital is encountering new resistance. Legislators are expected to consider…

The DC Council is moving toward passage of a major omnibus campaign finance reform bill, with a final vote scheduled this week after an initial OK in November. If approved, the legislation would overhaul campaign fundraising in a city long…

As a DC Public Schools student, Alexsandra Alfonso had to overcome unusual educational challenges due to her visual impairments — for instance, she once had to wait a month to receive a textbook in braille. Even so, she graduated with…

Providence Hospital workers and concerned community members turned out in force at a DC government hearing this month, expressing frustration and disappointment with the planned closure of Providence Hospital in Northeast next month and a…

Just weeks before Monday’s shake-up atop the city’s Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, DC Council members joined tenants and affordable housing advocates in criticizing the agency for years of overlooked housing violations and…

The DC Council is considering legislation that would make the District the first jurisdiction in the Washington area to ban the trade of ivory and rhinoceros horn, over a year after the nation’s capital was exposed as a black-market hub for…

DC is banning plastic straws, and Jack Evans’ social standing is taking a hit. “Many of my friends won’t talk to me anymore,” the Ward 2 DC Council member said with a wry smile during a Committee on Transportation and the Environment…

Parents lobbying the DC Council to reduce regulations on parent-led playgroups may get a decision before the end of the year, as the District’s legislators work to find a solution that does not inconvenience playgroups with overly…

A DC Council move might speed up construction of a new hospital in Southeast Washington on the site of St. Elizabeths. Current plans call for George Washington University Hospital to run the new facility, which the city intends to serve…

Mayor Muriel Bowser released the Age-Friendly DC 2023 Strategic Plan at the Avalon Theatre this week, using the opportunity to highlight recent efforts to help the city's seniors, such as lowering their property-tax bills by 50 percent,…

Since returning in mid-September from summer recess, DC Council members have drafted a wide array of proposed legislation in hopes of passage before the two-year session ends in December. Among the notable new bills under consideration are…

The upcoming reconstruction of the Southwest Neighborhood Library building and grounds will incorporate many more windows, as well as new outdoor areas for both kids and adults, planners said at a recent library meeting. The roof will house…

Two weeks after cutting the ribbon on Ward 4’s new short-term family homeless shelter, Mayor Muriel Bowser will join other DC officials on Tuesday for the debut of Ward 7’s counterpart. Dubbed The Horizon, the new building at 5004 D St.…

A new measure hailed by advocates as one of the most ambitious local climate-protection bills in the country is now working its way through the DC Council, with two public hearings planned for this month. Up first, the council’s…