The weeks are not necessarily getting better, but they are getting brighter. Take a moment to feel some sunshine on your face today.
As for us at The 51st, we're hoping this newsletter adds something joyful or useful, however small, to your day. This week we've got a breakdown of new U.S. Attorney for D.C. Ed Martin's first public meeting with local residents. It was not easy for the Trump appointee ... you could say attendees didn't take kindly to his mentions of USAID in a forum ostensibly about D.C. public safety.
Ed Martin, the Interim U.S. Attorney for D.C., spoke to the Anacostia Coordinating Council in his first public event since becoming this city's top prosecutor. (Martin Austermuhle)
They seemed cautiously open to Ed Martin's pledge to tamp down on gun crime, but less enthused by his takes on USAID.
We've rounded up some of our favorite ways to spend time by ourselves in D.C. We know ... a brave suggestion amid the American Loneliness Crisis! But sometimes you end up alone, by choice or by circumstance. Here's how to make it fun.
Welcome to our revamped Civics Roundup! We worried this was getting lost at the bottom of our Thursday newsletter, so we're giving it a new home that we hope will make it easier to share and use. Each week, we list some ways to get engaged in the city – whether that’s protesting, organizing with your neighbors, or testifying before your councilmembers.
This week in: “That’s fun!” As a part of the promo-circuit for her upcoming album release, indie star Lucy Dacus had a photoshoot in Ben’s Chili Bowl for a Them Magazine profile. Turns out, Dacus, a Richmond native, frequented Ben’s when she was in D.C. playing some of her first shows. (She likes the milkshakes.) And another fun fact that matters to a very specific group of people: she and her bandmate/best friend/current girlfriend Julien Baker met at DC9.
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And this week in: “That’s brain-meltingly dumb even for you!” Beetlejuice vaper Rep. Lauren Boebert wants to rename the District of Columbia to District of America, because she thinks the “C” in D.C. stands for Colombia the country, not Columbia like … Christopher Columbus.
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Here's more news you may have missed this week:
Federal agents attempted to arrest a healthcare worker at H.D. Cooke elementary School in Adams Morgan. [WJLA]
The Kennedy Center laid off seven employees working on its "social impact" initiative, which provided outreach to underserved communities. [NPR]
Senators pressed the FAA head on Thursday about missed warning signs before the deadly crash at DCA earlier this year. [The Post]
D.C. ended its contract with the Human Rescue Alliance at the start of 2025, which meant it had to scramble to find homes for around 100 dogs in its care at the end of last year. [WCP]
With your help, we pursue stories that hold leaders to account, demystify opaque city and civic processes, and celebrate the idiosyncrasies that make us proud to call D.C. home. Put simply, our mission is to make it easier — and more fun — to live in the District. Our members help keep local news free and independent for all:
Hannah Parker
