More at stake than felon voting rights

Virginia for the Win: How big money killed conservatism

During his February campaign swing through Virginia, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) told a crowd at Chesterfield County’s James River High School that he “would not allow the conservative movement to be taken over by a con artist by the name of Donald Trump.” Trump beat Rubio in Virginia; indeed he crushed Rubio in Florida. We […]

Let’s celebrate women on the Mall

If you’ve ever walked along the Mall, you’ve seen the marble and stone monuments built to embody our shared American heritage. Sadly, that shared American story doesn’t include many women. In fact, only eight out of 410 national park sites specifically tell the story of women’s history and equality – that’s just 2 percent. For that reason, […]

Will the District’s budget recognize the struggles of low-income residents?

Eviction “is a cause, not just a condition, of poverty,” argues sociologist Matthew Desmond in his book Evicted. A recent report released from the D.C. Consortium of Legal Services Providers suggests that the two — seemingly intractable poverty and the struggle for safe, affordable housing — are inextricably linked here in the District. Housing instability and the […]

Virginia for the Win: Is Larry Sabato being too kind to Donald Trump?

University of Virginia political crystal ball gazers issued  their first Electoral College prediction in a Hillary  Clinton v Donald Trump match-up.  Larry Sabato’s  analysis gives Clinton a sure 190 Electoral College votes. It takes 270 to win. The UVA experts put Virginia, with 13 electoral votes, in the “leans Democratic” column.  They have been much too […]

Ward 8 needs investments

Ward 8 is my home.  I’ve lived here for 28 years and represented the ward as a board member for the Alcohol and Control Board, as an ANC commissioner and as a D.C. Council member.  I have witnessed the chronic disparity to which Ward 8 has been subjected. We can no longer tolerate the injustice, lack […]

The fallacy of Virginia’s love affair with privatized public services

It may seem like good news that Transurban, the Australian firm that runs the high-occupancy toll lanes in Northern Virginia, is settling with motorists who were treated poorly regarding missed tolls. But it once again shows the fallacy of Virginia’s love affair with privatized public services. The problem with the HOT lanes was that motorists often […]

It’s about being a good neighbor

A neighborhood is special because of the people who live there — and it’s made better by the people who help it thrive. I came along Paul Montesano this weekend working on the median of New Hampshire Avenue with a rake and a pick-ax. Just one guy standing out in the middle of the road tearing […]

Why my business values its employees

When I opened my first hardware store in Logan Circle with my husband, Marc, in 2003, we wanted to be part of the resurgence of small, independent mom-and-pop stores in the District. Now, we have 11 stores all over the area and employ more than 225 people. Since the very beginning, I’ve subscribed to the […]

Richmond mayor’s race: It’s on

As a number of news outlets reported this week, former governor and mayor Doug Wilder is hosting a Richmond Mayor Candidate’s Forum in early April. The April 6 event, which is to be held at Virginia Union University, will feature candidates who have already declared their intent to run, as well as a few who […]

An investment that is bigger than basketball

In January’s hearing on the sports and entertainment arena, I was happy to hear my D.C. Council colleague Elissa Silverman (I-At Large) publicly display a commitment to economic growth in Ward 8. The encouragement to build the capacity of Ward 8 businesses and residents was music to my ears. Could it be that finally Ward 8 […]

Do D.C. part-timers value fairness over flexibility?

A flexible work schedule of less than 40 hours a week used to be considered part-time.  Today, worker advocates in the District have another word for it: Unfair. Legislation under consideration by the D.C. Council would require employers to provide schedules three weeks in advance and penalize them for changes that happen after that. It’s designed […]

After a Metro shut down, new ways to move from Point A to Point B

Chances are if you’re reading this, you or someone you know was affected directly by last Wednesday’s transportation nightmare in the D.C. area. Just months after being ranked the No. 1 transit system in the country, hundreds of thousands of Washingtonians were forced to find a new way to commute to work – be it via car, […]

