DC Government

Photo by PoPville flickr user *tinadelarosa

From a press release:

“The Census Bureau released its annual 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) data last week, which once again shows that the city’s poverty rate remained stubbornly high at 18.6 percent (it was 18 percent in 2015). This is well above the 2016 national poverty rate of 14 percent.

Nearly one in five District residents lives in poverty, despite the fact that the 2016 median household income in the District of Columbia is $75,506, one of the highest in the nation. Income inequality in the District, and across the country, is a primary driver of poverty and hunger.

The District not only has an income inequality problem; it has a huge racial inequality problem, according to the ACS findings. The data reveal not just a gap but a chasm between white and black residents in terms of both poverty and median household income. The District’s poverty rate for white individuals is 7.9 percent, while the rate for African Americans is almost four times higher, at 27.9 percent. And the median income for white households is $125,747, compared to $37,891 for African American households. (more…)

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Mayor Bowser officially announced that Washington, DC will submit a bid to attract Amazon’s second headquarters to the city. The Mayor made the announcement in a video that asks the question: Alexa, what is the best city for Amazon HQ2? The video highlights Washington, DC as a global capital city with a thriving tech sector, vibrant and creative neighborhoods, and a growing and expanding business community. The bid, which will be led by the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED), will engage community and business stakeholders in an effort to build on the collaborative and creative spirit of Washington, DC. (more…)

Photo by PoPville flickr user Beau Finley

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, Washington, DC was named the first LEED for Cities Platinum certified city in the world. Mayor Bowser was presented this honor by Mahesh Ramanujam, President and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), at an event on the steps of Dunbar High School – the highest rated LEED-certified school in the United States. The Mayor and Ramanujam were joined by Mayor Bowser’s Chief Technology Officer, Archana Vemulapalli, the District Department of Energy and Environment’s green building expert, Jay Wilson, and other Administration officials.

“It is in the best interest of Washington, DC’s safety, economy, and future to take sustainability and resiliency seriously, and as the nation’s capital, we have a special obligation to lead the way on environmental issues,” said Mayor Bowser. “We are proud to be recognized as the world’s first LEED Platinum city. Our commitment to these issues will not yield, and we look forward to continuing to build a greener, more resilient, and more sustainable DC.” (more…)

Photo by PoPville flickr user nevermindtheend

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, as part of Washington, DC’s Vision Zero initiative, Mayor Bowser announced the Video Analytics Towards Vision Zero project, a cutting-edge partnership between the District and Microsoft that will use video footage and crowdsourcing to prevent traffic accidents. The project will tap artificial intelligence and new technologies to analyze traffic camera video footage and use near-miss collisions to predict where crashes are likely to occur in the future. (more…)

“Dear PoPville,

I just received an email that our apartment building pool (near 17th and P) will be indefinitely shut down due to new laws. It’s ridiculous that our pool which is tiny, already has a fence, and is 5 feet deep max, needs a lifeguard and to be shut down for a larger fence. Email from building management [above.]”

Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr.TinDC

From DPR:

“The DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) has released the Outdoor Aquatic Facilities Closure Schedule for the 2017 summer season.

Outdoor Pools will close in waves beginning on Sunday, August 13, 2017. Pools will close for the season at 6 pm on their respective Sundays; with the exception of Banneker Pool, Francis Pool, Kenilworth Pool, Oxon Run Pool, Rosedale Pool and Upshur Pool, which will close on Labor Day, Monday September 4, 2017.

All Spray Parks will close for the season at 8:30 pm on Labor Day, Monday, September 4, 2017.

Below is the comprehensive closure schedule for the 2017 season. Pools are listed by date of closure. Please visit dpr.dc.gov should you have additional questions or need further assistance.

OUTDOOR POOLS CLOSURE SCHEDULE (more…)

“Dear PoPville,

I was wondering if anyone else is having issues similar to mine. It’s an incredibly long story, but I’ll try and keep it short.

I filed my taxes, both DC and federal in mid-February. The feds wired me my refund about a week later. I was also owed a significant refund ($2k+) from DC due to a few recent changes in circumstance. After a month or so I called DC Office of Taxation and Revenue, sat on hold for an hour and spoke with a rep there. They claim to have mailed me a check, though I never received it. I have a service from USPS that scans each standard sized envelope at the sorting facility and emails me a copy each morning. It’s called ‘Informed Delivery’. Pretty cool service. I went back and looked at my records and a mailpiece from DC OTR never made it to the sorting facility.

The standard process from there (because this presumably happens a lot) is to fill out an affidavit indicating that I did not cash the check myself. (more…)