Here are some news you may have missed this week:
Rep. George Santos continues to be… I don’t know, entertaining? NY1
By the way, photographer and friend of the blog Phil Yabut captured George Santos in what’s got to be the first instance of someone looking terrible during golden hour light. Twitter/X
H Street has always felt a little untamed: Where other parts of the city were fully scrubbed off the character that made them unique, H Street was able to maintain a certain flavor. But high-profile crimes that have taken place along the corridor have controlled the narrative of what’s going on along the street. This, combined with an overall trend of high crime across the District in general and the human instinct to simplify things that are complex gives us this piece from The Washington Post, tolling for the demise of H Street. Let me tell you– articles like this one do not help H Street, no matter how many poignant quotes they feature.
But, is H Street dead? This opinion piece by the owner of Hill Prince wants to set the record straight. WaPo. And a Tweet shared by Tony Tomelden of the pug would indicate otherwise. By the way, have you tried the magical Hiraya on H? Twitter/X
And hey, look Trinidad! Looks like you may get a new building soon. Urban Turf
Let’s set aside the talks about H Street’s demise and talk about real deaths, like those caused by drivers speeding through streets. Earlier this month, the community of Riverdale held a vigil for two children who were killed on their way to school (WTOP). Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen is introducing two bills to transform urban space into play space: One of the bills would identify three potential corridors too close to vehicular traffic. The other bill would make it easier for families to close down their street for play. Charles Allen Ward 6, WTOP
But what do successful urban play spaces look like? Dan Malouff of Greater Greater Washington addresses this often-overlooked topic.
It’s also important to focus on infrastructure projects that sustain pedestrian traffic and shorter trips, such as the DC Streetcar. Friend of the blog Michael Havlin, along with ANC commissioner Wendell Felder, wrote a piece for GGW explaining why funding for the Streetcar eastward expansion makes sense and is, actually, crucial.
The election cycle has already started in Ward 7 and the Washington Informer has a rundown of candidates vying for Vince Gray’s seat. Out of these names, we are most familiar with Eboni-Rose Thompson, who has been an engaging and responsive SBOE representative for Ward 7.
See you in two years, Southeast Library! We will miss you and look forward to seeing how you’ll improve! DCist