Washington, D.C
DC Councilman undermines CFO and Bowser with budget preview that reverses their cuts – Washington Examiner
Washington D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) announced that he will undo Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s (D) most contentious budget cuts.
The city’s budget has become a major area of contention, following Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee’s demand to divert funds to the city’s emergency fund, forcing Bowser to undertake budget cuts unpopular with progressives. Mendelson explicitly rejected the budget cuts, setting up a political fight between the three.
“The budget I will present will restore most if not all of the Pay Equity Fund, and do so by rejecting the Chief Financial Officer’s insistence that $217 million needs to be added to the District’s already-robust reserve funds,” he wrote. “The CFO exceeded his authority when he told the Mayor and me that the reserves need to be topped-off now — because the law provides otherwise.”
In the Friday newsletter, Mendelson threw all the blame onto Lee while offering support for Bowser.
“This was a policy choice he forced on the Mayor,” he said, “and I’ve made clear to him that I will not comply.”
Bowser protested Lee’s request, but insisted her hands were tied. In her final outline, which balanced the budget, Bowser proposed $500 million in budget cuts to city programs, including the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund, which cost the city $70 million annually.
The program was set up using COVID-19 emergency funds, leaving the city unable to pay for it following the cessation of payments. Progressives and teacher advocates demanded Bowser keep the program, but the mayor was opposed to raising taxes.
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The preferred method of activists in Washington would be to raise the capital gains tax, which would mostly hit upper-income earners. The far-left Fair Budget Coalition urged Bowser to raise capital income taxes up to 14%. The letter from the group said the purpose was to distribute wealth from mostly white people to black people and other minority groups.
“DC should tax wealth more to reduce DC’s racial wealth gap,” the letter said. “The supermajority of wealth in DC and the nation is held in the hands of the few, with Black residents holding very little wealth compared to white residents. The concentration of white wealth stems from centuries of racist policies and practices that have stripped Black people of wealth they produced while allowing white people to amass extreme wealth and grow it across generations.”
Washington, D.C
A brilliant afternoon in D.C. on Saturday was bookended by clouds
Friday’s clouds lingered late, and may have hidden the Northern Lights from the D.C. area, but Saturday afternoon was bright and airplane wingtips sparkled in the sunshine during an aircraft flyby.
Mid-May weather in Washington possesses such potential for pleasure that even Saturday’s cooler-than-average temperatures seemed warm and welcoming, especially given the strength of mid-May sunshine.
Washington, D.C
Northern lights forecast for DC, MD, VA: Will we see the aurora again Saturday?
WASHINGTON – The northern lights are visible to millions in the U.S. this weekend – including some near the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia regions.
Several individuals across the region said they witnessed purple and green skies early Saturday morning.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a rare Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch beginning Friday and lasting all weekend. It was later upgraded to an Extreme (G5) Geomagnetic Storm as it reached Earth. The watch was the first of its kind issued in nearly 20 years.
The effects of the storm were expected to possibly disrupt power stations, electrical lines, state spacecraft operations and various areas of communication. It poses a risk for high-voltage transmission lines for power grids. So far, according to the Associated Press, there have been no immediate reports of disruptions to power and communications.
Could we see the aurora again Saturday?:
FOX 5’s Gwen Tolbart says as far as seeing the lights in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia areas, we are expecting clouds, rain and possibly a rumble of thunder early this evening.
After the clouds and rain clear out, we could have a chance of seeing something, but it would more than likely be early Sunday morning, but all depending on how much clearing we actually get. It seems more likely towards the Pennsylvania and Maryland border, according to NOAA’s forecast for tonight and tomorrow.
The D.C., Maryland and Virginia Metro areas now have 73% – 67% cloud coverage forecast from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., more than 60% from 3 a.m. – 4 a.m., and an average of 56% to 57% from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. All of these periods also have the chance of some showers.
NOAA suggests if the skies are clear, use the camera on your cell phone, as the newer cameras are more sensitive and able to capture more than the naked eye.
Northern lights forecast:
According to NOAA, a large sunspot cluster has produced several moderate to strong solar flares since Wednesday. NOAA says the extreme geomagnetic storm continues and will remain in effect through at least Sunday.
There is currently a threat of additional strong flares and CMEs will remain until the large and magnetically complex sunspot cluster rotates out of view, according to NOAA.
FOX 5’s Tucker Barnes says their forecast, in addition to the likelihood of rain and clouds in the area through the weekend, will lower the chances of seeing the northern lights in our region.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Washington, D.C
Auroras make surprise pre-dawn display in D.C. area after lighting up mountains
Because of pesky clouds, the D.C. area initially missed out on a rare and magical opportunity to the see the northern lights Friday night. But during the pre-dawn hours Saturday, between about 4 and 6 a.m., the skies opened up just enough for an exceptionally rare view.
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