D.C. school faces nearly million dollar budget cut
Plus, where the council stands on the RFK deal, Chinatown loses another mainstay, and more.
Happy May Day!
It’s International Workers’ Day, coined for the Gilded-Age laborers who, while toiling in factories and railroads, organized a series of strikes to achieve the 8-hour work day. The era’s robber barons had amassed previously inconceivable levels of wealth by wiping out competition in emerging industries, violently suppressing labor activity, and tightening their leash on pay-to-play politicians. (Sound … familiar?)
By 1890, the wealthiest two percent had over half the national income, while the 88 percent of Americans who made up the poor and middle classes received just over a tenth – often without basic health care or clean water.
I offer this little history lesson today because we’re a worker-run news outlet – an identity that feels more important than it ever did. We can only do what we do because of readers like you. Help us celebrate this May Day by becoming a sustaining member?
Scroll down for an update on the nearly million-dollar deficit facing Harriet Tubman Elementary School, the Commanders return to D.C. (Or not? Depends on these councilmembers), the loss of another community bedrock in Chinatown, plans for your weekend, and more ways to celebrate May Day.
– Abigail Higgins
Overheard of the Week:
Kid: *kicks ball directly into the street*
Dad: What’d you do that for? That was obviously a poor decision.
Kid: I’m a poor decision maker!
This honestly relatable Overheard was brought to you by Katy on Bluesky. Submit yours here!
Why this D.C. elementary school is facing massive budget cuts
Earlier this year, the staff at Harriet Tubman Elementary School in Columbia Heights heard rumblings of bad news: the city was considering a significant cut to the school’s budget. But when they finally received word of the proposed cuts, no one was prepared for how big they would be: $1.2 million, or nearly 10 percent of the previous year’s budget.
Wilson Building Bulletin: Mixed reactions from the D.C. Council on the Commanders deal
When Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the Commanders were returning to D.C. at an event earlier this week, the music was loud and the crowd jubilant. But it wasn’t lost on anyone that missing in the crowd of former players and senior D.C. leaders were a majority of the D.C. Council. It’s up to them to ultimately approve the proposed deal — but they could just as well tank it.
Chinatown loses another legacy business
The end of Jackey Cafe’s more than 40-year run is an all-too-familiar one in Chinatown, where development and gentrification are pricing out mom-and-pop shops and Chinese residents. Some residents and activists say the city needs to do more to hang onto these community touchstones.
16 things to do around D.C. this weekend
Pussy Riot, Cinco de Mayo celebrations, queer rugby, and over 150 racing Chihuahuas – we've got big (and small) plans for you.
May Day solidarity: Your weekly Civics Roundup
Start your weekend early with a May Day rally for restaurant workers tonight, and continue the celebrations by singing along with the DC Labor Chorus, marking the end of DC Climate week, and more.
Here's more news you may have missed this week:
- Expectant parents enjoyed prenatal yoga, baby CPR training, and information about the city's paid family leave program at the inaugural Citywide Baby Shower in Southeast D.C. [The Informer]
- After almost 30 years of incarceration, Robert Barton was released from federal prison, only to re-enter a world where decades of progress towards equality was being rapidly undone. [WCP]
- Visual artist and native Washingtonian Reggie Gillumo has developed a massive fan base for his "unique braille art" – even Stevie Wonder is a patron! [AFRO]
- Today, key Trump appointee Ed Martin is the interim U.S. attorney in D.C. Less than a decade ago, he was secretly writing Facebook attacks against the judge on a case he was involved in, ethical violations that led to over $600,000 in settlements. [ProPublica]
- Pope Francis was a particular light for D.C.-area Catholics, many of whom are immigrants. [WAMU]
- The D.C. area has some of the highest numbers of private equity-owned apartments in the country, a trend often associated with rent hikes and evictions. [Axios]
- "Tough on crime" policies make D.C. less safe. [Brookings]
- If someone calls demanding money for your missing pet, don't send it to them. [WTOP]
- Georgetown says it won't divest from companies with ties to Israel, defying the student referendum passed yesterday. [The Hoya]
- World Pride exits Kennedy Center [The Post]
Solidarity.
-Abigail
