By examining 1,000 businesses and $8 billion of contracts, researchers found inequalities in the results of the city’s contracting process.

Sixty-five businesses from D.C. will receive the grants with investments ranging from $50,000 to $750,000.

Downtown D.C. has been an economic engine for the District for years. The pandemic put an abrupt stop to that.

National Cherry Blossom Festival mascot “Paddles the Beaver” surely wants tourists to leave lots of money behind this year. Photo by Joe Danielewicz When the National Cherry Blossom Festival starts Saturday, the tourists who come to see the trees will leave behind an estimated $126 million in the D.C. metro region over the course of the event, according to a George Mason University study released Thursday. The District itself hauls in about $82 million…