Nov 08, 2006
Bush Caught Off Guard With Voting Rights Question
Amidst tough questions in an early afternoon press conference today on the loss of the House, the war in Iraq, and the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, President George W. Bush faced a question he wasn’t expecting — on District voting rights. A reporter asked Bush on whether he would support legislation currently moving through Congress that would grant the District one voting seat in the House of Representatives and may come to…
Sep 14, 2006
Voting Rights Legislation Gets Second Hearing Today
Step by step, inch by inch. That’s how legislation that would grant the District a voting seat in the House of Representatives is proceeding, but at least it’s going somewhere. The House Judiciary Committee is set to hold a hearing today on the D.C. Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act, a legislative proposal put forth by Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) and D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton that would finally give the District a full…
Jul 26, 2006
District Voting Rights Bill Moves Forward
It was mid-May when we found out that a bill that would grant the District a voting seat in the U.S. House of Representatives was finally moving forward, having met with the approval of the House Government Reform Committee. Yesterday news came through that the legislation — known as the D.C. Fair and Equal House Voting Rights Act — may soon overcome another obstacle, putting the District one step closer to voting representation in the…
Jun 15, 2006
Morning Roundup: First Day of the Weekend Edition
Ahhh, Thursday. First day of the weekend. And a good day to play hooky and watch Trinidad and Tobago (powered by Howard alum Shaka Hislop) take on England at noon. And the news for the day: Controversy Over Terrorism Funds Continues: Local officials feel they were cheated of valuable federal anti-terrorism funds. Federal officials claim that local requests of funds for anti-terror program were ineffective at best. Who should we believe? The Post is…
Jun 08, 2006
And Thus Starts the Battle Over Voting Rights
When it comes to fighting for District voting rights, activists face two main challengers — the U.S. Congress and themselves. Members of Congress just either don’t care much about whether or not the District’s 600,000 residents have voting representation, or believe its a constitutional mandate written in stone that they shouldn’t. They can be swayed. But many District-based voting right activists differ sharply on what the best approach to gaining voting rights is — some…
Are the stars aligning? We’re slow to trust Tom Davis after he toyed with our heart last week, saying first that a vote for D.C. was a sure thing, then warning us that the road was still quite long and fraught with danger. One thing’s for sure, however. Davis is doing his damnedest to build momentum (Tomentum?) for the bipartisan bill, and he’s close to convincing us it’s a real possibility. Yesterday, with District officials…
May 02, 2006
Comcastic Clash Could Cut Cable
While racial tensions are simmering over the battle to win ownership of the Nationals, another longstanding baseball feud is nearing a head, with potentially frustrating results for District television viewers. Comcast, which provides cable service to most D.C. cable subscribers, has refused to air Nationals broadcasts produced by MASN, Orioles owner Peter Angelos’ sports network, which owns the rights to Nats games. Three weeks ago, Virginia Representative Tom Davis (R) held hearings on the matter…
Apr 10, 2006
Nats Drop Two Out of Three Over the Weekend
This entry was written by DCist contributor Benjamin Kabak. This weekend’s action for the Nationals started on Friday afternoon when Major League officials, representatives from Comcast and Mayor Anthony Williams appeared in front of Rep. Tom Davis’ (R-Va.) House Government Reform Committee. Davis, in an effort to get all Nationals’ games shown on DC-area cable networks, is attempting to broker a deal between Comcast and Peter Angelos that resolves a dispute that has left most…
Sep 16, 2005
Davis Chosen to Lead Katrina Panel
Hoping to diffuse controversy over a special Congressional panel charged with investigating the federal government’s shortcomings in the response to Hurricane Katrina, Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert has tapped local Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) to be the panel’s leader. The panel has been a flashpoint of debate in recent days, with Congressional Democrats claiming it would “whitewash” what have come to be perceived as substantial failures in the federal response to the storm and…
Aug 01, 2005
Palmeiro Suspended for Steroid Use
Continuing in what has been a rough few months for baseball, Rafael Palmeiro of the Baltimore Orioles — the team many District residents called their own prior to the arrival of the Nationals — was given a 10-day suspension today for steroid use, reports the Post. The O’s first baseman, who only two weeks ago celebrated his milestone 3,000 hits and 500+ home-runs, is the tenth player suspended so far this season for failing steroid…