District Links

Good Monday morning. In a city with a right-to-shelter law during freezing temperatures, some homeless people still prefer the streets.

Students walk out: The Bowser administration has decided to shut down a public school for the first time in seven years, confirming yesterday that Washington Metropolitan will close at the end of the year despite students’ protestations.

Happy Thursday. It never looked all that likely, but the streetcar extension to Georgetown has now been “effectively scrapped” by the District Department of Transportation, WTOP reports.

Students fight for school: Washington Metropolitan Opportunity Academy is on the chopping block, with a final decision expected soon on a DC Public Schools proposal to make it the first school since 2013 to be shut down.

Happy Tuesday. It’s not a false claim that DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson agreed this morning to hold off on an initial vote on a bill that would permit private lawsuits against taxpayers suspected of defrauding the DC government.

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day. To fix the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, the Bowser administration is turning to algorithm programmers at Georgetown University.

TGIF! Attorney General Karl Racine joined counterparts yesterday from 13 other states and New York City to sue the Trump administration over plans to cut food stamps.

Good Thursday afternoon. Homeless residents encamped at the K Street underpass were cleared out today, reports Eric Falquero of Street Sense:

Arrest made in row house fire: Happy Wednesday. The owner of a row house on Kennedy Street NW that burned down in August, killing two occupants, has been charged with murder. He was renting the property without a license — and the District…

Waiting in committee: The Post editorial board is backing a bill to put an excise tax on soda and other sugary drinks.

Ethics enforcement: The last year or so has been bad for government ethics in DC — and in fact, the entire region.

TGIF! Trayon White has competition in Ward 8 — from his last campaign manager, no less, who tells DCist in part: “I never thought White was better equipped for the job than myself."

Good Thursday morning. Mayor Muriel Bowser is scheduled to hold a press conference today at noon on the city’s security preparedness, a week after tensions ratcheted between the U.S. and Iran over the killing of Qasem Soleimani.

Evans out: Here’s what happens now, after Jack Evans announced he will resign his DC Council seat on Jan. 17:

Jack Evans to resign: The question all morning had been whether Jack Evans would testify at his expulsion hearing — but minutes before the scheduled start, the embattled legislator instead announced that he will resign on Jan. 17.

Not taking the initiative: Just because lawmakers pass a law, it doesn’t mean they also fund it.

TGIF! The DC Council entered 2020 hearing testimony urging a ban on flavored e-cigarettes as well as menthol cigarettes.

Happy New Year’s Eve. The Jack Evans story dominated the year in local DC politics, and the independent reporter who revealed the scandal looks back …

Good Monday afternoon. President Trump’s limos no longer bear license plates with “End Taxation Without Representation,” the NY Post reports.

TGIF! District residents will soon be able to use a new locally developed app to report traffic violations — and the department that oversees taxis and ride sharing companies will have access to the data, which will go into a complaint…