A vintage-furniture aficionado calls Petworth home

I first met Petworth resident Tarek Anandan at Domku during the summer of 2015 just after I launched the Petworth News website. We’re both web professionals who can’t help tinkering with things that interest us, and we took a quick liking to each other. Tarek is indeed a tinkerer — beyond building websites for a […]

Virginia needs to rethink its parole laws

In 1995, Virginia eliminated parole. On the positive side, that provided truth in sentencing and certainty for victims, especially for those of violent crime. On the negative side, it removed our ability to remedy overly harsh sentences that proved to be outliers and recognize that human beings are capable of remarkable transformation. While our intentions were […]

Let’s put sunshine on the Wizards practice facility deal

D.C. tax dollars are soon to be spent on building a new practice facility for the Washington Wizards, our NBA team. The District government has a contract to pay more than 90 percent of the cost, $50 million out of the estimated $55 million. And, as it is written, the District is on the hook […]

What Obama’s offshore drilling decision says about Democrats’ unity

President Obama’s about-face March 15 on leasing for oil and natural gas exploration off of Virginia and the Atlantic coast has the tourism and seafood industries and the military smiling. But it raises testy questions about unity in the Virginia Democratic Party. Obama had swayed back and forth on offshore drilling. Backing it are Virginia Democrats. Gov. Terry McAuliffe […]

Strengthen the Justice Reinvestment Act by repealing Maryland’s mandatory sentencing laws

Maryland legislators recently took an important first step toward improved public safety by introducing the Justice Reinvestment Act. This package of common-sense reforms will reduce Maryland’s unnecessarily large prison population, freeing up several hundred million dollars to expand reentry and treatment resources badly needed across the state. We urge enactment of this historic legislation. We […]

Time to create classroom computer safety guidelines

When I see children hunched over laptops at school or images of young children gleefully swaying in class with virtual reality devices pressed up against their faces, I cringe. These children are putting their fragile eyes at great risk. If a society is judged by how it protects the most vulnerable, we are failing our children. […]

Protect Maryland construction workers from dangerous worksites

The Maryland legislature has a chance to significantly strengthen construction worker safety and, in the process, serve as a model for other states. The Maryland 2016 legislative session began with several legislators introducing laudable workers’ rights reforms. In particular, Maryland Delegate Cheryl D. Glenn (D-Baltimore) introduced HB 977, which would make serious reforms to Maryland’s […]

Exelon and Pepco together will make the region better

Earlier this week, our companies made a filing with the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia that provides several pathways to securing $78 million in benefits — and more affordable, reliable and clean energy — for the District, its residents and the local economy. District residents deserve these benefits, but Pepco and Exelon […]

The NEAR Act would help protect D.C. residents from violence

By Katharine Huffman The issue of public safety has been a topic of particular concern in the District lately, capturing the attention of city leaders, law enforcement and residents alike. This is in part because of an increase in homicides in 2015, which prompted calls for a response from our elected officials. In considering what that […]

Don’t recriminalize marijuana consumption in Maryland

By Leigh Maddox Two years ago, the Maryland General Assembly made the sound choice to eliminate criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of marijuana. But now, Annapolis lawmakers are considering a regressive move: recriminalizing public marijuana consumption, a failed policy that disproportionally impacts people of color. Under current Maryland law, there are sufficient deterrents […]

Dominion’s coal ash drama isn’t over

There has been big drama this week on Virginia’s environmental front over Dominion Virginia Power’s plans to dewater and seal coal ash pits at two of its power plants. On March 9, after three anti-Dominion demonstrations during which 25 young people were arrested, a dramatic deal was struck with environmentalists. Dominion agreed to toughen the […]

Why Bloomberg’s decision means there will be no independent run for Trump

Yesterday Mike Bloomberg announced he will not run for president. No kidding. There are a lot of reasons why an independent Bloomberg candidacy would be a bad idea. Bloomberg’s popularity peaked a long time ago (he’s been out of office for two years). He’s older than Hillary Clinton and just a year younger than Bernie […]