A morning roundup of news, opinion, and links from City Paper and around the District. Send tips and ideas to citydesk@washingtoncitypaper.com.

“I have heard them and I have been moved by their passion.”

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser tweeted Tuesday afternoon that she has signed and pledged to fund the Fair Elections Act, a program that would create publicly-financed campaigns for those running for elected office in D.C. Bowser initially balked at its price tag—which could run between $3 million and $18 million per election cycle, depending on how many candidates run for citywide office annually—and pledged to not earmark money for the program in her fiscal year 2019 budget.

But as residents and activists have turned up in droves to support the Council’s bill, Bowser appears to have read the tea leaves: “Residents have shown up to share their belief that the#FairElectionsDC Act would strengthen our democracy,” she wrote Tuesday. “I have heard them and I have been moved by their passion.” Accompanying the text, Bowser included a photo of a signed copy of the bill.

LEADING THE MORNING NEWS:

  • Councilmember David Grosso says he still won’t schedule a hearing on school scandal. [WCP]

  • Councilmember Robert White is leading the charge instead. [WCP]

  • A U.S. District Court in Maryland rules that D.C.’s emoluments lawsuit against President Donald Trumpcan continue. [Twitter]

  • The Metrorail Safety Commission held its inaugural hearing Tuesday—about a decade after officials first suggested its creation. [WTOP]

  • The University of the District of Columbia is looking to “raise its profile.” [Kojo Nnamdi]

  • D.C. Public Schools will absorb an all-girls charter school in Southeast. [Post]

LOOSE LIPS LINKS, by Andrew Giambrone (tips? agiambrone@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • Grosso’s education committee advances legislation to curtail school disciplinary action. [Post]

  • Redevelopment of Northwest’s Sursum Corda community is a long time coming. [WBJ]

  • D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham says illegal firearms are to blame for killings. [FOX5]

  • Op-ed: D.C. voters “would be wise to re-elect Karl Racine” as attorney general. [Blade]

ARTS LINKS, by Matt Cohen (tips? mcohen@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • At the National Gallery of Art, security guards allege a hostile work environment. [Post]

  • How musician Amy K. Bormet set out to change the conversation of women in the jazz music scene with the Washington Women in Jazz Festival. [DC Music Download]

  • U Street Music Hall is celebrating eight years with a damn good week-long lineup of shows, featuring Oddisee, Nadastrom, and more. [Washingtonian]

  • Washington football team player AJ Francis, better known asFran¢, has a second career as a dope MC. [WCP]

YOUNG & HUNGRY LINKS, by Laura Hayes (tips? lhayes@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • The Little Red Fox team will try their hand at ice cream, and other changes. [WCP]

  • Also in Brookland, a Benjamin Franklin-themed cocktail bar in a food incubator. [WCP]

  • The team behind Takoda opens Cortez in Shaw this Friday. [Washingtonian]

  • What did José Andrés have to say at SXSW? [Post]

  • Where to dine when you’re craving Filipino in D.C. [Eater]

  • Two Puerto Rican chefs who came to the rescue are up for a major food award. [NPR]

HOUSING COMPLEX LINKS, by Morgan Baskin (tips? mbaskin@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • A mixed-use building with luxury units will open on H Street NE this year. [Curbed]

  • LISC-DC and Capital Impact Partners will oversee a $10 million “affordable housing preservation fund,” as recommended last year by an 18-member panel of housing stakeholders. [WCP]

  • The D.C. Council will host a hearing at 10:00 a.m. on the closure of DC General, the city’s largest and most beleaguered homeless shelter. [DC Council]

  • Ivy City is still… odd. [PoPville]

HAPPENING TODAY:

  • Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent Gray will host a “State of the Ward” address tonight at 7:00 p.m. 301 49th St. NE.

  • ANC 4C meets at 6:30 p.m. 4200 Kansas Ave. NW.

  • ANC 6C meets tonight at 7:00 p.m. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE.

  • ANC 1A also meets at 7:00 p.m.3103 13th St. NW.

  • ANC 2B meets tonight at 7:00 p.m.1740 Massachusetts Ave. NW

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