Washington, D.C

Opinion | D.C. Council members are facing recall for a reason

Published

9 months ago

February 27, 2024

Opinion | D.C. Council members are facing recall for a reason

I was surprised to read in the Feb. 22 Metro article “Recall bid hits 2nd D.C. official” that D.C. Council member Brianne K. Nadeau (D-Ward 1) is citing her record on homelessness as a reason to oppose the recall campaign against her. Hers is not a record any politician should be proud of: A walk through our once-shining city reveals far too many neighbors living in squalor.

Consider Washington Circle NW, where tents have been pitched on sidewalks since at least last summer. The specter is even sadder a few blocks west, walking into Georgetown, where an empty lot has been transformed in to a trash-strewn encampment. This is no way for people to live and die.

The sense of decline is palpable to those of us who remember D.C. before Ms. Nadeau and her ideological allies took over the D.C. Council. How can a nine-year incumbent be proud of such a record? Ms. Nadeau is either ineffective or her policies are to blame. Neither recommends her continuing in office.

Despite supporting “Secure D.C.,” D.C. Council member Brianne K. Nadeau (D-Ward 1) said, puzzlingly, that public safety is her “top priority.” In her most recent campaign, when presented with evidence to the contrary, Ms. Nadeau replied, “I definitely get offended when I hear someone say there’s a declining quality of life in Ward 1 because I just don’t believe that.” In June, on WAMU’s “The Politics Hour,” I asked Ms. Nadeau about the increase in criminal behavior. Her response to the increased numbers of murders and carjackings: “Does that mean I think it’s a crisis? Maybe.” Host Tom Sherwood replied: “Wait, wait, wait. Crime crisis is a maybe?”

Ms. Nadeau has supported legislation that ceded control of the roads to dangerous individuals driving unregistered vehicles, our personal property to thieves and carjackers, and our safety to those who would commit homicide. The rewrite of the Revised Criminal Code abolished existing guidelines and obliterated minimum sentences and would have allowed judges to reconsider the sentences of those currently incarcerated.

Despite possessing an abundance of resources, Ms. Nadeau and her colleagues have turned the nation’s capital into one of the few cities in America that has experienced a post-coronavirus pandemic high with criminal-friendly legislation and 10th chances. It’s time for Ms. Nadeau and others on the council to stop playing social theorist and actually enforce the existing laws.

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Washington, D.C

Marta’s Orlando Pride defeat Washington Spirit for their first NWSL title

Published

6 mins ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Marta’s Orlando Pride defeat Washington Spirit for their first NWSL title

What to know about the NWSL finals

05:49

Barbra Banda scored in the 37th minute to give the Orlando Pride their first National Women’s Soccer League championship with a 1-0 victory over the Washington Spirit on Saturday night.

Banda dribbled into the right side of the box and made a move past a defender before kicking the ball on the ground with her left foot and past the goalkeeper. She became the first player in the NWSL to score in each round of the playoffs.

The Pride’s Angelina was nearly called for a push before passing it to Banda, but the VAR determined that the play was fair.

Orlando Pride v Washington Spirit - NWSL 2024 Championship Game — Marta #10 (right) of the Orlando Pride celebrates with teammates after defeating the Washington Spirit 1-0 in the NWSL Championship game at CPKC Stadium on Nov. 23, 2024, in Kansas City, Missouri.

Kyle Rivas / Getty Images
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The Spirit (20-7-2) controlled the game and outshot the Pride 25-9, had two more shots on goal and held onto possession 58% of the time. Rosemonde Kouassi had Washington’s best chance in the 47 minute when she headed a ball from about 10 yards away.

Orlando’s win gave Brazilian star Marta her first NWSL title. The 38-year-old Marta, considered arguably the greatest female soccer player of all time, joined the Orlando Pride in 2017 but had never reached an NWSL championship game until this year.

“(It’s a) magic moment for me because I’ve been in this club for so long and (to) wait for this moment, you know, so it’s… I’m just enjoy every single moment,” she told CBS News Friday ahead of the game. “…This year become like the best year in my club life.”

Top-seed Orlando (21-6-2) went unbeaten in its first 23 matches, a league record. They beat the Kansas City Current in the semifinals before hoisting the trophy at CPKC Stadium, their home field.

Orlando is the first team since 2019 to win the Shield and the title in the same year.

Washington had won its last five playoff games when trailing at the half, but that streak was broken with this loss.

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Washington, D.C

New mural dedicated to DC’s ‘Mayor for Life’ honors career, contributions of Marion Barry – WTOP News

Published

8 hours ago

November 23, 2024

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New mural dedicated to DC’s ‘Mayor for Life’ honors career, contributions of Marion Barry – WTOP News

Ten years to the day after his death, D.C. leaders honored the life of the late Mayor Marion Barry with a new mural hanging in his namesake building.

The first panel of a new mural dedicated to Marion Barry, titled “Big Vision,” focuses on the late DC mayor’s early career as a civil rights activist.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)

WTOP/Luke Lukert

Community members gathered Saturday to watch Mayor Muriel Bowser and Barry’s widow, Cora Masters Barry, unveil the new mural.
(WTOP/Luke Lukert)

Ten years to the day after his death, D.C. leaders honored the life of the late Mayor Marion Barry with a new mural hanging in his namesake building.

