Much more needs to be done to make local rail and bus systems truly accessible. For example, Metro’s 7000-series trains still have a dangerous gap between the cars that a blind man fell through in 2016, and more than half of local bus stops aren’t reachable to people using wheelchairs.
In May, I wrote a pair of articles on the difficulties in naming regions of Prince George’s County. This time, I’m going to go all the way back to colonial Maryland to dive into how regions of the county were divided up and named in the past.
By Alex Baca (Housing Program Organizer) • July 17, 2020
On July 16, Greater Greater Washington hosted our 2020 ANC commissioner training. Many thanks to the eighty-something attendees for their smart questions, thoughtful replies, and knowledge-sharing.
By Canaan Merchant (Elections Committee) • July 17, 2020
Though most music videos are typically shot in the major media centers of New York City and Los Angeles, DC sometimes takes center stage — whether the songs are explicitly about the city or not.
Could the US government transform its underused buildings into housing? Asheville, North Carolina approves bill to invest in Black communities that have been undervalued due to racism. The miseducation of an urban planner, and more in this week’s National links
The new Douglass Bridge, currently under construction, promises to significantly upgrade one of the Anacostia River’s few bicycle crossings. But what has been less celebrated is that it will result in a new place where cyclists and pedestrians can cross the DC Route 295 barrier.
Even though media attention has dwindled over the past few weeks, smaller groups of protesters remain around Black Lives Matter Plaza in downtown DC, where they say police continue to harass them. (Jenny Gathright / WAMU)
Coronavirus testing at DC-operated sites are canceled today due to high temperatures. The District remains in a heat emergency through Wednesday. (Hannah Schuster, Matt Blitz / DCist)
The Washington Nationals have announced they will kick off a new season at Nationals Park in the Navy Yard, following reports that the team would play elsewhere due to the District’s COVID-19 restrictions. (Nathan Diller / DCist)
The Lee Highway Alliance in Arlington has announced that it will form a working group to come up with new names for the Lee Highway. The group will work with adjacent jurisdictions on name ideas and will submit final recommendations to the Arlington County Board. (ARLnow. Tip: Chester B.)
The Purple Line is at risk of being abandoned mid-construction unless Maryland and the companies contracted to build the line reach an agreement on how to pay for $775 million in cost overruns by August 22. The heart of the conflict stems from long-standing problems related to delays and a low-bid construction contract. (Katherine Shaver / Post)
A union for Montgomery County Public School teachers says a plan to reopen schools by starting the year with virtual instruction before gradually reopening schools to a part-time level still leaves students and educators at risk. (Caitlynn Peetz / Bethesda Beat)
After a few months of tight inventory, the housing marketing in Northern Virginia is finally seeing a bump in the number of new listings. However, this hasn’t stopped prices from rising to an average of $647,000 in June. (Jeff Clabaugh / WTOP)
Plans for a new headquarters for the local Fox affiliate WTTG on Wisconsin Avenue NW near Friendship Heights now calls for 177 residential units instead of the original 230. The building will also feature a ground-floor headquarters for the broadcaster and 60 bicycle parking spaces. (Nena Perry-Brown / UrbanTurf)
