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DC Ward 8's fight for its future
The challenge in Ward 8 right now is comparable, in my mind, to the one confronting millions of mostly rural citizens nationally, who...

jonetta rose barras
Sep 17, 20248 min read


Trayon White Must Go, Now
DC Councilmember Trayon White Sr. is a danger to all DC residents — not just those in Ward 8. That’s the only conclusion, in my opinion,...

jonetta rose barras
Sep 8, 20246 min read


DC's Champions of Small Businesses Prepare to Abandon Small Businesses
ON Monday, June 10, Kenyan McDuffie, the DC Council Chair Tempore, had his chief of staff, Derron Parks, convene a meeting outside of the...

jonetta rose barras
Jun 11, 20245 min read


The short path to ruin in DC
The DC Council gave preliminary approval this week to a $21 billion Fiscal Year 2025 Budget and Financial Plan that included dozens of...

jonetta rose barras
Jun 9, 20248 min read


FanDuel Writes DC Council Chair About Sports Wagering Budget Change
May 31, 2024 The Honorable Phil Mendelson Chairman Council of the District of Columbia 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20004...
staff post
Jun 6, 20245 min read


Is generational change coming to Ward 7 via the DC Council race?
For some Ward 7 residents and political observers the general answer to that question appears to be yes. After all, there is a batch of...

jonetta rose barras
May 19, 20248 min read


Who will win the intense political fight to represent Ward 4 on the DC Council?
“The current political landscape has witnessed a growing influence of national and local interest groups, often overshadowing the voices...

jonetta rose barras
May 19, 20248 min read


At-large DC Council candidates Robert White and Rodney Grant are fed up
“This is going to be the Super Bowl of elections,” predicted Rodney “Red” Grant, a Democrat who is challenging incumbent at-large DC...

jonetta rose barras
May 5, 20247 min read


DC Councilmember Brooke Pinto’s sprint to unopposed
As the audience inside the Woman’s National Democratic Club on New Hampshire Avenue NW waited last November for Ward 2 DC Councilmember...

jonetta rose barras
May 5, 20249 min read


Winning round one at DC’s Gallery Place
WHEN you have an opponent by the short hairs and they know it, gloating is in poor taste. Proper etiquette for the victor is to “smile,...

jonetta rose barras
Apr 7, 20248 min read


Love for the Outdoors is a Gift that Pays Forward
WHEN we see a 75-year-old white man out in the woods with a group of Black and brown kids from low-income neighborhoods, teaching them...

Ben Jealous
Apr 7, 20243 min read


DC is near the cliff, so grab the reins
It’s all coming together, portending real trouble for DC — its government and, consequently, its residents — regardless of the positive...

jonetta rose barras
Mar 10, 20247 min read


Highway Robbery in Alabama
Imagine the neighborhood your family has lived in for more than 150 years being turned into a deteriorating flood zone. Now imagine the...

Ben Jealous
Mar 10, 20243 min read


Get ready for a wild election season in DC
THE ritual of signature gathering in the District may seem perpetual — although dozens of candidates for political office, including four...

jonetta rose barras
Mar 10, 20245 min read


The Clean Energy Transition Must Be a Just Transition
WHEN General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford – the “Big Three” American automakers – were close to extinction 15 years ago, their workers and...

Ben Jealous
Oct 1, 20232 min read


Talking Loud and Doing Nothing
SOMETIMES it’s difficult for me to tamp down my cynicism about the District government and local politicians, especially as it relates to...

jonetta rose barras
Sep 25, 20235 min read


What's the Problem with DC AG Brian Schwalb?
DURING the past month, I have heard that question multiple times from people across DC who are not satisfied with AG Brian Schwalb’s...

jonetta rose barras
Sep 25, 20236 min read


Ruth Simmons’ hardscrabble journey to elite higher education
WHEN the galley for Ruth J. Simmons’ memoir — Up Home: One Girl’s Journey — arrived in my mailbox a few months ago, I couldn’t wait to...

jonetta rose barras
Sep 25, 20237 min read


Our Public Lands Need More Land and a More Diverse Public
ON Saturday, environmental advocate Bill Vanderberg was where he is most Saturdays during the year – leading volunteers maintaining...

Ben Jealous
Sep 25, 20233 min read


A Deep South Governor’s Race to Watch
A year in which there are only three races for governor’s seats, all in the Deep South, wouldn’t normally create a lot of political...

Ben Jealous
Jul 2, 20233 min read
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