Mayor Muriel Bowser joined the former D.C. First Lady at the Marion S. Barry, Jr. Building in Judiciary Square on Saturday to pull the curtain down, revealing the new mural dedicated to the “Mayor for Life.”

“My husband really loved Washington, DC and its residents. The mural captures some of the major contributions he made to the City, and some of the people who worked with him to help build the City and empower its residents,” said Cora Masters Barry, Barry’s widow, in a statement.

“I was thrilled that so many residents and visitors were able to join us on this inspirational, entertaining, educational, and historical day, as we honored a man, Marion Barry Jr., whose legacy and love of this city was so deep and strong.”

The mural is broken into three parts, each with a different title and focusing on a different aspect of Barry’s life.

The first panel, titled “Big Vision,” displays Barry’s early years as a civil rights activist and his transition into politics.

The center panel, “Big Impact,” then focuses on his time in office as a Councilmember and four term mayor.

These sections emphasize Barry’s support for Black-owned businesses, summer jobs for youth, programs for seniors and leadership opportunities for women.

The last section of the mural is titled ”Big Legacy.” It highlights the influence Barry still has on the city — showcasing advocacy against apartheid, support for the Million Man March, contributions to the development of the MCI Center, and his work with the DC Control Board.

The many pictures show Barry beside the likes of President Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr.

Another focus of this panel is Barry’s political comeback after a high-profile arrest and conviction on crack cocaine possession charges in 1990. Four years later, he returned to the Mayor’s office after a commanding primary run.

“He told me a lot of things, and he taught us a lot of things, but one of the biggest ones was if you get knocked down, you get back up,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser at the unveiling.

Nabeeh Bilal, an artist based in Ward 8, created the mural.

“You’ll notice that there is not a single solo image of Marion Barry, and that’s because, with his accomplishments and achievements, it was always about others,” Bilal said.

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Washington, D.C

Skull of St. Thomas Aquinas to Visit Washington, DC, On International Tour

Published

17 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Press Room

Skull of St. Thomas Aquinas to Visit Washington, DC, On International Tour

Friday’s event will begin with a solemn Mass celebrated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory, archbishop of Washington, followed by an opportunity to venerate the relics.

The major relics of St. Thomas Aquinas, “The Angelic Doctor,” are on tour and scheduled to make a stop in Washington, D.C., next weekend as part of the commemoration of the 700th anniversary of his canonization.

Members of the faithful will be able to venerate the relics, including his skull, on two separate occasions: first at St. Dominic’s Church on Friday, Nov. 29, and then again on Saturday, Nov. 30, at the Dominican House of Studies. The event is co-sponsored by the Thomistic Institute.

“In a time of renewed interest in the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas, the jubilees of his canonization (700 years in 2023), death (750 years in 2024), and birth (800 years in 2025) draw our attention to the masterwork of wisdom and sanctity which God wrought in him,” Dominican Father Gregory Pine, assistant director at the Thomistic Institute, said in a press release.

“The opportunity that we have to receive and venerate his relics makes this grace all the more proximate and precious to us,” Father Pine added.

Friday’s event will begin at 12:10 p.m. with a solemn Mass celebrated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory, archbishop of Washington, followed by an opportunity to venerate the relics of the revered theologian and philosopher from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. There will also be solemn vespers at 5:30 p.m. and night prayer at 6:45 p.m. with a Marian procession to follow.

On Saturday, the Dominican House of Studies will begin the day with solemn lauds and a votive Mass of St. Thomas Aquinas at 7:30 a.m., and veneration of the relics will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pine will also preach at 3 p.m. that day.

“‘Get wisdom, get understanding’ (Prv 4:5). One way is to study, another way is to pray for it, but an exceptional way is to pray for it in the presence of the skull of St. Thomas Aquinas,” Dominican Father James Brent, an assistant professor of philosophy at the Dominican House of Studies, also stated in the release.

The relic of St. Thomas Aquinas’ skull comes to the U.S. from the Dominicans in Toulouse, France, and is one of two skulls Church officials claim to have belonged to the 11th-century saint. The other is housed in the Italian city of Priverno. The Dominicans in France commissioned a new reliquary for the skull last year to celebrate the saint’s canonization anniversary.

After Aquinas’ death in 1274, his body was kept in Fossanova Abbey in Priverno until 1369, when his relics were moved to Toulouse, a city in southwestern France, where the Order of Preachers was established. Aquinas’ tomb rests in the Church of the Jacobins.

Researchers are currently weighing the possibility of conducting an in-depth forensic analysis of both skulls to determine their authenticity.

Where do the relics go next?

After two stops in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 29 and Nov. 30, Aquinas’ relics hit the road for their U.S. tour:

Charlottesville, Virginia: St. Thomas Aquinas on Dec. 2

Providence, Rhode Island: Providence College on Dec. 4

Cincinnati: St. Gertrude Priory on Dec. 6

Columbus, Ohio: St. Patrick Priory on Dec. 7–8

Louisville, Kentucky: St. Louis Bertrand on Dec. 10

Springfield, Kentucky: St. Rose Priory on Dec. 12

New York City: St. Vincent Ferrer on Dec. 14

Philadelphia: St. Patrick on Dec. 16

Baltimore: Sts. Philip and James on Dec. 18