Before we jump to this week's stories: D.C. lost two local icons this week.
Longtime civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, who died on Feb. 17 at the age of 84, was best known as a national figure. But he was also intimately connected to D.C.'s fight for statehood and self-determination, serving as one of the city's non-voting shadow senators in the early 1990s. “For many in our country, he was the first person they heard make the case for D.C. statehood,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser in a statement.
Rev. Graylan Hagler died the same day at the age of 71. Hagler was a longtime pastor at Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ in Northeast, as well as a one-time D.C. Council candidate, powerful orator, and a reliable presence at rallies for progressive causes.
Also this week, family members and neighbors held a vigil for Julian Bailey, the 43-year-old man killed by a U.S. Marshal on Friday. The officer, who was part of Trump's law enforcement surge, had responded to a 911 call. “They took my husband, they took him from us, and I got to figure it out,” his wife Trenise Wells-Bailey told DC News Now. Officers said that Bailey had pointed a gun at them, though his family has disputed that account. Local police are investigating.
Raw sewage from a broken portion of the Potomac Interceptor sewage pipe is being channeled into the C&O Canal four miles north of D.C. (Martin Austermuhle)
Meanwhile, Trump has waded into the debate, and Bowser asked to declare it a presidential emergency disaster.
Last week, we announced some Big Plans. We're working to expand our newsroom from one full-time editor and reporter to two editors and THREE reporters. If you like us now, just imagine the work we'll do with more support and people power. Today, we're almost 40% of the way toward our goal to raise $375,000. If you haven't supported yet, or feel inclined to throw in a little extra, here's some added incentive: A generous supporter on Bluesky has offered to double your donation if you let him know what you gave! (He'll also give $1 for every new follower we get).
Fans of Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Cure will love local D.C. post-punk/pop goth band Cryptid Summer, playing Comet Ping Pong on Friday. (Mike Maguire / Flickr)
A free film festival, an underground garage racing tournament, and a Mardi Gras Shabbat await.
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Here are some stories you may have missed this week:
A Virginia journalist, Hope Cartwright, was killed by a driver on Monday crossing the street in Richmond. [Washingtonian]
How a local parenting group chat fell apart. [The Post]
Homeland Security employees working at the St. Elizabeths West Campus say they're breathing in asbestos dust thanks to demolition work, and they're not being given masks or respirators. [Migrant Insider]
The community is mourning the loss of Laticia "Precious," an active member of Street Sense Media, a poet, and an activist for the homeless. [Street Sense Media]
D.C. Councilmember and mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George has promised to expand child care programs and increase childhood educator pay. But how will she do it in the midst of an economic downturn? [The Post]
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb has filed a sweeping lawsuit against a local developer, accusing him and several family members of operating an illegal real estate empire. [WCP]
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Pam Bailey
