January 31, 2006
Morning Roundup: Unsigned Smoking Ban Edition
Mayor Returns Smoking Ban Unsigned: An unsigned-by-Mayor-Williams smoking ban now heads to the U.S. Congress, which has 30 days to review the legislation. Read: he didn't veto it, but he's allowing it to be enacted sans his signature. Williams stated in a Post article that he fears the ban would go "too far in restricting the freedom for individuals to dine and work where they please." Actually, we think it's smoking that does that, not a smoking ban. Then again, we know who in the Williams house hits the sticks. Also noted in the Post, if Congress doesn't try to halt the legislation during the next 30 days, the two-stage ban will take effect automatically -- first most indoor workplaces and restaurant dining rooms would go smoke-free, followed by bars, taverns, nightclubs and the bar area of restaurants. We'll keep tabs over the next 30 legislative days.
Site Chosen for National Museum of African-American History: After what the New York Times penned as "a century of political infighting and delay," the Smithsonian Institution finally picked a place for the National Museum of African-American History and Culture. The Times says that the future museum will be right near the Washington Monument and across the street from the National Museum of American History. As noted in the Times, "Efforts to build a national museum of black history began in the early 1900's but were repeatedly thwarted by political and social opposition well into the 1990's. In 1994 Senator Jesse Helms, Republican of North Carolina, passionately blocked Senate passage of a bill authorizing the museum, saying Congress should not have to 'pony up' for such efforts." Reaction has ranged from the jubilant who have praised the prime Mall location, to those who think it will make the Mall "too cluttered". We say the Mall can always use some new museum action.
Cabinet-level Official to Represent the District's Gay Community: The Office of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs has risen to cabinet-level status, according to WTOP. Though the office was created in 2004, it was yesterday that the mayor signed a bill making it a cabinet-level addition. Council-member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) is noted as saying that such will be a welcome addition to "resolve the issues of homophobia" that exist in the city.
It's Been a Warm January: It’s official: this has been the ninth warmest January on record for the D.C. area and the warmest on record at Dulles. Though it seems that February could be a veritable grab-bag of weather-related surprises, some are predicting the warm weather to stretch on, while others say that a colder-than-normal February is on the way. Also noted in the article is a new system for measuring snowstorms that was unveiled yesterday by the National Weather Service. As noted in the Post, the system, called the Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale, will be determined by a number of variables such as the number of people affected and the amount of snowfall. It will have five categories that go from "notable" to "extreme," with "significant," "major" and "crippling" filling in the middle. This DCist, who originally hails from Florida, adores the unseasonably warm weather and shudders at the thought of a “crippling” snowstorm. What’s up with the verbage? Can we do without hearing of a ‘crippling’ snowstorm coming our way right before rush hour? I'll take a "number four," please.
Briefly Noted: Police still searching for suspects in Monday's noon shooting in Northwest DC ... Airman attacked in Adams Morgan dies ... Former D.C. DMV official gets a year in jail for role in bribery scheme ... Fairfax County aims to become more walking-friendly ... Llama on the loose!
Picture snapped by Peter F. Martin.
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Speaking of legislation pending in the City Council, there's a grassroots movement to get a bill passed (1st reading) a week from today that would modernize our public schools. This would be huge. Check out the DC School Modernization Campaign and sign on. We're shooting for 5,000 signatures by the end of today. Thanks.
Shouldn't that have been "llama on the lloose?"
"half - assed"
"for reals"
"effing serious"
"bitchin'"
"legendary"
The DC area should have the following snowfall categories:
Crippling (1-2 inches, schools closed for 2 days)
Historic (2-3 inches, schools closed for a week)
Catastrophic (No snow, per se, but very scary local news stories with stock footage of cars slipping on ice, schools closed 1 month)
Biblical (3-4 inches, schools not only closed, but burned for heat while the children are sacrificed in a desperate attempt to placate an angry God)
I'm just waiting for the inevitable "politically correct" substitution for the "crippling" word.
Reid-- LOL. Funniest thing I've read all week.
This Maine expatriate, for one, welcomes the "crippling" snowstorms. The warm weather, it just ain't natural.
Hooray for global climate change!
Modernization- just what our schools need- to spend more money on schools. More money always gets results.
As much as I support the new Smithsonian Museum, it will be intresting to see if the chosen site will actually happen since Congress still has to approve the Smithsonian's choice and they passed a law after the National Museum of the American Indian was built banning any new buildings on the National Mall. Public Law 108-26 created a no-build zone from the Capitol Building to the Lincoln Memorial. Hence why the plan for the MLK memorial got moved over to West Potomac Park by the Roosevelt Memorial.
Again, I'm thrilled they are going to build the museum, but I'll wait and see if the Smithsonian can get the location.
Jonny, have you seen some of D.C.'s schools? Did you go to a school that looked like that?
Certainly fixing the structure of the school won't solve all the problems, but it will at least help. If a kid sits in a classroom that has broken windows and peeling paint it is hard to think that people actully care about you.
I simply cannot buy that with the money we spend per student on schooling that our resource allocation isn't allowing us to make whatever building repairs are needed and to achieve a slightly higher than awful level of education in our District.
I simply cannot buy that with the money we spend per student on schooling that our resource allocation isn't allowing us to make whatever building repairs are needed and to achieve a slightly higher than awful level of education in our District.
I think there are two issues here - capital improvements of long neglected schools, and money for day to day operations - which includes salaries. The per student expense is clearly not getting a return on the investment, but that does not mean you let the buildings continue to crumble. Part of the problem has been trying to use the school budget to also pay for repairs.
Other problem is the expense for special education, which is partly why the per student expense appears so high.
May I ask randomly whether DCist is the most visited and/or most commented upon site in the "-ist" empire? It seems to me in very casual browsing that none of the other -ists have anything close to the amount of "discourse" that DCist has. Just curious.
We're not the most visited; Gothamist takes that title, though we're fast on their heels. I believe we have the best comment streams, in terms of quality (barring a few runaway threads that we need not mention).
So, as a matter of market penetration and average interestingness of visitor, you take the company cake. Good job.
"Actually, we think it's smoking that does that, not a smoking ban."
No one can ever accuse DCist of neutrality.
These are the cases where the "we" bites you in the ass. I think it's safe to say there are DCist folks on both sides of that one.
No one can ever accuse DCist of neutrality.
True, but they're equal opportunity partisans. The last smoking ban item, posted by DCist Melissa on Friday, looked like a pretty thinly disguised screed against the smoking ban to me.
Personally I'm a big fan of DCist getting less neutral, and letting the writers' true feelings shine through on all kinds of topical posts. However, I'm less a fan of tossing off those opinions as caustic little asides in news roundup pieces, as was done here.
Re: capital improvements to DC schools -- I pray to god that the superintendant will get wise to the fact that the school system only needs something like 60% of its crappy schools and focus on fixing only those, shutting down the rest.
I'd bet part of the problem with the school infrastructure in DC is that the budget to repair the facilities is spread too thin across schools that are chronically underutilized.
If DC were able to sell off its excess schools, maybe the revenue could be used to pay to fix the ones it keeps? Just thinkin', which I know is dangerous in this town....
Understood, but those less-than-neutral pieces often precipitate the ridiculous comment strings that really lower the level of discourse. And then someone accuses Mike Grass of hating Virginia.
But I do agree with you on the "caustic little asides" part.
Any word on what this new museum will do to the Anacostia Museum? Technically that's a Smithsonian Museum, too, even if it is treated a lot like an unwanted step-child. Will they close it? Refocus it? Have two museums devoted to African American history?