By Gillian Burgess (Elections Committee) • May 22, 2020
A proposal to widen the Washington and Old Dominion Trail in Arlington has reached the next phase to potentially get funding. As with the last time it came up for public review, it’s also facing some pushback from people, under the banner of concern over trees and the environment.
By Alex Baca (Housing Program Organizer), Nick Finio (Contributor) • May 25, 2020
Most conventional debates over gentrification in DC position the process as one that replaces long-time black residents with newer, wealthier white residents. Given the context, this framing makes sense: DC has a well-established black middle class and a wealth of black history. However, the reality is a bit more complex — and diverse.
The government’s explicit role in building and enforcing segregation has been largely obscured, and it has done comparatively little to rectify the harm it’s caused to African-American communities — harm which deeply resonates into the present day.
By Bryan Barnett-Woods (Contributor) • May 23, 2020
Trails like Four-Mile Run in Arlington; the Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis in Prince George’s County; and the Marvin Gaye Trail in Washington all help people stay active, connect neighborhoods and workplaces, and support sustainable modes of transportation. Unfortunately, most of the time jurisdictions build their own trails without considering the greater network they feed into.
Beginning in the 1950s, synagogues and other Jewish institutions left DC’s central commercial corridors for Upper Northwest and Maryland, and they didn’t return until the late 1990s.
By Stephen Repetski (Editorial Board Alum) • May 22, 2020
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) is suspending its SIlver Line Express (SLE) bus, which runs between Dulles Airport and the Wiehle-Reston Metro station, beginning this upcoming weekend and lasting through the summer.
By Alex Holt (Maryland Correspondent) • May 22, 2020
Even with Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s recent veto of a bill to study expanding MARC (Maryland Area Rail Commuter) service to Northern Virginia, the potential demand to bring “run-though” rail service across the Potomac River remains strong according to a new report presented to the Washington region’s main planning body this week.
Two activist groups opened up about 30 streets for people to use for recreation and exercise on Memorial Day. DC Department of Transformation and Arm in Arm DC placed traffic cones in several streets in the district. Arm in Arm also sent a petition out to Mayor Bowser and the DC Council, some of whom were already in favor of open streets, asking for additional streets to be closed off to cars and open to pedestrians and cyclists. (Jose Umana and Rick Massimo / WTOP)
Despite a new peak that appeared during what DC officials hoped would be a period of 14 straight days showing a decline in new coronavirus cases, Mayor Murriel Bowser said Monday that the district is “back on track” to move toward a gradual reopening. Officials from Northern Virginia, which also saw an increase in cases, asked Governor Ralph Northam to include their counties in the commonwealth’s Phase 2 reopening. (Rachel Chason and Julie Zauzmer / Post, Matt Blitz and Jordan Pascale / DCist)
On Friday, former disgraced former DC Council member Jack Evans agreed to pay a $35,000 fine in a settlement with the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability in addition to the $20,000 he already owes BEGA as the result of another investigation. Evans is among eight candidates running in the June 2 primary election to fill his former Ward 2 seat. (Mitch Ryals / WCP)
The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Montgomery County dropped 26% this month from a three-day average of 480 on May 7 to a three-day average of 354 on Sunday. (Dan Schere / Bethesda Beat)
A new guide to street design from the National Association of City Transportation Officials give recommendations to address immediate priorities of ensuring access to essential workers and goods while allowing for social and physical distancing and to plan for a post-pandemic street. (James Brasuell / Planetizen)
While the Latinx population in DC, Maryland, Virginia accounts for 10% of the population in the region, they make up about one-third of coronavirus cases. Experts cite the presence of certain factors, including that many residents live in multigenerational housing or take on multiple roommates, work in service industry jobs, and lack access to protective equipment. (Antonio Olivo, Marissa J. Lang, and John D. Harden / Post)
Although it may be too early to tell, researchers are trying to predict the long-term impacts of the pandemic on society, including following changed hygiene practices, seeking comfort through the company of loved ones and neighbors, and normalizing to the new normal. (Linda Poon / CityLab)
