Good Morning, D.C. It sure is getting hot in here, and for once, we don’t just mean the weather. The Post reports this morning that the Voting Rights Bill is making some progress in the Senate. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), a co-sponsor of the bill, announced that the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which he chairs, will vote on the legislation Wednesday. And in a meeting with Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and Mayor Fenty, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) pledged his strong support yesterday for the bill, saying he wants to bring it to a floor vote. There still aren’t enough votes to avoid a filibuster, but all expressed optimism that it could be done, and Fenty said he thought a floor vote could happen “as early as July.”
Fenty Will Relocate Temple Courts: Mayor Adrian Fenty has announced plans to empty the crime-plagued Temple Courts housing complex near North Capitol Street. Under the plan, the 211 families that live there will be relocated to better apartments across the region while multi-income housing is built near the Temple Courts site. Some Courts residents are calling the action a retreat from the city’s promise to rebuild the area without displacing tenants — but Fenty says tenants will be guaranteed spots in the new buildings at no additional cost.
Referendum Not Totally Resolved Yet: The Washington Times reports that a last-minute hearing was granted by a D.C. Superior Court judge yesterday after Matthew Watson, the attorney for the D.C. residents seeking a referendum on Fenty’s school takeover legislation, asked the court to order the board to issue petitions for signatures, saying the opinion was not reversed in a public meeting. The judge had not ruled on the case by yesterday evening after hearing about 90 minutes of arguments. The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics reversed its opinion on Tuesday that a referendum would be appropriate.
Briefly Noted: D.C. Board of Education meets for what is likely the final time before school takeover … NAACP reducing staff, closing regional offices … Another woman attacked using plastic bag … M Street Crew gang enforcer won’t face death penalty.
This Day in DCist: In 2006 we interviewed Pandora founder Tim Westergren and in 2005 we took a closer look at the Joseph James Darling Fountain in Judiciary Square.
Photo by tjunedavis
