District Links

TGIF! Six candidates running to be the next Ward 2 council member debated last night, nailing incumbent Jack Evans, who did not attend and has not announced plans for re-election.

Happy Thursday. Did the city violate the Home Rule Act in its push to legalize sports gambling as soon as possible by authorizing a no-bid contract to manage the program?

Happy Wednesday. The FBI showed up yesterday at the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, the large agency in charge of permitting and licensing, to execute a search warrant on one individual.

Good Tuesday morning. Mayor Muriel Bowser has been talking about adding more housing in Upper Northwest, where many residents in low-rise and single-family-home neighborhoods resist tall buildings.

Happy Monday. Political analyst and DC statehood champion Mark Plotkin died Sunday at the age of 72, his former station WTOP reported …

TGIF! Muriel Bowser continued the week’s statehood theme by unveiling mayoral-commissioned statehood art at noon:

Happy Thursday. At the first House hearing on DC statehood in 26 years, Republican detractors brought criticisms ranging from constitutional arguments down to the nitty-gritty.

Happy Wednesday. DC Council members signaled they support drastic cutbacks on vaping, introducing bills with widespread support yesterday to ban the distribution of flavored electric cigarette products and restrict where products can be…

Happy Tuesday. A group critical of Ward 2 Council member Jack Evans staged a theater protest outside the Wilson Building this morning, dubbed "Shark Tank: Wilson Building Edition." Sitting on a creme rug, three clients heard Evans serve…

Happy statehood week. Just past noon today, statehood supporters arrived once again at the foot of Capitol Hill, where countless previous bids for DC autonomy and full voting rights have gone to die. It marked the culmination of a march…

TGIF! The District will rebid the massive, $1 billion-plus Medicaid contract that provides health care for the city’s neediest residents, the Department of Health Care Finance announced on Wednesday.

Happy Thursday. Columnist jonetta rose barras reported this morning that the law firm hired by the DC Council to investigate Ward 2 member Jack Evans may be having trouble completing its report on time.

Good Wednesday afternoon. Opponents of the District-approved redevelopment of the McMillan Sand Filtration Plant site demonstrated at Attorney General Karl Racine’s event on wage theft yesterday, interrupting him to demand a meeting.

Good Tuesday morning. Attorney General Karl Racine has rolled out a new report on payroll fraud in the District this morning that found construction companies save at least 16.7% in labor costs by illegally misclassifying workers as…

Happy Monday. Monument Academy Public Charter School — operating this year after its board agreed to a partnership with Friendship Education Foundation, reversing a June 4 vote to close down — had many “serious” safety incidents last year:…

TGIF! There is an ongoing turf battle between the arts community and the Bowser administration, and for days DC arts commission staff members found themselves locked out of a vault with artists’ work …

Happy Thursday. Taxpayers paid at least $41,000 for District officials, including the mayor and some council members, to go to a big annual shopping center conference in Las Vegas last spring, City Paper reports this morning.

Good Wednesday morning. Ward 4 DC Council hopeful Janeese Lewis George has raised $17,994 since launching her candidacy on Aug. 1, her campaign announced yesterday.

Good Tuesday morning. The motivational Washingtonian of the day (really everyday) is chef José Andrés, who is in Nassau to make food for victims of hurricane Dorian.

Happy September and Labor Day! The story in Deadspin about Maret private school having exclusive after-school weekday rights over the playing field at the public Jelleff Recreation Center helped rally opposition to the deal, with 1,300…