How to actually make D.C. parks great
Plus, how DCPS's cell phone ban is going, mapping the city's hottest spots, and more.
Hey there,
Your favorite Thursday newsletter has arrived!
This week, 51st reporter Martin Austermuhle explains why it might not be so easy for the Trump administration to repair the dozens of poorly aging parks, neglected plots of land, and waterless fountains across the city.
A week into the school year, we check in with DCPS teachers, parents, and students about how the cell phone ban is going (spoiler alert: the kids aren't happy). And seven years after an initial survey, the Department of Energy and Environment traversed the city to map the city's current temperature disparities and plan for hotter summers.
Plus, we have an op-ed that argues for the benefits of second-look laws — which allow judges to review sentences after an incarcerated person has served years of their time — and we meet soccer fans who have brought Trump protests to the pitch.
Keep scrolling for weekend events, ways to get civically engaged, and some news you might have missed this week.
Enjoy,
Christina
Trump wants to make D.C. parks great again. That might be harder than he thinks
Improving D.C.’s parks may require far more than the $2 billion the president has proposed — and it would also mean the federal government admitting that D.C., which only manages about 10% of its own parkland, might be better suited for the job.
D.C. public schools begin a year without cell phones
Teachers say the ban spares them from policing devices and fighting for attention, while students say they’ve lost access to learning tools and a way to document problematic incidents on campus.
Which D.C. blocks bake the hottest? City officials are creating a new map to find out
Back in 2018, temperatures varied by as much as 17 degrees across the city. City planners say the new data will help them plan for hotter, wetter summers.
Opinion: Jeanine Pirro is wrong about D.C.'s 'second-look' laws
While the U.S. attorney argues they endanger D.C. residents, Rob Barton, co-director of More Than Our Crimes, writes that they actually offer hope and promote rehabilitation for incarcerated people.
Washington Spirit games provide a field for Trump resistance
Since the surge of law enforcement began, Washington Spirit fans have led pro-D.C. chants and raised protest signs as politics and sports merge at Audi Field.
12 things to do around D.C. this weekend
March against the Trump takeover, learn contemporary African dances, and check out the National Book Festival.
Occupation Safety: Your weekly Civics Roundup
Learn how to protect yourself, join a town hall about local boycotts, and more ways to get involved.
Here's some news you may have missed this week:
- Amid Trump's crackdown on crime, D.C. Superior Court is stretched to its limits. [Post]
- A temporary gallery for the National Museum of the American Latino quietly closed ahead of schedule, right before Hispanic Heritage Month. [Washingtonian]
- A D.C. native photographer is documenting the city's signature dance moves as longtime residents are being displaced. [Huck Mag]
- With shrinking revenues, many small local theaters are forced to cut back-of-house production crews. [WCP]
- How District residents will be impacted by new cuts to SNAP and limited food options under the program. [WAMU]
- The Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum won a $310,000 grant to document and preserve D.C.'s Black artistic history. [East City Art]
- Longtime downtown brunch spot Georgia Brown’s is among the latest restaurants to close in D.C. [Eater DC]
That's all for now. Stay safe out there.
Christina
