Newsroom

Happy October! Although it’s been unseasonably warm this week, fall festivities are in full swing around the Ward (just take a look at the list below). It was great to start Wednesday morning seeing so many Ward 6 families at Walk & Bike & Roll to School Day. I’ve had a busy few weeks at the Council and across Ward 6 with a couple of important hearings, a full-Council Legislative Meeting, block parties, safety walks, and more - and I’ve been doing it all without driving as a part of National Week Without Driving (more below).

Today, DC Councilmember Charles Allen (Ward 6) is introducing legislation to extend the same first-time homebuyer incentives currently offered to police, firefighters, paramedics, and correctional officers to call takers and dispatchers staffing the District’s 911 and 311 call center within the Office of Unified Communications (OUC) – including up to a $20,000 zero-interest loan and $25,000 in grant funds toward down payment assistance or closing costs. Specifically, $10,000 of the grant funds that are today only provided to those categories of “first responders” above through the District’s Employer-Assisted Housing Program would now be open to call-takers and dispatchers in return for a five-year service commitment to OUC.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, October 4, the DC Council’s Committee on Transportation and the Environment and Committee on Public Works and Operations will hold a joint public hearing on four bills relating to dangerous driving and enforcement efforts to make District streets safer. The hearing comes as the District has already surpassed the total number of traffic fatalities from last year, and it will build on a hearing on traffic enforcement Councilmember Allen held in May.

Hope you’ve been enjoying the fantastic almost-fall weather we’ve been having this week. My team and I have been taking advantage of every minute to get out into Ward 6 for PARKing Day, the H Street Festival, the annual Waterfront Village BBQ in SW (right), AARP's SW Chapter 10th Annual Community Health Fair, Capitol Hill Book Fest, kicking off Oktoberfest with Wundergarten, and unveiling beautiful new art at Union Station – oh, and the Council also kicked off its fall legislative session Monday to top it off! It’s been busy, to say the least, but it's been great to see so many of you across the Ward out at events this past week. Speaking of weather though, it looks like Saturday has heavy rain and winds headed our way, so stay safe and maybe check to make sure those drains are clear. Let's jump into a packed newsletter with all the news you can use.

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By now, the school year's underway, and the youngest Ward 6-ers are back in the classroom. My own children are thrilled to be back with their teachers and friends - and were more than a little exhausted at the end of their first week! We're also ready to be on the other side of this stifling heat. Hopefully by the end of this weekend, temperatures start to feel more like September. In the meantime, stay cool, and drink plenty of water! As usual, we've got lots of events and news happening all over the Ward, so let's jump in. If you missed the last newsletter - which had updates on Rumsey Pool, new information about DC school test scores, and more - be sure to click here to catch up.

I can't believe it's August already, and the first day of school's around the corner! I hope you and your family have been enjoying the summer and staying safe and dry during these intense storms we've been having. Below, you'll find the latest on public safety, back-to-school news, and more. Let's get to it!

As you've probably noticed, after lying dormant for years, there's suddenly a lot of energy around the future of the 190-acre RFK campus. Like many in DC, I'm excited about a new era of Commanders ownership and seeing some success on the field soon. But now that the sale of the team has been finalized (and the name has been changed), the focus has shifted to the questions of where they'll be playing and if the District should put forward a proposal to build a new NFL stadium at RFK.