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D.C. residents could be forgiven for believing that Mayor Muriel Bowser cares about the planet, given her stated support for environmental legislation and her frequent attendance at climate change conferences. But her actions these past few years have been anything but green.
Herroner might say all the right things, but basically anytime Bowser’s administration is directed to do something to reduce emissions in the city, suddenly going green is too expensive or complicated. Her latest complaint is that an environmental law that she herself signed three years ago is making it impossible to repair older heating systems in government buildings.
Bowser’s Department of General Services asked the Council to change the law to address the issue, which the councilmembers reluctantly (but unanimously) passed Tuesday. Strangely enough, lawmakers don’t actually believe the legislation is necessary. The original law banned the installation of new gas appliances in District buildings, but DGS is interpreting the code to prohibit the repair of failing boiler systems. Lawmakers say that reading of the law is flat-out wrong, and have demanded to see the agency’s legal reasoning, which it did not deliver before the Council’s legislative meeting.
Nevertheless, the fear was that DGS, which is responsible for maintaining city offices and schools, would have blamed the Council when students started shivering in frigid classrooms. DGS is notoriously bad at keeping school heating and cooling systems working, so the agency might have been eager to find a scapegoat. So lawmakers held their noses and voted for the bill, in yet another truly bizarre bit of Wilson Building legislating.
“If kids sit in cold classrooms if we didn’t pass this, it would be the choice of them letting that happen,” Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George, whose facilities committee oversees DGS, said at the Council’s breakfast meeting Tuesday. “But I fear the nuance of the law is not something that the public will necessarily understand.”
For more on this strange debate, and what could be motivating Bowser’s moves, check out our full story online.
—Alex Koma (tips? akoma@washingtoncitypaper.com)
Georgetown professor and former co-chair of D.C.’s Police Reform Commission Christy Lopez makes the case for eliminating crime suppression teams in police departments. Drawing from a recent Justice Department report on the Memphis Police Department as well as reports on specialized units elsewhere in the U.S., Lopez argues that “suppression policing … [creates] a police culture in which abuse thrives and accountability withers.” [Lawfare]
The DC Preservation League is honoring the city’s Black architects, who designed many prominent buildings that are still standing. There are about 600 buildings designed by at least 10 Black architects in D.C., including St. Luke’s Episcopal Church (designed by Calvin T.S. Brent), the Twelfth Street YMCA (William Sidney Pittman), and the Belgian ambassador’s residence (Julian Abele). [Washingtonian]
By City Paper staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)
President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is considering a major raid targeting undocumented immigrants at a workplace somewhere in the D.C. area to kick off his new term. They’re eyeing businesses in the agriculture, construction, hospitality, and health care industries as potential targets. [NBC News]
Residents of the Parkway House apartment complex in Ward 8 say they’re dealing with broken windows and a lack of heat and hot water during these freezing cold days of winter. They’ve complained to D.C. officials and their landlord, without much luck. The building’s owner blames a lack of funding due to tenants not paying rent, a frequent complaint among landlords that inspired recent eviction reforms. [WUSA9]
A right-wing group dubbed Parents Defending Education has filed a federal civil rights complaint against D.C. Public Schools, claiming that an “Empowerment Club” at a D.C. elementary school targeted at Black girl and nonbinary students “created an academic community in which students are purposely separated because of their race at a very young age.” [WJLA]
By Alex Koma (tips? akoma@washingtoncitypaper.com)
This year’s Mindful Drinking Fest, D.C.’s drinking festival without alcohol, features several well-known speakers and performers: rapper Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Jen Carroll and Spike Mendelsohn from Top Chef, and Lauren “LP” Paylor O’Brien, the local bartender who appeared on Netflix’s Drink Masters. The festival takes place at Union Market from Jan. 10 to 12. [Washingtonian]
Some of the most anticipated restaurant openings of 2025 include Alara, with seasonal menus focusing on food from Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, and Israel; Elmina, a West African restaurant from Eric Adjepong; and Tapori, a new South Indian restaurant and cocktail bar taking over the former Fancy Radish space on H Street NE. [Eater]
By City Paper staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)
Leather, Glitter, and Been Stellar: City Lights for Jan. 9–15
Where to go, who to see, and what to do this week.
Annapolis-based singer-songwriter Daphne Eckman has been on our radar for some time. She appeared in City Lights in July and her October show at Pearl Street Warehouse landed in our Fall Arts Guide’s 40 Shows to See. Now, Eckman is opening for Mystery Friends at the Atlantis on Saturday. She talked to the Washington Post about her songwriting journey. [Post]
It’s a new year, but locals in reality romance shows persist. Savannah Quinn, a 27-year-old wedding planner from Charlottesville, will fight for the heart of Grant Ellis in the 29th (!) season of The Bachelor, which premieres on ABC on Jan. 27. [Washingtonian]
By Sarah Marloff (tips? smarloff@washingtoncitypaper.com)
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