How important was Godfather of Go-Go Chuck Brown to D.C.? Enough to merit his own commemorative day and a go-go museum named after him, according to one person.
Petition Seeks 'Chuck Brown Day,' Go-Go Museum
D.C. Council Boosts Arts Funding by $6.8 Million
In its fiscal 2013 budget introduced yesterday, the D.C. Council increased the amount allocated to the District's Commission on the Arts and Humanities by $6.8 million, pushing funding for that agency to its highest level since 2009.
Fee'd Up: This is What D.C. Charges You for Everything
D.C. charges residents and business for lots of things, from basic services to licenses and permits. The D.C. Council recently published the city's master fee schedule, and we picked out some of our favorite fees.
Budget Bits: What You Need to Know About the Budget the D.C. Council Passed Yesterday
Yesterday the D.C. Council approved Mayor Vince Gray's 2013 budget on a first vote, though it made some changes to the spending plan. Extended bar hours are in (kind of), affordable housing has been saved, more traffic cameras are coming, and the city will get better at collecting fines.
At Least Someone on the D.C. Council Has a Sense of Humor
A municipal swear jar, a rat shelter and a fund to relocate NIMBY residents to other jurisdictions: these are among the policy proposals circulated by D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) in a humorous memo ahead of a vote on the city's budget.
D.C. Council: Soon With Fewer Felons!
A charter amendment that would ban elected officials who are convicted for a felony while in office from serving again is starting its slow journey toward a November vote.
Again With the Tickets: Gray Gives Verizon Center Suite Tickets to His Adult Children
One of the perks of being mayor or a member of the D.C. Council is free tickets to suites at both the Verizon Center and Nationals Park. One of the problems that every mayor and member of the D.C. Council seems to have without fail? Free tickets to suites at both the Verizon Center and Nationals Park.
D.C. Council Finds Middle Ground on Extended Bar Hours
Today Mayor Vince Gray and D.C. councilmembers seem to have found some middle ground on a proposal to allow bars to stay open longer.
Wine Pubs, Growlers and Sunday Sales: More Changes to D.C. Liquor Laws Could Come
As of recent there's been plenty of debate over whether D.C. bars should be able to stay open later or if the alcohol excise tax should be raised, but broader changes in the city's liquor laws are coming down the pike.
Nationals Duty: D.C. Government Joins Nats' Effort to Take Back the Park
The Philadelphia Phillies are coming to town tonight for a three-game series against the Washington Nationals, and the team—with some help from the D.C. government—is doing everything it can to make sure that Nats fans outnumber Phillies fans.
Restaurant Owners Don't Take Kindly to Committee's Rejection of Longer Bar Hours
D.C. restaurant owners are doubly angered with the D.C. Council after a committee voted yesterday to reject Mayor Vince Gray's proposal to allow bars to stay open later and but endorse an increase in the alcohol excise tax.
Later Bar Hours Voted Down, Though Extended Hours for Liquor Stores Survive
A proposal for D.C. bars to stay open for an extra hour on weekdays and weekends was voted down by a D.C. Council committee this afternoon, though extended hours for liquor stores were approved.
No Furlough Day Repayments for D.C. Workers
Today the D.C. Council voted down a proposal that would have repaid D.C. workers for four furlough days they took last year.
Food Truck Sales Tax Passes D.C. Council, Expected to Bring in $1.2 Million a Year
The D.C. Council passed legislation today that will force D.C.'s food trucks to pay sales taxes. The measure is expected to bring in $1.2 million per year.
Think You Can Explain Marion Barry? Now You Can Get Paid To Try
It's often that Councilmember Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) says something that leaves most everyone wondering what his point was and why he was making it. Now you can make it your living trying to explain it to them.
Liquor Lobby Doesn't Like Higher D.C. Alcohol Tax Idea
The national liquor lobby came out yesterday against a proposal to raise D.C.'s alcohol excise tax as a means to raise $20 million for city coffers.
D.C. Still Hoping to Tax Professional Athletes
Mayor Vince Gray again wants to see professional athletes pay taxes on money they make while playing in D.C.
Graham Concerned that Later Bar Hours Would Produce Extra Noise, Crime and Traffic
At a D.C. Council hearing this morning, Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) further laid out his opposition to a proposal in Mayor Vince Gray's budget that would allow bars to stay open for an extra hour on weekdays and weekends.
Put Those Drinks Down: Extended Bar Hours Not Assured
A proposal by Mayor Vince Gray to extend bar and liquor store hours is facing some skepticism from members of the D.C. Council, threatening the $5.3 million in revenue it has promised to pour into city coffers next year.
Orange Takes Hits from Challengers, and Fights Back
Councilmember Vincent Orange (D-At Large) has faced additional scrutiny ever since news broke recently that in 2011 he received $26,000 in money order campaign contributions from embattled businessman Jeffrey Thompson—and his challengers in the At-Large race aren't sparing any opportunity to bring it up.
No Medical Marijuana Cultivation in Ward 7! D.C. Council Moves Against Hopeful Cultivator
With just over a week before the D.C. Department of Health is scheduled to grant licenses for medical marijuana cultivation centers, the D.C. Council today passed legislation forcing a cultivator to move out of a location along Benning Road NE in Ward 7.
Legislative Roundup: Money Orders, Furloughs, Free Information, and Food Trucks
The D.C. Council convened today for a Committee of the Whole meeting and a legislative session, where some bills were introduced, others debated and yet others voted on.
Money for Ward 5 Special Election Held Up by Conflict Between Gray and D.C. Council
The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics is stuck in the unenviable task of conducting two sets of elections in the next two months—the April 3 primary and the May 15 Ward 5 special election. But while the former is fully funded, the latter runs the risk of not happening at all if Mayor Vince Gray and the D.C. Council don't come to an agreement on a larger spending bill.
Cheh to Propose Strict Limits on Use of Money Orders for Campaign Contributions
The scandal du jour in the D.C. Council involves money orders being used to make campaign contributions. Now one councilmember wants to rein them in. A staffer for Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) has confirmed that she will introduce legislation next week limiting money orders to campaigns to $25 a pop, the same amount allowed for cash contributions.
Campaign Finance Reports Set Stage for April 3 Primary
There's less than a month to go before the April 3 primary, and incumbents and challengers alike are preparing to get voters to the polls. Yesterday they showed off their bank rolls, hinting as to whether they'll emerge victorious or not come election day.
Your Legislative Roundup: Guns, Drugs, Soccer & More
Today the D.C. Council dealt with guns, drugs, soccer, cell phones, and fresh food trucks.
Cheh, Wells Give Campaign Finance Reform Another Shot
Two D.C. councilmembers are hoping to cut down on the city's repeated political scandals by going after the very thing that seems to fuel them—money.
D.C. Council Moves, But Doesn't Go Anywhere
What happens when you move and move and move but don't seem to get anywhere? Someone could surely describe that as the state of the city's politics, but it's also a new exercise regimen that will soon be available to D.C. councilmembers.
D.C.'s Weed NIMBYs: Everyone Voted for Medical Marijuana, But No One Wants It Grown Here
Fourteen years ago, 69 percent of the District's voters approved an initiative legalizing medical marijuana. Today, medical marijuana is no closer for the patients who may need it because of ongoing opposition in the neighborhoods where it would be grown.

