Category: Washington D.C. News

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is speeding up its efforts to improve the streets in Washington, D.C. DDOT announced last week that the department will use federal funds from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) to resurface several streets within the District, ahead of its normal construction schedule, over the next few weeks. […]

In a measure to ensure fair practices are followed in the Washington Teachers Union elections, the American Federation of Teachers has placed the organization under its control. According to the AFT, the action is also part of an ongoing effort to make sure the elections are consistent with WTU’s constitution and don’t involve its day-to-day […]

With classes slated to begin on Aug. 23, officials for the District of Columbia Public Schools system have announced new tools for providing a smooth transition into the new school year. In ensuring that all students and parents have access to information and support necessary for enrolling and attending classes, officials have established a comprehensive […]

Getting to and from doctor’s appointments and geriatric care facilities has just been made easier for District senior citizens, who lack their own transportation. According to an announcement this week by Mayor Adrian Fenty and Clarence Brown, director for the Office on Aging, the city shelled out about $649,000 for 11 new wheelchair accessible vehicles […]

Eight months after it was closed for demolition of a pier and widening of the roadway, the pedestrian bridge over Interstate 295 re-opened this week, restoring important links to the Anacostia community. Completion of the project – DDOT’s largest bridge re-design to date at a cost of $300 million – marks another milestone in the […]

Despite community outcry, the Public Charter School Board last week voted unanimously to close the doors of the Kamit Institute for Magnificent Achievers Public Charter School, an Afrocentric charter school in Washington, D.C. However, even as KIMA follows the footsteps of a handful of sister facilities that had their charters revoked, its officials vowed to […]

With the Sept.14 primary just weeks away, the fundraising efforts of incumbent Adrian Fenty and City Council Chairman Vincent Gray say a lot about where the contentious race could be headed. Added to that, according to a new citywide poll, Gray has gained a lead over his chief opponent – Leo Alexander is running a […]

A growing number of policy-makers, higher education officials and others are lamenting lackluster college completion rates and soaring student loan debt loads among college students in the United States. The problem is particularly pronounced among Black students. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the research arm of the U.S. Department of Education, the […]

While Metro usually employs a proactive stance against violence on its trains, in light of the Aug. 6 youth-involved brawl at the Gallery Place station, several new steps have been adopted to offset recurrences, a Metro official told the AFRO this week. At the same time, Lisa Farbenstein said, the fracas that proceeded to the […]

Construction of a 4-acre Martin Luther King memorial continues to move along quickly. The $120 million project is roughly 40 percent complete and on course for its 2011 third quarter unveiling along the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The project’s sponsor, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, has currently raised $107 million […]