We know D.C. Get our free newsletter to stay in the know.
The Damage Done
Mayor Barry returns.-2
District CFO Anthony Williams underestimates incompetence of city’s financial planners: “…one third to one quarter of the people need to find another line of work.” -3
Happy-hour crowd at Ha’ Penny Lion exceeds voter turnout at May 7 primaries. -2
Claiming hardship, Georgetown sophomore hoop star Allen Iverson bolts for the NBA and darts away in $130,000 Mercedes. -2
District government, which used to have money to burn, now can’t afford to burn bodies at the morgue. Vultures offer services as disposal consultants. -3
Citing failures of the city’s fire department, Firemen’s Insurance Co. hikes premiums 9 percent for District homes. -4
Sponsor of “Say No to Drugs” basketball league sentenced to 9-year prison term—for drug offenses. -2
D.C. Council Chairman Dave Clarke appeals property-tax assessment on Mount Pleasant rental home, joining thousands of other District residents who have seen assessments rise as housing values bottom out. -2
Control board, deployed to slash city’s expenses, proposes budget with larger deficit than mayor’s. -3
Famed Watergate chef/egomaniac Jean Louis Palladin bolts town but neglects to take Phyllis Richman with him. -1
Subtotal: -24
Shots in the Arm
Mayor Barry leaves town. +2
Fearing a two-hour lecture on proper nutrition, White House aides caution President Bill “Cheeseburger” Clinton against meeting with Mayor Barry. Prez huddles with plain old citizens instead. +4
Control board finally does something useful: It strips boxing-promoter-cum-sewage-treatment-expert Rock Newman of a contract to overhaul city’s Blue Plains water treatment plant. +5
Barry and Williams share the Hug Heard ’Round the District. +2
Director of Employment Services Joe Yeldell gets the boot and becomes first person fired by every mayor the District has ever had. Mentions running for office. +3
Barry admits he inhaled…cigarettes. +2
Riverboat gambling petition drive folds. +3
In a move sure to piss off commuters and delight
skateboarding punks, Park Service unveils plans to
permanently shut off Pennsylvania Avenue in front
of White House. +2
D.C. police to buy 225 new cruisers and hire
Read more News stories
200 officers. +4
Subtotal: +27
This isn't a paywall.
We don't have one. Readers like you keep our work free for everyone to read. If you think that it's important to have high quality local reporting we hope you'll support our work with a monthly contribution.