Category: Washington D.C. News

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 […]

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 […]

For the third straight year, secondary students in the District of Columbia Public Schools system have demonstrated significant achievement on their state-mandated tests. Following three years of reform under schools chief Michelle Rhee, students in grades seven, eight and 10 scored unparalleled progress in both math and reading, according to preliminary results of the recently […]

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 […]

An investigation into actions taken last fall by District of Columbia Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee has found no wrongdoing on her part. The investigation was launched in response to a complaint filed in June about how the teacher contract was handled. In a letter released this week, D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles said the […]

Now that the filing deadline has passed for candidates to toss their hats into the 2010 mayoral race, an intense campaign is shaping up . The two major contenders – incumbent Mayor Adrian Fenty and City Council Chairman Vincent Gray – have already locked horns over a variety of issues that have long plagued the […]

Members of a grass roots organization determined to make affordable housing more accessible to District resident are taking Mayor Adrian Fenty to task. They say two years ago he promised to build some 94 units from $7.8 million of city funding. According to Rosemary Ndubuizu, a coordinator for the tent city set up this past […]

In the spirit of the Freedom Riders, 22 District-area African-American and Jewish high school students recently embarked on a journey to retrace the steps their ancestors took in their shared trek toward equality, justice and racial harmony. The students, participants in Operation Understanding, D.C.’s initiative to create new social justice leaders, will this month visit […]

WASHINGTON – Gerome Samuel knew that he should have gotten an examination for colon cancer after he turned 50, but he didn’t. “I just kept putting it off, and putting it off and putting it off,” said Samuel, 58, a retired Washington-area construction worker, husband and father of two. Four weeks ago, at the insistence […]

Students involved in the District of Columbia’s Phelps Architecture, Construction and Engineering High School’s FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics competition have garnered high acclaim by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, who wrote recently about their achievements on his official blog. According to LaHood, who also praised members of his […]