Speaking of the budget…
According to Car and Driver: “The price of the 2025 Rivian R1T starts at $71,700 and goes up to $101,700 depending on the trim and options.”
Maybe DC got a deal from Rivian?
Not sure what year or model this one is but…curious vehicle to be hauling around tree detritus…
AND completely unrelated a few blocks away: (more…)
photo by angela n.
From the Mayor’s Office:
“Mayor Muriel Bowser shared Grow DC, her Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Budget. Grow DC is a bold, proactive growth agenda to generate new economic activity, create new jobs for DC residents, and increase revenue to support city services and programs.
“With this budget, we’re not waiting for change to happen – we’re making change happen. The Growth Agenda is about creating jobs for DC residents and generating the economic activity we need to keep DC a world-class city,” said Mayor Bowser. “This budget acknowledges the challenges we are facing, but also includes bold, forward-thinking solutions to change our economic trajectory.”
Washington, DC continues to thrive as a world-class city, welcoming record numbers of visitors, balancing budgets for 29 consecutive years, having the fastest-improving urban school district in the country, and driving crime down to historic lows. However, recent federal actions have resulted in a shifting economy – both for the city and the entire region. The Chief Financial Officer’s February revenue estimate forecasts revenues to be reduced by $1 billion over the next four years, driven by the expected loss of 40,000 federal government-related jobs, reduced income, and lower consumer spending.
To meet the moment, Grow DC focuses on growing DC’s economy, rightsizing government spending, cutting red tape and making it easier to do business in DC, and investing in shared priorities. Mayor Bowser’s budget avoids any tax increases and strengthens DC’s long-term economic outlook by protecting critical programs and services.
More than half of local funds are invested in public education and human support services. The $2.6 billion FY26 capital budget prioritizes DC Public Schools facilities, transportation networks, and WMATA.
Below are the highlights of investments and initiatives in Mayor Bowser’s FY26 budget proposal: (more…)
Update: “They’ve addressed the issue as of this morning and responded to my message I sent to them over the weekend. If anything, it was a really prompt response from DC DMV.”
Thanks to all who sent word over the weekend:
“Dear PoPville,
I am on the DC DMV site to re-register our family car. To my surprise, the final tally, including re-upping our parking pass, was over $3500! What gives? Seems like this should be $350. Anyone else having this problem with the online portal or have the fees actually radically increased?” (more…)
Thanks to the City Administrator, Kevin Donahue for sharing the update with us:
“797 cars towed
$1.2M in fines collected
Of the 797 cars:
💵257 released after $1.06M fines paid
♻️171 sold as scrap
🚗14 sold at auction
⌛️355 at impound lots
State tags: 376 VA; 195 DC; 169 MD; 57 other states (more…)
“Dear PoPville,
With Mayor Bowser’s twelfth year in office rapidly approaching, I wanted to see how the POPville readers see the “response to their issues” from her Office of Constituent Relations and Services (MOCRS)? And if they, too, have seen a decline in the service that was specifically set up as the “avenue of last resort” to solve our dat-to-day issues
Recently, (well for the last 5 months), my recycling has just stopped being picked up and I have experienced one of the most jaw-dropping runarounds I have ever experienced in my almost 3 decades of living in DC. I will start this with I live on a street where the majority of my neighbors have “alley access” (I do not) meaning my weekly trash and recycling pick-up is in front of my house, it has been missed many times over the years…early on in her terms, a 311 request or call to the DPW helpline did the trick but right around the beginning of this year all avenues to get this issue dealt with seem to have gone “cold”.
Since January, (more…)
photo by CTB in DC
From the Mayor’s Office:
“Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the District’s Department of Human Services (DHS) shared the results of the 2025 Point-In-Time (PIT) Count, the annual census of individuals experiencing homelessness. This year’s count took place on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, and showed an overall 9% decrease from 2024, including an 18.1% decrease among families and an 4.5% decrease among unaccompanied individuals. This year’s total count is 19% percent lower than the count in 2020, the last PIT recorded before the COVID-19 public health emergency. (more…)
photo by Blink O’fanaye
From Destination DC:
“More than 27 million people visited the nation’s capital in 2024 – a new record – Destination DC (DDC), the official destination marketing organization for Washington, DC, announced today. The figure surpasses the previous benchmark, set in 2023, by 1.25 million visitors. The record-setting visitation resulted in record economic impact: $11.4 billion in visitor spending, $2.3 billion in tax revenue and 111,500 jobs supported. As a result, thanks to tourism, each DC household saves $3,608 in taxes. (more…)
From the Mayor’s Office:
“Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser unveiled her economic growth agenda that will be included in her Fiscal Year 2026 budget. With the city facing economic uncertainty caused by a shrinking federal presence, including the possible loss of 40,000 jobs, the Mayor’s budget invests in a bold, proactive growth agenda to attract new businesses, create new jobs, generate new tax revenue, and quickly grow the local economy.
“I want Washingtonians to know that this growth agenda is about our future. In FY26, we’re not standing still; we’re being bold and making catalytic investments that will bring new jobs and new revenue into DC,” said Mayor Bowser. “We know that our economy is shifting, and we know the challenges we are facing. Thousands of Washingtonians have already been impacted by those challenges. This is a budget that recognizes that we can’t just sit on our hands and hope something changes – we’ve got to make change happen.”
Investing in Downtown (more…)
“Dear PoPville,
As the 6-year anniversary of the work order to fix the torn net approaches, DPR has continued to refuse to address this dangerous situation. I am attaching DGS Oversight Hearing Testimony (PDF) I submitted at a February oversight hearing. Having received no response to my questions, last week I contacted the Office of Risk Management. Less than 24 hours later, the Tort Liability Program Administrator and Assistant Deputy General Counsel in the Office of Risk Management responded (this is a direct quote with names omitted):
“I learned about this issue late in the day yesterday…[names omitted]…We all agree this is a safety issue that must be repaired.”
Unfortunately, (more…)
“Dear PoPville,
I saw at least half a dozen cops, including one undercover and some in bulletproof vests make a huge scene out of shutting down Orbit DC and Hip Hop Museum on 18th street today for marijuana licensing. There were maybe 8-10 vehicles, camera crews and the Commissioner of ABCA ready to give an interview right away. The entire effort seemed like a press opp.
The lovely woman who works there is a neighborhood gem and was handcuffed and taken away. I’d love to know if anyone is aware of the charges against her and if there are any efforts to support legal fees for her. I believe she’s a documented immigrant and know she has made the neighborhood safer for everyone by sitting outside, giving out dog treats, and even being a witness for a bike accident.”
From ABCA:
“Today, April 24, 2025, the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) and Metropolitan Police department closed and padlocked Orbit DC located at 1919-1921 18th Street NW marking the District Government’s 50th illegal cannabis shop closure in DC.
Illegal shop closures have taken place across the city with 17 in Ward 1, 10 in Wards 2 and 6, seven in Ward 4, three in Ward 5, and one in Wards 3, 7 and 8 each respectively. (more…)