District Links

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."

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.

Merry Christmas Eve. District Links will usher in the new year with a refreshed design. Before then, DL wants your feedback on the newsletter!

TGIF! For more on the relationship between Jack Evans and EagleBank, read about a list of developers produced by the former head of the bank. Ronald Paul, EagleBank's CEO and chairman, gave Evans a six-page spreadsheet in September 2016…

Happy Thursday. City Paper’s Loose Lips does tea-leaf reading on the job security of Brent Wolfingbarger, the director of the Office of Government Ethics under the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability. Signs point to a management…

Happy Wednesday. The fight over access to Jelleff Recreation Center’s field is well-known. This past fall, some parents and lawmakers rallied, unsuccessfully, against the Department of Parks and Recreation renewing a deal with private…

Happy Tuesday. The breakup of the beleaguered Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs is set to move forward for a vote next year, Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said yesterday.

TGIF! There’s a quiet legal fight taking place over the future home of the District’s public defender’s office. Specifically, the federal government has given DC’s Public Defender Services an obtuse directive: your new offices may be up to…

Happy Thursday. Attorney General Karl Racine and his Maryland counterpart Brian Frosh sought to make the case this morning to save their emoluments lawsuit against President Donald Trump.

Happy Thursday. The Green Team has held the Ward 4 DC Council seat since 2000, succeeding with their familiar formula of emphasizing constituent services and amassing a powerful donor base. Twice a council member has become mayor — Adrian…

Happy Tuesday. The DC Council is advancing toward a final vote on expelling Jack Evans from the office he's held since 1991.

Happy Monday. Here’s a buzzkill: A firm contracted to study whether a bill to split up the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs would improve building code enforcement doesn’t have an answer.