Category: Washington D.C. News

Despite public outcry, the District of Columbia City Council on Tuesday approved a measure that would curtail public assistance to help offset a projected $440 million budget deficit and avoid the possibility of higher property taxes over the next two years. In apparent agreement with an earlier proposal by Councilmembers Marion Barry and Yvette Alexander, […]

Using revolutionary rhetoric, chants and African drums, a national network of juvenile justice advocates gathered for a rally in Washington, D.C., this week to call on Congress to put money behind legislation they say will lead to fewer youth of color being locked up. “I like to think of those resources that are used to […]

Survey findings by the Washington, D.C. –based Public Media Corps reveal that when it comes to accessing the Internet to secure products and services as well as for use in honing skills, Blacks and Latinos in the District tend to be at a disadvantage. As a result, the digital divide widens, leading some to ponder […]

Former District of Columbia Public Schools chief Michelle Rhee will not be leaving the city after all. According to an announcement she made this week on the “Oprah Winfrey Show,” the reform czar will remain in the District to head up a new education group aimed at attracting one million members. “I am going to […]

Relief is in sight for electric car drivers in the District who worry about straying too far from home now that the city has unveiled its first charging station. The District of Columbia is the latest among several large cities across the country to provide a curbside electric car charging station, and Mayor Adrian Fenty […]

Officials at the Campaign for Youth Justice are reveling in the success of a recent book drive that benefited youth locked up at the city jail. Accompanied by a holiday party Dec. 2 at the Busboys & Poets restaurant in Northwest Washington, the drive helped make the situation better for many among the nearly 50 […]

District of Columbia Attorney General said late last week that he wants to round out an investigation on Ward 5 City Councilman Harry Thomas before leaving office the end of this month. Nickles, who announced his resignation after Mayor Adrian Fenty conceded defeat in the September primary, returned to U.S. Superior Court, where on Dec. […]

Family and friends of Ali Mohammed, 27, say they want justice from city officials regarding his slaying and the reason no one has been prosecuted for his death. Mohammed was allegedly stomped and beaten to death by a restaurant owner and four security guards on Oct. 15, after witnesses saw him throw a brick into […]

Ward 5 Council member Harry Thomas said he plans to disregard Attorney General Peter Nickles’ Dec. 1 deadline for submitting more information on his Team Thomas fund, saying he has already been in “full compliance” with requests for a full accounting of the nonprofit’s finances. In a brief interview earlier this week with the AFRO, […]

In an effort to boost its presence in major cities across the country, the nation’s largest retailer has set its sights on the nation’s capital, recently announcing plans to open four stores in wards 4, 5,7 and 8 by late 2012. Wal-Mart’s decision to come to Washington, D.C. resulted from a poll of about 800 […]