Washington Post: Two in five D.C. students were chronically absent last year, data show
High schools suffered the most, with 60 percent of older students missing weeks of school
DCist: Chronic Absenteeism Remains Stubbornly High In D.C. Schools
Chronic absenteeism and truancy rates improved slightly in D.C. schools, but is still significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to new data on the 2022-2023 school year.
Washington Post: First-time home buyers banked on D.C. aid. Then the city changed the rules.
Six years ago, as Alfred Swailes was entering retirement, he started to think: Would he ever be able to own a home in the city where he spent his whole life?
DCist: Capital One Arena Forever Changed Chinatown. Can It Reverse Downtown’s Post-Pandemic Slump?
On December 2, 1997, 26 years ago this week, the MCI Center opened at the corner of F and 6th Streets Northwest in the District’s Chinatown neighborhood. City officials celebrated, hoping the arena would be a catalyst for revitalizing the…
Axios: D.C. traffic deaths hit 16-year high
D.C. traffic deaths are up more than 60% this year from the same time in 2022, reaching the highest total in 16 years.
DCist: D.C. Attorney General Warns Retailers Not To Discriminate Against Residents Who Use SNAP…
D.C.’s Office of the Attorney General is warning retailers such as grocery stores and convenience stores to not discriminate against residents who are paying for food with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
District Links: Council hears mix of views at hearing on Bowser’s latest public safety bill;…
After a daylong hearing on crime and policing legislation proposed by Mayor Muriel Bowser, the chair of the DC Council's Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety stressed the need to act collectively while adding that she's committed…
Julie Camerata: Three intentional steps to live up to our promise to DC’s students with disabilities
When the federal government enacted the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1975, this landmark legislation was premised on what was then a radical idea: that all students, including students with disabilities, are…
Washington Post: D.C. residents weigh in on Bowser’s bill to address crime trends
Dozens of D.C. residents, business owners and activists on Wednesday sounded off at a hearing on a crime and policing bill introduced last month by Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), offering mixed opinions on its wide-ranging provisions as…
Washington Post: In downtown D.C., a long-vacant historic building could pose opportunity
In its past life, the Webster School in downtown Washington had been many things: a segregated school for White children built in 1882, an “Americanization” school for assimilating immigrants after World War I, a rehabilitation school for…
District Links: Bill aims to improve 911 center by shifting some tasks to fire department; feds look…
The Bowser administration is inviting applications for $1.1 million in grant funds to support public safety initiatives in three commercial corridors.
DCist: New Bill Would Reduce Responsibilities Of D.C.’s Embattled 911 Agency
A new D.C. Council bill would transfer some 911 dispatching responsibilities away from the troubled Office of Unified Communications and back to the D.C. fire department. The bill, which Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau unveiled…
City Paper: Litigious Dupont Lawyer Ed Hanlon Claims Brooke Pinto Repeatedly Violated Campaign…
Hanlon believes Pinto improperly mixed Council and campaign business, filing complaints just as her reelection bid heats up.
District Links: WaPo warns of potential layoffs if buyouts remain short of target; teachers union…
The Washington Post is warning of impending layoffs if more employees don't sign up for voluntary buyouts, per multiple reports.
Folger Theatre solves one of Shakespeare’s ‘problem plays’ — at least in part
For the unacclimated, an advertisement for William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale might conjure images of holiday stories that are often seen on stage this time of year. But DC audiences will find a twisting, tangled yarn spun of jealous…
District Links: Bowser travels to Middle East as delegate to climate summit; MPD case closure rate…
Mayor Muriel Bowser is visiting Dubai in the United Arab Emirates this week as part of a delegation from the U.S. Conference of Mayors for the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28).
DCist: D.C. Teachers Union Urges DCPS To Come To The Table On Contract Negotiations
The Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) says timely negotiations on a new contract are needed to address issues of teacher retention and other after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Washington Post: Their sons’ lives ended in gunfire. In grief, they found a second act.
After losing their children to gun violence, these moms turned their ‘pain into purpose,’ performing in a play to empower and uplift other grieving women.
Washington Post: D.C. weighs banning cars in three corridors to create pedestrian zones
A D.C. Council proposal would establish pedestrian corridors starting in 2026, closing roads to cars for at least some hours each week
Associated Press: Homicides are rising in the nation’s capital, but police are solving far fewer of…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Though it’s no longer the homicide capital of the United States, the nation’s capital is witnessing a multiyear spike in the number of homicides but solving far fewer of them.