With black bands wrapped around their mouths and sporting T-shirts that read, “No Taxation Without Representation,” nearly 80 students stood in front of the Senate building last Friday to fight […]
Author Archives: Erica Butler
AFRO Staff Writer
Budget Vote Brings Back Polarizing School Vouchers
Last week’s congressional and White House approval of a budget that includes the $100 million, five-year renewal of a D.C. school-choice program is stirring controversy between local officials, unions and […]
AFRO Exclusive: Mayor Gray Addresses Arrests, Cheh Hearings
It’s been a turbulent three months for Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray (D). The city’s executive was arrested April 11 along with the other “DC 41”—local officials and activists who […]
New Legislation Slows Foreclosure Process, Backs Homeowners
“Foreclosure doesn’t happen overnight,” the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) states on their Web site. But it still happens too quickly for some owners, a trend a […]
U.S. Shuttles Booked for Final Destinations
The fleet of space shuttles that has orbited the Earth for 30 years will retire as museum pieces in Washington, D.C., Florida and Los Angeles, NASA announced this week. The […]
Skin Bleaching on the Rise in Jamaica
In the worldwide quest for beauty, it is not uncommon to see everything from plastic surgery to collagen employed for the most satisfying self-image. But in the ghettos of Jamaica, […]
Mayor Gray’s Former Chief of Staff Admits Wrongdoings, Conflicting Statements
WASHINGTON — Two days of testimony about the questionable hiring practices of Mayor Vincent Gray’s administration seem to indicate he was unaware of the nepotism practiced by some of his […]
Graduates ‘Byte’ into Free IT Training
Washington, D.C.’s tech-market is growing – and job-seekers are watchful. Mayor Vincent Gray’s recent groundbreaking for the $25 million broadband expansion in Wards 5, 7 and 8 has been one […]
D.C.’s Mayor Vincent Gray Jailed in Protest of Budget Deal
Decrying what they saw as a trampling of the District of Columbia’s autonomy in a budget deal that could impose new restrictions on the city, Mayor Vincent Gray (D) and […]
Mary Cheh Issues Subpoena for Accuser Sulaimon Brown
WASHINGTON – Sulaimon Brown, who accused Mayor Vincent Gray (D) and his administration of pay-to-play practices, refused to testify before the D.C Council April 7. Brown left the government operations […]
D.C.’s At-large Candidates Boosted by Unions
The fast approaching April 26 race for the at-large D.C. Council seat left empty by newly-elected Chairman Kwame Brown is, for many voters, largely a contest between Councilmember Sekou Biddle […]
Gray 2012 Budget Hikes Taxes
While an entrenched Congress faces a government shutdown April 18 due to partisan wrangling over the nation’s fiscal budget, residents in Washington, D.C., face a budget crisis of their own. […]