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THE NEWS:

D.C. reported zero additional deaths related to COVID-19 on Monday, as well as just 32 new positive cases. 

“It makes me feel very good,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser during today’s press conference, about reporting zero deaths. The city has lost 515 individuals to COVID-19, tragically, and 9,799 have tested positive. Looking back at the city’s presentation from early April, D.C. did not experience the peak in deaths and positive cases officials had expected in its worst-case scenario modeling.  

Bowser says we should expect an update about moving to Phase 2 midweek. The earliest the city could move to Phase 2 is Friday, June 19. DC Health says we have so far only achieved two of the six metrics needed to get to Phase 2: a positivity rate below 15 percent for seven days and a transmission rate below 1 for five days.     

“We have not seen a reversal in the declining trends,” said DC Health Director LaQuandra Nesbitt during the press conference, despite more people being out and about during Phase 1 and seeing a significant uptick in testing. D.C. testing more than doubled between June 8 and June 14 as compared to the previous week.  

Relatedly, the D.C. government added more firehouse testing sites on Monday after residents experienced long lines and wait times at existing sites. More than 2,300 people have been tested at firehouses over the past two weeks, some of whom have been protesters. City Paper’s Chelsea Cirruzzowaited an hour and half after visiting Engine 11 Firehouse on Sherman Avenue NW on Monday, as did this reporter when I visited Engine 10 Firehouse on Florida Avenue Northeast on Saturday. 

Here is the new firehouse testing site schedule, where no appointment is needed: 

  •  Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.: Engine 4 at 2531 Sherman Ave NW; Engine 11 at 3420 14th St NW; Engine 24 at 5101 Georgia Ave NW; and Engine 31 at 4930 Connecticut Ave NW 

  • Thursday and Friday, 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., and Saturday from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.: Engine 8 at 1520 C St SE; at Engine 10 1342 Florida Ave NE; Engine 30 at 50 49th St NE; and Engine 33 at 101 Atlantic St SE

Here are more testing locations. 

D.C. is now also offering free antibody testing. This type of testing does not tell you if you currently have COVID-19, but if you have previously been exposed. If antibody testing shows you have previously been exposed, Nesbitt says you should “not act differently”—meaning you should still wear a mask and follow other public health recommendations. The antibody testing site will be at Canal Park in Navy Yard, as well as a second location that has yet to be determined. These sites will be open the first week of July. If you would like to book an appointment, call (855)363-0333. —Amanda Michelle Gomez (tips? agomez@washingtoncitypaper.com)

CITY DESK LINKS, by Amanda Michelle Gomez (tips? agomez@washingtoncitypaper.com) 

  • Prosecutors pursue charges against less than 100 of the more than 400 arrested during protests. Attorney General Karl Racine says no one arrested is a member of Antifa. [Post]  

  • Police Chief Peter Newsham tells his officers Council “completely abandoned” them after members passed emergency reform. [Fox5]

  • Two teenagers were shot and killed over the weekend. [NBC4]

  • The Post union to management: Be better at combating racism and discrimination. [NYT] 

LOOSE LIPS LINKS, by Mitch Ryals (tips? mryals@washingtoncitypaper.com) 

  • Tomorrow is the last day to vote in the special election for Ward 2.

  • Mayor Muriel Bowser stands in the national spotlight. [Twitter] 

  • Protest party at Bowser’s house! [DCist]

  • Read Bowser’s op-ed in the Post: “The protests show why D.C. statehood matters.” [Post]

  • Lauren Wolfe filed a campaign finance complaint against Brooke Pinto around her alleged use of a campaign headquarters on Q Street NW. [Twitter, complaint]

  • Vincent Orange enters the at-large Council race. [Twitter, BOE, WCP]

  • Progressive group DC for Democracy endorses Ed Lazerefor an at-large Council seat. [Twitter]

  • Alex Padro throws his hat in the ring as well. [Twitter]

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

  • Virtual cocktail pop-up Back to Black spotlights D.C.’s black bartending talent. [WCP]

  • Anju partners with Annandale Korean bakery to bring speciality pastries to the District on Sundays. [WCP]

  • Why Colony Club is changing its name after five years in business. [WCP]

  • Black farmers and food producers say FRESHFARM repeatedly denies them spots at top markets. [Forbes]

  • People are lining up to try Southwest Soda Pop Shop after a viral tweet. [Washingtonian]

  • Vodka is no longer flavorless. [Post]

  • Not all Northern Virginia restaurants were ready to enter phase two on Friday. [DCist]

  • Can culinary schools survive COVID-19? [Eater]

ARTS LINKS, by Kayla Randall(tips? krandall@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • Arena Stage documents life during the pandemic with new film May 22, 2020. [DCist]

  • Local black bookstore owners talk about the power of reading, the fight to diversify publishing, and recommendations for books about racial identity and racism. [Kojo Nnamdi Show]

  • The Rectory on Princess Street in Alexandria is planning to host a socially distanced chamber music concert this weekend. [Washingtonian]

SPORTS LINKS, by Kelyn Soong (tips? ksoong@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • Mayor Muriel Bowser says the Washington football team’s nickname is “an obstacle” to getting a stadium in the city and that it’s “past time” for the franchise to change its name. [The Team 980]

  • The NWSL will become the first major American sports league to resume amid the coronavirus pandemic. It will be a moment of promise, but not without risks for all the teams involved, including the Washington Spirit, writes City Paper contributor Seth Vertelney. [WCP]

  • The MLB Players Association told the MLB on Saturday night that it is done negotiating. “It unfortunately appears that further dialogue with the league would be futile,” MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said in a statement. “It’s time to go back to work. Tell us when and where.” [USA Today]

CITY LIGHTS, by Emma Sarappo (Love this section? Get the full newsletter here. Tips? esarappo@washingtoncitypaper.com)

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