Category: Washington D.C. News

In Washington, D.C., if you’re indigent and Black you are more likely to end up in the judicial system, according to a report released July 27 by the Justice Policy Institute. “Capital Concern: The disproportionate impact of the justice system on low-income communities in D.C.,” is a fraction of a nationally-focused report on the intersection […]

A leading official with the Washington Teachers Union said its president, George Parker, knew when he signed the new teachers contract that more teachers were in line for termination, and gave Chancellor Michelle Rhee free rein to hand out more pink slips. “These firings are the result of the new contract,” WTU Vice President Nathan […]

A faulty track circuit system was likely the cause of the June 22, 2009 rush hour Metro crash that claimed nine lives, injured several others and caused $25 million in damages, concluded federal officials Tuesday. More than a year following the horrific crash on the Red Line, the National Transportation Safety Board reported the results […]

With the recent installation of 12 roadside speed cameras at various sites in the city – but mostly in the Southeast area – District officials are showing just how serious they are about getting motorists to slow down. At the same time, the city is poised to bring in even more revenue this year from […]

Washington, D.C. — Leaders of an embattled Afrocentric charter school fought back a school board effort to shut the school down and pleaded for a chance to build on the 10-year-old school’s legacy of success and to correct its errors. “We are asking that you please do not revoke our charter,” Cheryl Journiette, board chair […]

Whether or not you’re cool with conservatives or aligned with liberals, the scent of marijuana is hard to ignore. A handful of states have already legalized the drug for medical purposes and the popular ‘weed’ continues to grow into a household name. Magazines, movies and the media have helped elevate the controversial drug to cult […]

A candidate for this fall’s Ward 5 City Council race is urging Ward 8 Councilman Marion Barry to immediately withdraw his disapproval resolution for the highly-anticipated construction of Gage-Eckington Park in Northwest Washington, D.C. “I fully support funding for Gage-Eckington Park and strongly encourage Councilmember Barry to withdrawal the disapproval resolution that he filed last […]

Labor union leaders are calling on Mayor Adrian Fenty to reinstate three Children and Family Service Agency social workers who were fired in the wake of the Banita Jacks case, in which the mummified bodies of her four young daughters were found in the family’s home. The leaders, led by George Johnson, president of the […]

Five Black District of Columbia police officers, who filed a racial discrimination complaint two years ago against department officials, have been awarded $900,000 in compensatory damages by a federal jury. The verdict was reached earlier this month following 11 days of testimony in U. S. District Court after a jury panel determined that the officials […]

At 17, Jordan Smiley already knows exactly what he wants out of life: to be counted among the Black men teaching in the nation’s classrooms, where most will also serve as role models for their younger counterparts. “I’ve never actually thought about being anything else,” said Jordan, valedictorian of Anacostia Senior High School’s Class of […]

District officials recently joined forces to celebrate the success of the city’s initiatives against chronic homelessness – an issue which has had a profound impact in the nation’s capital since the de-institution several years ago of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. According to Ward 6 Councilman Tommy Wells, St. Elizabeth’s played a vital role providing for homeless […]

The District of Columbia’s controversial schools chancellor, Michelle Rhee, is set to tie the knot over the Labor Day weekend. According to an Associated Press account, Rhee, 41, will marry hard-charging, first-term Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, 44, who is also a former NBA star. Johnson, Sacramento’s first African-American mayor, won that post in the Northern […]