D.C. Bartenders Advocate for Legislation Compelling Insurers to Pay for Pandemic Losses

"This is the last line of defense for saving America’s bar and restaurant community."

Two D.C. bartenders are joining the battle to compel insurance companies to pay out business interruption claims to bars and restaurants desperate for a lifeline five months into the pandemic.Zac Hoffman of Cafe Fili and Megan Barnes of The Brighton signed on as the local volunteer leads of a national advocacy coalition founded in April […]

by Laura Hayes

The Same Property Management Companies and Building Owners Pressuring Tenants to Pay Rent Are Benefitting From Pandemic Relief Funding

As the pandemic drags on, tenants and housing advocates report hostile confrontations with property managers over unpaid rent.

The first time she remembers protesting in the region, about 10 years ago, Tara Maxwell was outside the Virginia home of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. His wife Virginia, the target of Maxwell’s ire that day, is a prominent right-wing lobbyist and current adviser to President Donald Trump’s administration. “If I can protest at Clarence […]

by Morgan Baskin

D.C. Hospitality Industry Professionals Cope With Losing Loved Ones to COVID-19

“No one should work to live. I feel like we all do that too much.”

At least 770,000 people around the world have lost their lives to COVID-19. Losing a loved one to the disease has been particularly difficult for local hospitality professionals who have already seen the pandemic decimate their industry. Whether they’re ensuring tables are 6 feet apart or reminding patrons to put on their masks, every move […]

by Laura Hayes

Losing College Football Is a Consequence of the Nation’s Failure to Contain the Pandemic

At the University of Maryland, players have been split on the decision to cancel the fall season.

The day after Greg DesRoches informed his future in-laws of his intention to propose to their daughter, he received a call from his soon-to-be father-in-law with a simple directive about the wedding. “He said, ‘Get your calendar out. Here’s the date. This is when it’s gonna happen,’” DesRoches remembers. Being a University of Maryland alumnus […]

by Kelyn Soong

Despite COVID-19 Case Increases in Phase 2, Mayor Declines to Scale Back Any Activities

The health department says the data does not support calls to suspend indoor dining. So what does that data suggest D.C. do to reverse the trend?

“INCREASING TREND” reads a July 23 press release from the District’s health department. An accompanying line graph shows multiple red dots that represent peaks in new COVID-19 cases throughout the month of July. That press release was the first time the Bowser administration acknowledged that the number of cases in D.C. was climbing again, after […]

by Amanda Michelle Gomez

Are COVID-Related Closures Making College Haunts Fearful for Their Futures?

Heat Da Spot, Crepeaway, and Breadsoda are preparing for a fall without a rush of students returning to campus.

Heat Da Spot, located on Georgia Avenue NW a few blocks north of Howard University’s campus, is more than just a cozy cafe. Students often became surrogate family members to the staff, says Ben Solomon, who manages the Park View cafe. “You know everyone’s name,” he says. “One day comes, you don’t need to ask […]

by Chelsea Cirruzzo

Former Housing Authority Lawyer Files Whistleblower Lawsuit Over Allegedly Counterfeit Masks

Chelsea Andrews claims DCHA Executive Director Tyrone Garrett had her fired after she questioned the procurement and authenticity of KN95 masks.

Former D.C. Housing Authority general counsel Chelsea Andrews claims in a whistleblower lawsuit that DCHA Director Tyrone Garrett had her fired for questioning the procurement and authenticity of masks purchased to protect Housing Authority employees during the coronavirus pandemic. The lawsuit, filed in D.C. Superior Court on July 29, accuses Garrett of neglecting the health and […]

by Mitch Ryals

A Woman Avoiding ICE Officials in a Md. Church Experiences a Different Kind of Social Isolation

Rosa Gutierrez Lopez has spent 18 months avoiding ICE at a Maryland church. She hopes the COVID-19 quarantine will help people better understand her ordeal.

While much of the United States saw spikes in COVID-19 infections, infection rates in D.C. and its suburbs skewed downward in June. Judging from cell phone data, the key to the trend may have been social distancing. Maryland and D.C. residents spent much of their first month of summer indoors. As a result of the […]

by Will Lennon and Anahi Hurtado

Here Is What We Know About Contact Tracing Security And Your Privacy

And the questions civil liberties advocates still have.

In lieu of a vaccine, contact tracing is one of the few tools we have to contain the spread of COVID-19. A contact tracer interviews people diagnosed with COVID-19, finds out who they’ve been in close physical contact with for a sustained amount of time, then informs those individuals they’ve been exposed to COVID-19 and […]

by Amanda Michelle Gomez

How the Coronavirus Pandemic Is Playing Out Inside D.C.’s Troubled Child Welfare Agency

Knockoff masks. Sick employees. Scared children.

On the last day of March, a social worker brought two teenagers who had lost their caregiver to COVID-19 to the headquarters of D.C.’s Child and Family Services Agency on I Street SE in Capitol Riverfront. Employees there were already a little on edge. It was two weeks after the agency had transitioned to a […]

by Morgan Baskin

Loading…

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.