Kaya Henderson has gone about the job of reforming D.C.’s schools quietly, much to the difference of her predecessor, Michelle Rhee. But over the weekend she seemed to outline her philosophy on education reform—and how Rhee went about it.
When a D.C. Council committee gathers tomorrow to consider comprehensive ethics legislation, it will do so in the midst of continued disagreements as to how far the proposal goes in addressing ethics violations that have marred the District’s government this year.
When Mayor Vince Gray announced last week that he was ordering D.C. police not to inquire about immigration status during routine stops and operations for minor offenses, members of the District’s immigrant community loudly cheered him on. But many others aren’t as pleased.
Photo by gerdaindc As the battle over gay marriage in the District heats up — the Washington Blade reports today that D.C. Council member David Catania (I-At Large) may introduce a bill before the end of the month — a number of politics watchers have warned of political tension and conflict that may ensue. In the Examiner today, longtime local politics watcher Harry Jaffe argues that Catania’s move may provoke what he terms a…
Fishbowl DC reports that Jonetta Rose Barras, longtime political analyst for WAMU’s Friday program, The Politics Hour With Kojo and Jonetta, is leaving the show. City Desk has more, citing differences between Barras and WAMU Program Director Mark McDonald and calling the move a firing. Barras told the Washington City Paper that she felt there was a large disparity in her salary, especially since the program expanded its coverage in January to include Maryland and…
Harry Jaffe: As the fallout from the shooting of 14-year-old DeOnté Rawlings continues, it’s now Mayor Adrian Fenty taking some of the heat. According to Jaffe, Fenty’s decision to pay for Rawlings’ funeral and invite his sisters to speak at a press conference has soured some police officers on the young mayor, who saw the moves as an indication of where Fenty’s allegiances were. “How can Fenty rebuild trust with the police?” asks Jaffe. “’Let…
Harry Jaffe: In writing something of a goodbye column to RFK Stadium, Jaffe recounts the many struggles the District overcame to attract a baseball team. And though plenty of people played important roles, he feels that one deserves extra attention — former Mayor Anthony Williams. “The hero of the piece has to be Williams, an unpopular mayor who — despite his wandering attention span — kept swinging away at an unpopular crusade to use public…
Jonetta Rose Barras: In a powerfully introspective column, Rose Barras details a recent trip to her destroyed family home in New Orleans. In recounting her visit to the site, Rose Barras writes of the struggles endured by her mother and sister in trying to return and rebuild, drawing comparisons to the District’s own troubles. “Truth told, New Orleans looks and feels like Ward 8 circa 1985: few quality retail outlets, high crime, high unemployment, poor…
Tom Knott: Once again, Tom Knott has managed to take what seems to be an isolated incident and turn it into evidence that liberalism of any sort is just evil. This week, Knott recounts the badly-handled trial of a Liberian immigrant accused of raping a seven-year-old girl in Montgomery County. Due to some bad decision by the trial judge, the charges were eventually dropped, though the county has stated that it will appeal. Regardless, it’s…
Jonetta Rose Barras: “The District government is spending millions to send children to a controversial special education residential facility in Massachusetts that uses electric shock to discipline students.” Wow. Talk about an opening sentence. Rose Barras dedicated her column this week to the 10 District students who have been sent to the facility — the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center in Canton, Ma. — arguing that its unorthodox methods of treatment are reason enough to bring…
