The weather was pleasant this weekend. Unfortunately, the news was not.
Empty Casa
Casa Ruby, the D.C. nonprofit that has provided housing and services to LGBTQ youth for a decade, has suspended all of its programming, according to a report in the Washington Post. Those living in Casa Ruby’s transitional housing were forced to find new places to live and remaining staff members report they haven’t been paid for six weeks. The organization’s last board member resigned months ago, and founder Ruby Corado, who resigned last year, allegedly maintains control of the organization’s bank accounts.
While the District’s Department of Human Services funded Casa Ruby with hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants over the years, it declined to renew an $839,460 grant for a low-barrier shelter last September. Corado raised more than $130,000 via a GoFundMe campaign in the aftermath of that announcement, but it’s unclear where those funds went. Corado, who said she was attempting to set up a Casa Ruby site in her native El Salvador earlier this year, has not commented on the closure.
Cyclist Killed in Shaw
Michael Gordon, a cyclist, died after colliding with a dump truck on 7th Street NW in Shaw early Friday morning. The truck was turning right at a green light, and the cyclist was crossing the street to proceed north but hit the passenger side of the truck and became trapped underneath it. MPD is seeking information related to the incident, the 20th traffic fatality to occur in D.C. this year.
Fatal Police Shooting in Southwest
A man drew a gun and pointed it at a crowd gathered at The Wharf on Saturday night, prompting an off-duty MPD commander, Jason Bagshaw, to draw his weapon and fatally shoot the man when he did not drop his weapon. Sources tell the Post they’re investigating whether an armed robbery was interrupted in progress.
—Caroline Jones (tips? cjones@washingtoncitypaper.com)
- To see today’s COVID-19 data, visit our coronavirus tracker.
- The rent is still too damn high, and after pandemic-related measures aimed at keeping housing costs steady, landlords are jacking up their prices. [DCist]
- D.C. is averaging eight new monkeypox cases per day and ranks among the highest number of infections in the U.S. Mayor Muriel Bowser is encouraging residents most at risk (men who have sex with men, transgender women, and sex workers) to preregister for vaccinations. [WUSA]
- Rehabilitation on the northern section of the George Washington Memorial Parkway starts today. [NBC Washington]
- Although many businesses shut their doors due to the pandemic, many more new businesses opened. Business license applications in the D.C. area jumped from 176,000 in 2019 to 262,000 in 2021. [Post]
By City Paper staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)
Mary Cheh is Trying One Last Time to Ban Solitary Confinement in D.C.
Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh is hoping to achieve an elusive legislative goal just before […]
- Bills to expand abortion access in D.C. from Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau and At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson faced serious questions in a hearing, with one hospital administrator fearing a surge of out-of-state patients could create “a strain on our reproductive health delivery infrastructure.” [WTOP]
- Jack Evans’ Instagram remains the go-to destination for political gossip, as a picture he posted dining with At-Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman and Auditor Kathy Patterson had some progressives howling. [Twitter]
By Alex Koma (tips? akoma@washingtoncitypaper.com)
The Collective: A Black-Owned Brewery and Beer Companies Are Changing the Region’s Beer Landscape
They call themselves “the collective” and in the informal group are many firsts. Montgomery County’s […]
- Soulfull Cafe, a nonprofit restaurant in Rockville, relaunched with a new menu after opening in 2020. [DCist]
- Amy Brandwein, the chef from Centrolina, turns McDonald’s fries, McNuggets, and apple pie into a gourmet dish. [WTOP]
- Black restaurant week in D.C. starts today! [WUSA, Black Restaurant Week]
By City Paper staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)
Tripping Through the Multiverse With Chemical Exile: Synthesis
Rorschach Theatre Company’s science fiction opus, Chemical Exile, is part live show and part solo […]
Find Talented Actors, Beautiful Singing, and Confounding Complexity in Olney’s The Music Man
The creative team gives Olney Theatre’s production of The Music Man new life with Deaf […]
- Want to be part of Northeast’s Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Library’s heritage wall? Bring family photos and/or fabric swatches to artist Michelle L. Herman on Saturday (all will be returned). [Twitter, Instagram]
- “Desecrate the Reading Room’s character and function”—D.C. Preservation League condemns proposed changes to the Library of Congress and has listed the LOC on its endangered list. [Post]
- Get ready go-go fans! Junkyard Band is preparing to drop not one but two singles this summer. [Washington Informer]
By Sarah Marloff (tips? smarloff@washingtoncitypaper.com)
- Juan Soto turned down a 15-year, $440 million offer from the Nationals, so the team is reportedly entertaining trade offers for the superstar outfielder. [ESPN, CBS Sports]
- With their first two picks in the 2022 MLB draft, the Nationals selected 18-year-old high schooler Elijah Green and 21-year-old Jake Bennett. [SB Nation]
By City Paper staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)
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