COMMUNITY | Terri Lee Freeman, president of the Community Foundation and chair of WRAG’s board, reflects on the legacy of Martin Luther King and asks, Where do we go from here? (CFNCR, 1/16)
We can either begin to create economic opportunities that allow a much larger group of people to participate and succeed or we can promote an American caste system that will surely cost more in the long run.
POVERTY | A new study finds that 14 percent of Virginia’s children live in poverty – the highest rate since 1998. The number is still below the national average, but it has been increasing steadily in recent years. (WTOP, 1/17)
YOUTH | Members of local gangs staged a fashion show as a way of creatively expressing their problems and working toward reformed lives. (WaPo, 1/17)
EDUCATION
- A new study suggests that the District is “illegally underfunding its charter schools providing additional money and support services exclusively to D.C. Public Schools.” (Examiner, 1/17)
Related: On the flip side, D.C. Ranks High Among States With Charter Schools (WAMU, 1/17) The ranking is based on pro-charter laws.
- Editorial: The D.C. Council’s wrongheaded approach to education reform (WaPo, 1/17) “The proposals are not without merit, but the way they were developed — without consultation with those who manage the schools or any regard to the impact — is a troubling sign of a council that seems more interested in sound bites than in providing thoughtful oversight.”
HOUSING
- In the lastest installment of its Million-Dollar Wasteland series, the Post looks at the high mortgage default rate of the District’s housing loan program. (WaPo, 1/15)
-HUD’s Moving to Opportunity study provides long-term analysis of neighborhood effects on residents (Land Use Prof Blog, via GGW, 1/16) “[A]nalyzes what is likely the most detailed, long-term look at neighborhood effects on residents.”
Related: Though it is a few years old at this point, this map of life expectancy across our region is worth revisiting periodically. At the Consumer Health Foundation’s annual meeting this month, Margaret O’Byron shared the shocking fact that residents of Friendship Heights live an average of 17 years more than residents of Capitol Heights.
NONPROFITS/POLITICS | Robert Egger’s CForward political action committee endorses and supports politicians who aim to strengthen the nonprofit sector. As we begin a major election year, he poses the question, “[W]ill we view America’s robust and dynamic nonprofit sector as an essential partner in this process of strengthening communities while rebuilding the economy?” (HuffPo, 1/12)
BUDGETS | Last week, citizens from Northern Virginia shared personal stories with state delegates about the importance of human services – many of which are facing possible funding reductions. (Connection, 1/11)
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After getting stuck in a tunnel on Metro for fifteen minutes and then soaked by the rain, I had a serious case of the Mondays when I got to work. Then I realized it was already Tuesday and things started to look up.
Hope you all enjoyed the weekend. I managed to ski for multiple days without falling once! And on an unrelated note, here’s a cool project where famous movies are re-imagined with different casts from an earlier era. Superman with John Wayne? The Terminator with Steve McQueen and Christopher Walken? Very cool indeed.
