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…
Since 1983, Loose Lips, the City Paper’s weekly local politics column, has been the place to get quirky news and commentary on the District’s political figures. But today, James Jones, Loose Lips columnist for the last two years, bids farewell to the paper. Jones came to the City Paper after a stint at WAMU, and his first column was published on March 11, 2005. According to the folks at the City Paper, Jones has taken…
Good morning, D.C. Thanks to all of you who came out to the Voting Rights Happy Hour last night. We had a great time meeting everyone and chatting about the future of full voting rights for D.C. Our friends and co-hosts at DC Vote were thrilled to be able to sign up so many new interested members and volunteers for their upcoming Voting Rights March on April 16, so thanks to them for coming out…
What a night, eh Washington? If you’re like us, you were up late listening to Kojo and Jonetta break down the election results as they came in on WAMU. Our favorite moment of the evening came just before 10 p.m., when Mayor Williams told co-host Jonetta Rose Barras she was crazy to suggest that anyone believed he had waited too long to decide if he would seek a third term. For the record Jonetta —…
Last night the five mayoral candidates — Adrian Fenty, Marie Johns, Vincent Orange, Linda Cropp, and Michael Brown — squared off in the first debate of the 2005-2006 campaign season. Facing an audience of 700 at the University of the District of Columbia, the candidates debated education, school modernization, economic development, affordable housing, crime, and yes, the stadium. Moderated by the Post’s Colbert King, the candidates gave brief opening questions, faced withering questions from…
We’re finally within 365 days of when District residents head to the polls to choose their next mayor, and what better way to celebrate than an old-fashioned debate? Yes, tonight marks the official beginning of the 2006 campaign season, and all five officially-announced mayoral candidates will be taking each other on in what promises to be a battle royale over school modernization, taxes, development, crime, and affordable housing. Ok, it may not be that exciting….
