As the District adjusts to the impact of the coronavirus, officials recently announced that DC would have to cut a little over $600 million from its $9 billion budget this year. It’s not known what may be cut, but officials did warn they may have to cut the same amount from the budget next year as well. (Martin Austermuhle / WAMU)
About 58% of COVID-19 deaths in DC are Black, even though Black residents make up only 46% of the District’s population. DC recently released data on race as the number of overall cases from the coronavirus reached 1,101 in DC, and deaths climbed to 169. (Dana Hedgpeth / Post)
In addition to an expected vote today to extend the mayor’s authority to declare a public health emergency through mid-June, the DC Council is also expected to include in the bill a temporary rent freeze, mortgage deferral for individuals and businesses with reduced income because of COVID-19, and expanded sick leave, among other provisions. (Jack Moore / WTOP)
Although the Baltimore mayor’s office announced it moved 150 residents over age 62 from emergency shelters to motels, a group of housing advocates and some city council members called on the mayor to expand the city’s efforts to house more people experiencing homelessness during the coronavirus pandemic. (Phil Davis / Baltimore Sun)
Citing health reasons related to the treatment of a brain tumor, Arlington County Board Member Erik Gutshall announced his resignation Monday evening. (ARLnow)
According to Google’s COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports, which compares recent location activity to January’s, 44% Washington region residents made fewer trips to the workplace. For trips to retail and recreation destinations, Arlington and DC saw 62% fewer trips, Montgomery County saw a 51% drop, and Prince George’s County saw a 40% decrease. (Nena Perry-Brown / Urban Turf, Google COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports)
Because DC’s June 2 primary election is scheduled to happen as planned and because officials have decided to limit in-person polling places to encourage mail-in absentee voting, the DC Council and Board of Elections must ensure all who want to vote by mail have that option. (Editorial Board / Post, DC Board of Elections)
Recent Census Bureau data shows that most of the 11 of the largest metro areas, including Washington, DC, experienced their highest population growth rate in the earliest years of the 2010s and experienced year-over-year declines in their population growth rates since then. (William H. Frey / Brookings)
Major themes emerging across a recent roundup of think pieces about the pandemic include appreciation for parks and open space, fears by city officials seeking to enforce social distancing of people using public spaces, and the future of public spaces. (James Brasuell / Planetizen)
By George Kevin Jordan (Editor and Correspondent) • April 6, 2020
Learn all the essentials of gardening, from dealing with pesky pests, to cooking and preserving your harvest with a virtual urban grower course series hosted by the DC Parks and Recreation.
Much of DC beyond the original L’Enfant city and Georgetown consists of “streetcar suburbs,” namely late-19th and early-20th Century communities that grew up around streetcar lines. In this final installment, we’re looking at the Chesapeake Beach Railway and the Washington, Baltimore, & Annapolis Electric Railway (WB&A).
