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While pregnancy rates among D.C. teens between the ages of 15 and 19 are down, when compared to national statistics, the District's numbers remain a standout.
To that end, Councilmember Michael A. Brown and colleagues will join with the DC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy for a press conference at noon on Tuesday (Oct. 11) to shed light on the challenges D.C continues to face with teen pregnancy and its impact on the economic well being on both residents and the city.
According to a statement from his office, Brown -- who believes every young person deserves a chance at success -- will discuss his commitment to encourage teens to act responsibly, live healthy and make informed choices.
Facts overwhelmingly show that the burden of teen pregnancies fall on taxpayers. More than 50 percent of people who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) started their families when they were teens. Also, 76 percent of children placed in foster care were born to teen parents, and sons of teen mothers are three times more likely to enter the criminal justice system.
A contingent of unemployed D.C. residents and others will meet at 3 p.m., Tues., Oct. 11 at the Hart Senate Office Building to share their stories as President Barack Obama's Jobs Act goes before the Senate.
Meanwhile, thousands of people across the country have been jobless for more than a year -- and many like D.C. resident Andre Henson -- no longer able to make ends meet, await space at homeless shelters.
The unemployment rate in the District jumped to a nearly a record high of 11.1 percent in August from 10.8 percent the previous month, according to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Although national unemployment is stabilizing, the District's jobless rate continues to soar, approaching the record of 11.6 percent reached in February 1983.
The AAA Mid-Atlantic auto club is seeking a District of Columbia Council hearing into reports that drivers are being arrested for having expired tags.
The request for a hearing was made Monday to Council member Phil Mendelson, who chairs the judiciary and public safety committee. Mendelson's chief of staff, Denise Tolliver, said Tuesday that the request had been received but that there was no decision yet on whether to hold a hearing.
D.C. law allows police to arrest drivers whose tags have been expired for more than 30 days. John Townsend, manager of public and government affairs, said in his letter to Mendelson that the police department's policy was giving D.C. a "black eye."
MTTG Joint Venture presented the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation a $1 million gift to support the national memorial honoring the life and legacy of Dr. King. From left to right: Christian E. Jahrling, vice president and general manager, Turner Construction Company; Henry Gilford, president and CEO, Gilford Corporation; Ed Jackson, Jr., executive architect, Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Foundation; Harry E. Johnson, Sr., president and CEO, Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Foundation; Deryl McKissack, president and CEO, McKissack & McKissack; Hilton Smith, senior vice president, Turner Construction; Richard W. Marshall, chief financial officer, Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Foundation.WASHINGTON, DC - Turner Construction Company (TCC), the lead contractor for the team responsible for designing and building the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial, will pay tribute to Hilton O. Smith, TCC's senior vice president for community affairs, during the Memorial's dedication service on Sunday, Oct. 16. President Barack Obama will speak at historic ceremony where Smith will receive recognition from TCC as a Lifetime Pioneer.
MTTG Joint Venture (comprised of TCC, McKissack & McKissack, Tompkins Builders and Gilford Corporation) was selected as the architect and builder for the Memorial, which is located on the National Mall.
The D.C. Full Democracy Freedom Rally and March, organized to call attention to the District's pursuit for self-determination, takes place at 9:30 a.m. on Sat., Oct. 15 at Freedom Plaza, and Mayor Vincent urges District residents to participate.
Mayor Vincent Gray urges District residents to participate in Saturday's rally for D.C. Statehood./Courtesy Photo
Gray and organizers of the rally and march are also calling on President Barack Obama and Congress to support the disenfranchised citizens of the District of Columbia and to end taxation without representation.
"It is very fitting that we hold this important rally and march on this date," said Mayor Gray. "What we are fighting for today -- democracy and equality -- are the same principles that Dr. King spent his life fighting for more than 50 years ago. In fact, Dr. King himself called for Congress to bring full democracy to the residents of the District of Columbia. This rally and march will continue his fight for justice."
WASHINGTON, D. C. – A hit-and-run driver has claimed the life of another pedestrian in the Washington metro area. The area's most recent hit-and-run incident happened late Tuesday night (Oct. 11) near the intersections of Montgomery Rd. and Baltimore Ave. in Beltsville. The fatal crash emerges as the second hit-and-run crash in five days.
