Washington, D.C

DC Council changes open meetings law – WTOP News

Published

1 year ago

April 2, 2025

DC Council changes open meetings law – WTOP News

The D.C. Council passed emergency legislation Tuesday that changes the city’s open meeting law to allow private meetings in certain situations. Critics of the measure are pouncing on the change, saying it would dramatically modify the way the city operates. But city officials insist it’s needed.

The D.C. Council passed emergency legislation Tuesday that changes the city’s open meetings law to allow private meetings in certain situations. Critics of the measure are pouncing on the change, saying it would dramatically modify the way the city operates. But city officials insist it’s needed.

Under this new law, council members will be allowed to have private meetings without the required two days of notice to the public, as long as the meeting is to discuss a possible terrorist threat, public health threats or to meet with the mayor. During those meetings, no votes or official actions can be taken.

Council Chairman Phil Mendelson argued that council members were not allowed to discuss items among themselves without the fear someone will claim they violated the current law.

“Sometimes we want to have a conversation, and they can’t be public, or we won’t have those conversations,” he said.

The council passed the emergency legislation 10-2. Once signed by Mayor Muriel Bowser, the law will be enacted for 90 days, during which the council will consider what changes it wants in a permanent bill. It will hold a public hearing April 22 to discuss the matter.

Mendelson said with the Trump administration in office, it is almost impossible for city officials to privately discuss strategy without running afoul of open meetings. He said the current law hinders getting anything done.

The bill gives the city more flexibility, Mendelson said, when it comes to dealing with federal issues and interference from Congress, especially after lawmakers passed a recent spending bill that cut $1 billion from the city’s budget.

But critics of the law are pushing back.

In a lengthy letter to the D.C. Council, the D.C. Open Government Coalition said the bill poses a substantial threat to government transparency and should not be enacted without more public input.

The coalition argued the council could resolve the issues “more efficiently through the modification of its rules without exacting such a toll on public access,” noting the bills have been in the works since at least last October.

“Regardless of what the DECLARATION says, there is no emergency — no ‘situation that adversely affects the health, safety, welfare, or economic well-being of the District, its residents, its businesses, or other persons or entities,’” Coalition Chairman Robert S. Becker said in the letter.

The legislation also gives an open meeting exemption to “consequential, large-scale business and economic development,” such as the recently completed, nearly $1 billion deal with Monumental Sports & Entertainment to remodel Capital One Arena.

Critics of the legislation say the timing is unusual, especially since the city, Washington Commanders and NFL could begin negotiations for a new stadium and they feel that information will be kept secret.

However, a city official told WTOP no member of the council has had any negotiations or discussions with the Commanders or the NFL about building a new stadium at the RFK Stadium campus and Mayor Muriel Bowser is the one taking part in those discussions.

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Related Topics:dan ronan DC Council Featured legislation phil mendelson washington dc

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Washington, D.C

APPLY NOW: The College Fix’s paid fall 2026 D.C. journalism fellowships | The College Fix

Published

4 hours ago

June 1, 2026

Press Room

APPLY NOW: The College Fix’s paid fall 2026 D.C. journalism fellowships | The College Fix

EDITORS’ CORNER |

ACADEMIA

A student journalist in Washington, D.C.; Grok image

During the fall of 2026, the Student Free Press Association, parent organization for The College Fix, will offer paid internships at Washington, D.C.-based media organizations.

Who is eligible?

The internships are open to college students and recent college graduates.

Where will I work?

SFPA will match its intern with an appropriate host organization. Previous fellows have worked at National Review, Real Clear Politics, Daily Wire, Daily Caller, Reason, Washington Examiner, Washington Free Beacon, The Dispatch, EWTN, and Just The News, among others.

(To learn more about their experiences, go here and here.)

How long will it last?

The internship will run for about 14 weeks, beginning in September. The specific start and end dates will be determined with the intern and media organization.

What will it pay?

SFPA will provide a stipend of $8,400.

Are there other benefits?

In addition to supplying the internship, the Student Free Press Association will offer customized career advice and networking opportunities.

When is the deadline?

Applications must be received by July 15, 2026.

How do I apply?

Email a brief resume, cover letter, and links to three writing samples to internships [at] thecollegefix.com, subject line: fall 2026 internship.

Any other questions?

Contact The College Fix editorial staff.

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Washington, D.C

Lake City’s ArtFields helps bring S.C. stories to national stage in Washington, D.C.

Published

14 hours ago

May 31, 2026

Press Room

Lake City’s ArtFields helps bring S.C. stories to national stage in Washington, D.C.

LAKE CITY, S.C. (WPDE) — A community art project with roots in Florence County is now on display on one of the nation’s biggest cultural stages.

ArtFields, the nationally recognized art festival based in Lake City, was selected as South Carolina’s official host for the National Scrollathon, a collaborative artmaking project that brings together people from across the country to share their stories through fabric scrolls.

The project is now being unveiled at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., giving Lake City and the Pee Dee region a place in a nationwide artistic celebration.

Created by brothers and artists Steven and William Ladd, Scrollathon invites participants to design personal fabric scrolls that reflect their experiences, hopes and dreams.

The individual pieces are then combined into a larger work of art that represents communities from across the United States.

Earlier this year, dozens of residents in Lake City participated in the project through an initiative called “Tied Together,” creating scrolls that shared their personal stories and connections to their community.

Carla Angus, an ArtFields consultant, said the project’s impact comes from bringing people together through creativity and storytelling.

READ MORE: Death investigation underway in Scotland County; drivers urged to avoid area

“Everyone who was invited receives these strips of material and fabric, and they select their colors, they select what they want to put together and they create a story behind their scroll,” Angus said. “That’s what’s so powerful about the project because it brings all these different people together with different backgrounds and different experiences.”

In addition to Lake City, Scrollathon events were held at other South Carolina cultural institutions, including the Gibbes Museum of Art and the International African American Museum.

Now, those local contributions are part of a much larger display.

More than 250,000 participants from all 50 states and U.S. territories contributed to the National Scrollathon.

The collection is being showcased at the Kennedy Center, where visitors can experience what organizers describe as a visual representation of the American story.

For Angus, seeing scrolls created in Lake City displayed alongside contributions from across the country is a proud moment.

READ MORE: Criminal Investigations Division takes over after deadly crash in Horry County

“When I look at those scrolls, I know those are thousands upon thousands of individuals that have shared their stories,” Angus said. “Now they have become one unified piece of artwork.”

Angus described the experience as surreal and said it demonstrates how art can connect people regardless of where they come from.

“It’s almost surreal because what we want to do is connect people through the arts,” Angus said. “To be a part of something that is so large, bringing so many states together, it shows how powerful art can be.”

The National Scrollathon will remain on display through Labor Day as part of the Kennedy Center’s yearlong celebration of America’s 250th anniversary and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

For Lake City and Florence County residents, the exhibit represents an opportunity to see their stories become part of a national conversation, one scroll at a time.

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Washington, D.C

How the Supreme Court is reshaping the US midterm elections

Published

1 day ago

May 31, 2026

Press Room

How the Supreme Court is reshaping the US midterm elections

The U.S. Supreme Court this year already has given a boost to President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans in the nationwide battle over redrawing electoral maps. In the coming weeks, it could rule in favor of the Republicans in two more significant cases related to elections ahead of the November elections that will decide control of Congress.

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