What’s up with Elon, Trump, and RFK (the stadium)

Well, we made it: It's the tail end of the last real work week of the year, and our final newsletter of 2024. As such, I hope you'll indulge some quick nostalgia.

About nine months ago, a group of DCist alumni started plotting this venture together, gathering in Zoom rooms twice a week, creating hundreds of documents of scattered ideas, and building budgets, story plans and funding pitches in our spare hours. If I'm honest, it was many months before I thought something would come of all our work. "Oh well, this is fun no matter what happens," I thought as I drafted and re-drafted the editorial vision of a non-existent news outlet. "If we don't make it, I'll still be glad we tried," I thought, looking over budget spreadsheets containing money we did not have.

We were floored at the response when we launched our fundraising campaign over the summer – we raised more than $100,000 in a single day. Your support has been a boon, both emotional and material, and it has kept us going.

In this last newsletter of the year, I want to say a heartfelt thank you. Next year, I can't wait to see what we accomplish – both as a team of journalists working at this shared dream, and in partnership with you.

Happy holidays,

Natalie Delgadillo

It looked like D.C. was about to get RFK stadium. Then Elon Musk started tweeting

For about 24 hours, D.C. seemed on the precipice of securing something that city officials had been requesting for years: local control of a 190-acre site holding the husk of RFK Stadium, where a whole new waterfront neighborhood could be built (and where some people are dying to put a new stadium for the Commanders). Celebratory statements were made, local football fans imagined happier days ahead, and the possibilities seemed endless.

Then Elon Musk entered the picture.

D.C. Council passes pared-down juvenile justice bill

In its last legislative meeting of the year, the D.C. Council passed a weaker version of a bill meant to improve conditions for minors held in the city's juvenile justice facilities. The latest version reflects several concessions to the mayor, who opposed the original bill on grounds that it "impose[d] costly, burdensome, and unreasonable demands" on staff.

ICYMI: The D.C. Council recommended expelling Trayon White

On Monday, the council unanimously voted to support a recommendation that Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White be expelled over allegations that he took thousands of dollars in bribes from a government contractor. 

16 things to do around D.C. this weekend

Mark the full Solstice Moon with witchy drinks, holiday markets, and a visit to the planetarium this weekend.

Are you a federal worker thinking about your job differently under a Trump administration?

Worried about the promises to gut the federal workforce? Furious about back-to-office mandates? Fearful about the future of your work or career? Actually happy that perhaps some bureaucratic hoops may be eliminated?

We want to hear from you. Email hello@51st.news with your thoughts and we may reach out to you for a story.

Other news you may have missed this week:

• Two executive editor candidates at the Washington Post dropped out of contention for the job because of a reportedly uninspiring, "foggy" strategic vision for the paper's future. Yikes. [Axios]
• How a tax hike transformed D.C. childcare, and how Bowser may take that money away. [NPR, WCP]
• The 10 most exciting restaurant openings of the year. [Washingtonian]
• D.C. residents are inhaling a surprising amount of pollution, even in neighborhoods that aren't near a highway. [GGwash]
• New census data shows that D.C. has surpassed 700,000 residents for the first time in five years. [EOM]
• The radical sincerity of Tony P. [Slate]
• Metro station closures for holiday track work begin on Dec. 20. [NBC Washington]
• It's 2016 all over again. [NY Post]
• D.C. denizens truly love riding bikes these days. [GGWash]
• Review: Step Afrika!'s holiday step show "unifies audiences in the name of supporting Black art." [Informer]
• More on the flurry of bills the D.C. Council passed at the end of its legislative session. [Post]

Washrag

A place to highlight and discuss local gossip.

Spotted: Paris Hilton zooming through Capitol Hill on her motorized luggage. Hilton was here to speak in support of a federal bill meant to stop abuse in youth treatment centers – she's been open about her own harrowing experience of abuse at a treatment center for troubled teens.

Your Civics Download

You’ll find this handy guide to public meetings at the bottom of every edition of The 51st. We’ll refine and improve along the way, so if you think we’re missing resources, please let us know!

Surprise, surprise: There aren't a ton of public meetings on the docket this time of year. Take a break and check back in next year.

That's all folks. Keep an eye in your inbox tomorrow for some excellent reporting from my 51st colleagues – and, most of all, enjoy your holidays. Thanks for sticking with us on this adventure.

– Natalie Delgadillo