Gray Takes the Helm------
Alsobrooks has Bold Plans for Prince George's County
By James Wright WI Staff Writer
The first elected female prosecutor in the history of Prince George's County has widespread support among county leaders as she seeks to upgrade her office, pursue domestic violence cases more vigorously and reduce recidivism among the county's criminal population. Angela Alsobrooks was sworn in as the first elected female state's attorney in Prince George's County on Mon., Jan. 3 at a private ceremony in Upper Marlboro, Md.
FEBRUARY
D.C. Community Leaders Meet with Baker
By James Wright WI Staff Writer
The Washington Informer Newspaper recently hosted a roundtable discussion with newly elected Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker III at the offices of The Washington Informer in Southeast on Fri., Jan. 28 to discuss economic development, minority contracting and issues pertaining to the county's school system. Baker represents the wealthiest Black majority county in the United States along with business and civic leaders from several jurisdictions.
MARCH
Gray Issues Weigh on Council
By Dorothy Rowley WI Staff Writer
The scandal that has marred D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray's administration may have cast a divisive shadow over the City Council as well. Since Gray, 68, assumed the helm of city government in January, his administration has faced a succession of distractions: A month after former employee Sulaimon Brown (who got a six-figure job with the city after Gray was sworn in, only to be quickly terminated) -- alleged he was paid by Gray's campaign to make then-Mayor Adrian Fenty look bad, the salaries of several high ranking appointees came under scrutiny and Gray was accused of nepotism and cronyism over the discovery that children of some of his administrators received city jobs.
APRIL
Gray's Arrest Brings Attention to D.C.'s Status
By James WrightWI Staff Writer
D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray and members of the City Council were met with cheers as they exited U.S. Capitol Police Headquarters at First and D Streets Northeast, Tuesday morning, following their arrest for unlawful assembly while protesting the city's lack of budgetary autonomy. "This is an absolute travesty," Gray said. "D.C. deserves to be free. All we want to do is to spend our own money."
MAY
50TH Anniversary Celebration of '61 Freedom Rides
Brooke Kelly, JSU Blue & White Flash
On a hot Mississippi day, much like the ones they encountered 50 years ago, former Freedom Riders like Dr. Etta Simpson-Ray from Nashville, Tenn., returned to Jackson, Miss. Unlike the days of the 1960s when segregation and violence met them, hundreds of people from across the nation welcomed them for a week of historic recollection to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the 1961 Freedom Rides. A portion of the commemoration included a panel and reunion of Freedom Riders at Tougaloo College.
JUNE
D.C. Council Approves New Boundaries by 12-1 Vote
By Barrington M. Salmon, WI Staff Writer
D.C. Council members Tommy Wells and Yvette Alexander were all smiles Monday, satisfied for the most part with a revised redistricting plan that, while not perfect, has left much of their wards intact. "I'm feeling really good," said Wells, 56, Monday evening. "I started with the position that I didn't want to bargain away any part of the ward. I worked with residents, ANCs, and the community to claw it back. We got Hill East, and the Mount Vernon Triangle. Penn Quarter, however, has gone to Jack Evans. Ward 7 got Reservation 13, which will be an opportunity for them to grow," the Ward 6 council member said. Yvette Alexander, the Ward 7 council member, echoed Wells' sentiments.
JULY
AUGUST
D.C. Rocks from Quake
By Barrington M. Salmon, WI Staff Writer
A federal employee looks distraught while gathering his thoughts in front of the United States Department of Agriculture building in Southwest, soon after a 5.8 earthquake rocked the city on Tues. Aug. 23. / Photo by Khalid Naji-Allah
At 1:51 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, an earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale rocked the Washington metropolitan area. There are reports that the quake may have lasted as long as 40 seconds and an estimated 12 million people in seven states and parts of Canada felt the tremors.
One of Washington's national treasures, the National Cathedral in Northwest, was shaken to the point that its bells tolled. Several finials and pinnacles atop the cathedral crashed to the ground. And late Tuesday, August 23, church officials continued to check the massive structure, inside and out, to ensure the absence of additional damage.
SEPTEMBER
Remembering Sept. 11
By Barrington M. Salmon
WI Staff Writer
This weekend, the nation will pause to remember the 3,000 people killed when Al Qaeda hijackers commandeered commercial airliners and crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Arlington, Va.
Mayor Partners with Private Sector
Plans to Hire 10,000 Unemployed District Residents
By Barrington M. Salmon WI Staff Writer
Just days after D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) announced an aggressive new plan to bring more job opportunities to the city's almost 36,000 unemployed residents, the local business community is climbing onboard. Lisa Mallory, director of the D.C. Department of Employment Services (DOES), said the private sector reaction to the One City, One Hire initiative so far has been impressive.
OCTOBER
Union Addresses Joblessness Among People of Color
By James Wright WI Staff Writer
Leaders of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), along with officers in non-profit organizations that aid domestic workers and Latinos, met to discuss the "The Impact of the Jobs Crisis on People of Color" at SEIU headquarters in the District on Fri., Oct. 7.
SEIU National Communications Director Inga Skippings, said people of color are in trouble in the current economy, which is why SEIU launched a national campaign to focus on the high level of unemployment that persists in communities of color. "Workers of color are shut out of the job market in this economy," Skippings said. "We found out that only 103,000 jobs were created in September and I heard on the radio that some economists were saying that is not bad, but that is not good enough."
Solemn, Festive Ceremony Marks Unveiling of MLK Memorial
By Barrington M. Salmon WI Staff Writer
On a crisp, clear day on the National Mall in Northwest, tens of thousands of Americans gathered to watch the unveiling of the Martin Luther King Memorial. This was the second attempt by memorial organizers to pull off the official dedication of the 30-foot memorial. The previous date, August 28, fell on the 48th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s March on Washington, but an earthquake measuring 5.8 and Hurricane Irene scuttled those plans. For Dr. Louis Kurtz and his wife Gwendolyn, the sight of the King Memorial meant the culmination of a dream neither thought would become reality.
NOVEMBER
Ethics Takes Center Stage at D.C. Council – Council at the Dias
By James Wright WI Staff Writer
A hearing held by the D.C. Council on ethics at the John A. Wilson Building in Northwest on Wed., Oct. 26, was led by D.C. Council member Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4), who chairs the Committee on Government Operations. The hearing lasted several hours and dozens of witnesses testified on the need for a solid ethics code for the legislative body. Two members of the legislature, D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown and D.C. Council member Harry Thomas (D-Ward 5), are under investigation by federal authorities. Seven of the 13 D.C. Council members have been probed on ethical issues by District agencies and federal authorities on a wide range of alleged activities.
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Occupy Wall Street: An Idea Whose Time Has Come
By Barrington M. Salmon WI Staff Writer
Early Tuesday morning, baton wielding riot police stormed New York City's Zuccotti Park, the epicenter of the global Occupy Movement, and pulled down the tent city that had been set up there for the past two months. More than 100 people were arrested. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a press conference later that morning that the protestors had been there long enough and cited concerns about health and fire safety as the reasons for his decision. "This is a setback," one Occupy Wall Street protestor said. "But we will continue ... this is a clear indication that NYPD is more concerned with snuffing this out and not with our constitutional right to protest."
DECEMBER
Olender Foundation Honors Washington Informer Publisher
By Barrington M. Salmon WI Staff Writer
Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes is the 2012 recipient of the Olender Foundation's Generous Heart Award. Jack H. Olender, an institution in the city's legal circles, presented her with the award at a ceremony and dinner held on Dec. 6 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center Amphitheater in Northwest.
Articles compiled by Stacey Palmer, WI Staff Writer