And, since January, there have been at least 20 hit-and-run crashes in the Greater Washington area, according AAA Mid-Atlantic, which has been actively tracking such incidents.
"In every state and jurisdiction it is the duty of each driver involved in an accident causing the bodily injury or the death of another person, personal injury or property damage, for that matter, to remain on the scene," said John B. Townsend, AAA Mid-Atlantic's manager of Public and Government Affairs. "This is the social contract and the sacred duty that we owe to others in case of an accident. Yet, we are seeing a disturbingly high number of drivers fleeing the scene after causing the death of another human being on area roads. That's cold-hearted, callous and unconscionable."
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INGTON, D.C. -- The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region and Walmart have announced $1.25 million in multi-year strategic workforce development grants to help reduce unemployment in D.C. among residents.
As a part of The Community Foundation's Walmart Washington@Work Initiative, Covenant House Washington has been awarded a two-year $250,000 grant.
Mayor Vincent Gray has expressed disappointment with the Senate's failure to pass the American Jobs Act that was proposed several weeks ago by President Barack Obama.
"People across the nation are suffering because Congress refuses to act," Mayor Gray said this week through his spokesperson, Linda Wharton Boyd. "Unemployment rates remain high in the District of Columbia, just like in others cities and towns," Gray continued. "When will Congress provide the tools mayors and governors need to get our economy moving again?"
According to Wharton Boyd's Oct. 11 statement, the mayor noted that, during a recent meeting of the U.S Conference of Mayors in the District, mayors met with leaders of both parties -- including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and key members of the so-called "Super Committee" charged with deficit reduction.
The mayors have asked Congress to invest in transportation, water, housing, and energy infrastructure; to cut taxes for small businesses; to spur hiring through targeted tax incentives; and to modernize our schools, prevent teacher layoffs and keep our first responders on the job, Wharton Boyd said.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Mayor Vincent Gray, accompanied by his entire education team of District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor, Kaya Henderson, Deputy Mayor for Education De'Shawn Wright and State Superintendent of Education Hosanna Mahaley, will participate in the Oct. 18 National D.C. College Fair.
The event, which involves a partnership between Mahaley's office (OSSE) and the National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC), takes place 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in downtown.
(See the video below...)
A key figure in Mayor Vincent Gray's campaign is fully cooperating with prosecutors -- although it remains unclear if a plea agreement was stuck in exchange.
Mayor Vincent Gray denies knowledge of misconduct aligned with his 2010 campaign./Courtesy Photo
With federal scrutiny of Gray's 2010 campaign having increased, reports state that consultant Howard Brooks wore a wire for prosecutors and recorded at least one conversation.
Corruption within the campaign came to light after ousted D.C. government employee, Sulaimon Brown, went to the press alleging the campaign gave him money in exchange for his public rants against then-Mayor Adrian Fenty. Brown also said that less than a month after acquiring the high-paying job he was promised, he was fired.
Meanwhile, Gray has continued to assert that if there were any irregularities in his campaign they occurred without his knowledge.
WASHINGTON — The D.C. Council recently passed legislation that prohibits police officers from arresting drivers for expired license plates.
A bill submitted by Mayor Vincent Gray that sailed through approval this week, now eliminates criminal penalties for expired tags. However, violators will face civil fines.
The matter garnered the Council's attention just over a week ago, after members were apprised of complaints from motorists. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, also contacted Gray about validity of the arrests.
While Council Chairman Kwame Brown said drivers shouldn't have to worry about being jailed over failure to renew their vehicle registration, Councilmember Phil Mendelson said the practice is out of step with other jurisdictions and doesn't neccesarily contribute to good law enforcement.
Boasting income levels that averaged just over $84,000 last year, Washington, D.C., and the locales immediately surrounding it now have the distinction as the country's wealthiest metropolitan area.
According to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the high income levels of federal workers, buttressed by the earnings of lawyers and lobbyists have played a major role boosting D.C. to the forefront and in the process, replacing the Silicon Valley's fortunes for the top slot.
Meanwhile, as the national median income hovers roughly at $50,000, a Bloomberg business analysis of the Census data indicates that San Jose (Calif.) had an average income of $83,944 in 2010, dropping from $84,483 in 2009. Those findings are in comparison to the average household incomes for Washington, which last year also fell from 2009.
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