District Links: Probes into MPD crime stats blast departing chief for ‘culture of fear’;…
In the wake of media reports about a draft U.S. Department of Justice report faulting DC's departing police chief and the Metropolitan Police Department's crime reporting under her leadership, the House Committee on Oversight and…
District Links: Proposed Metro budget lays out service improvements without fare hikes; draft DOJ…
Metro is looking to boost ridership with improved rail and bus service without any fare increases in the coming year, according to the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget released yesterday Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority…
jonetta rose barras: Political change everywhere and all at once in DC
Former DC at-large Councilmember Bill Lightfoot declared during an interview with me that this moment in the city’s political life is “an opportunity.” Is that an understatement?
After all, Mayor Muriel Bowser and Councilmembers…
District Links: Area leaders warn against expanding military access to DC airspace; House bill seeks…
Regional leaders are echoing objections raised by the National Transportation Safety Board about a provision in the final version of the fiscal year 2026 national defense funding bill that would permit exemptions to restrictions on…
District Links: DC Superior Court nominees back on track for Senate floor vote; three new…
As part of a broad package of 97 presidential nominations, three judicial appointments to the DC Superior Court cleared a key procedural hurdle this afternoon on a party-line 51-47 vote in the Senate.
District Links: DC reaches $1.5M settlement with construction firm over alleged wage theft;…
DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb today announced a $1.5 million settlement with a construction company to resolve allegations of a wage theft scheme.
Allister Chang: DC needs to craft graduation requirements that help our students navigate an…
“My kids are not being prepared to keep up with a changing world,” a parent told me at a recent PTO meeting. As I’ve talked with families and educators about DC’s Reimagining High School Graduation Requirements initiative, I’ve heard…
District Links: MPD chief stepping down midway through four-year term; Bonds won’t run in…
After two and a half years as chief of DC's Metropolitan Police Department, Pamela Smith is stepping down as of Dec. 31, midway through her four-year term.
District Links: DC reports rise in four-year graduation rate to 78.7%; Appeals Court pauses…
The District reached a graduation rate of 78.7% in the 2024-25 school year — the highest mark since 2011, when DC began using the current methodology for calculating graduation rates and a 2.6 percentage point increase from the prior…
jonetta rose barras: An absence of courage in the DC Council
“Honoring the will of the voters means protecting voter access, voter understanding, and voter confidence — especially for communities that have historically been disenfranchised in our election systems,” Ward 7 DC Councilmember Wendell…
District Links: DC Superior Court nominees part of package winding through Senate; Bowser dedicates…
Three judicial appointments to the vacancy-laden DC Superior Court are part of the slate of presidential nominees under consideration this week for Senate confirmation — a package that is at least temporarily stalled after an insufficient…
District Links: House Oversight Committee aims to undo DC standard on administrative deference;…
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform yesterday voted 24-19 along party lines to approve legislation to prohibit DC from requiring that courts and tribunals defer to the mayor's interpretation of statutes and regulations.
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District Links: Council alters DDOT rules criticized as discouraging streateries; all National Guard…
The DC Council this afternoon approved emergency legislation to relax several aspects of the District Department of Transportation's new rules for streateries that took effect yesterday and reduce the newly established fees.
District Links: Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George launches mayoral bid; MPD is closing more…
Janeese Lewis George today launched her mayoral campaign as she aims to become the third Ward 4 councilmember to decamp from DC's legislature to its top executive office.
District Links: Bowser sets up wide-open mayoral race with announcement she won’t seek fourth…
Seven years ago, soon after winning a second term, Mayor Muriel Bowser memorably generated pre-Thanksgiving headlines by questioning whether mumbo sauce deserves its reputation as "quintessential DC." This year, she's again making news…
District Links: Car-sharing company to refund DC customers after OAG investigation; Metro…
More than 50 DC customers who were allegedly misled by a car-sharing company will receive refunds under a new settlement announced today by the DC Office of the Attorney General.
Sam Trumbull: DC’s outdated insurance laws are failing victims — and Councilmember McDuffie’s…
I was born in 1986. Marion Barry had just started his third term as mayor. The space shuttle Challenger disaster had shocked the nation. The Washington football team made it to the NFC championship game as a wild card. And, while seatbelts…
District Links: White, Schwalb team up on bill to strengthen tools against problem landlords; BID…
The authors of newly introduced legislation are calling for stronger protections for DC tenants living in dangerous housing and a fix to loopholes that have enabled problem landlords to delay repairs and address issues such as rodent…
District Links: Federal judge grants injunction against National Guard deployment in DC; rental…
A federal judge ruled yesterday that the federal government's ongoing deployment of National Guard troops in the District is illegal, granting the District's request for a preliminary injunction but also issuing a 21-day stay to give the…
jonetta rose barras: Will ranked choice voting disenfranchise DC’s vulnerable voters?
The longer my interview went on with Robert “Bob” King about ranked choice voting, the more animated he seemed to become. He raised concerns about the potential negative effect of that system, which allows voters to choose multiple…