Dear Neighbors, This week I’m focusing our newsletter on updating you about the charges filed against officers involved in Karon Hylton-Brown’s death, as well as WMATA’s announcement on plans to make Northern Bus Garage the first all-electric bus facility in the DC region. Ward 4 also has some big events this weekend! Tonight into tomorrow we are celebrating DC Art All Night with Uptown Main Street, Upper Georgia Avenue Main Street, and then the Parks Main Street in Manor Park. Tomorrow will also bring the return of the Celebrate Petworth festival. And then Sunday we’ll have the Fall Fun Fest at the Soldiers Home! Check out

Dear Neighbors, This newsletter is focused on updating you all about community safety, the DC redistricting process, upcoming hearings on the reopening of schools, and our new dog park in Ward 4! There’s always plenty happening in our community, so make sure you check out what events and resources we have listed. Just this weekend we have a community health and wellness fair, a Riggs Park forum on opioids, the commemoration of Lincoln-Thomas Day at Fort Stevens, the Chevy Chase Day festival, the Tour de Roosevelt bike ride, Ward 4 Day at Nationals Park, as well as the final Petworth

Dear Neighbors, It has been a heavy week for our community. I’m dedicating this newsletter to updating you on all of the work that is happening to address gun violence in Ward 4. And as always, I’m sharing a wide range of events and resources in our community. This weekend alone we have a National Symphony Orchestra performance and outdoor film screening at the Parks at Walter Reed, an interactive garden planning event at Upshur Community Garden, a community yard sale in Takoma, another Petworth Summer Saturdays concert, an opening for a new exhibit at Art of Noize gallery, and

My heart is heavy this morning as our community was again devastated by gun violence. Each life lost is someone who will never take their child to a ball game, share a laugh with their friends, or care for an aging parent. Each person lost leaves family, friends, and community bereft, and my heart breaks for them. My team was on the scene last night and I received a comprehensive update from Chief Contee this morning. Chief Contee confirmed that the shooting last night involved neighborhood crews. He has assigned the case to a major case squad and brought in investigative resources from

Dear Neighbors, Council may be in recess, but it was another action-packed week with Upshur Day, school supply giveaways, the first week of school, and a new early learning center in Ward 4! There are at least two neighborhood block parties happening this weekend for 16th Street Heights and 7th Place in Takoma, so don’t miss those if you live in the area. I’m also writing to share important service updates related to WMATA, a reminder about the deadline to renew your driver’s licenses by September 9, and a much-needed extension for our splash parks. And scroll all the way

Dear Neighbors, A lot has happened since the last time I got to write to you. I’ve spent the last two weeks touring every Ward 4 DCPS school (some multiple times) to follow up on outstanding maintenance work with DC agencies, as well as pressing for additional measures to be taken to protect the health and safety of students and educators this school year. I’m grateful that some new measures were announced today, but I still share many of the concerns that many families have about returning to in-person learning. There will be two Back 2 School giveaways in Ward

Neighbors, I am excited to share that my office will be hiring a new constituent services coordinator to join our team this coming fall. Please consider applying or sharing the job opening with residents who would be well suited for the position. Our constituent services team works diligently to respond to constituent needs, connect Ward 4 residents with resources, empower community members, and plan neighborhood events – from vaccine outreach drives to rental assistance pop ups to job fairs on Kennedy Street. They approach constituent services with heart and intentionality, recognizing that systemic inequities in our city have left many

Dear Neighbors, This week the Council finalized DC’s budget, so I’m excited to share this detailed breakdown of what’s in it and how it will impact our community. I’m really proud of everything we included for Ward 4, as well as the citywide investments in a just recovery and a more equitable DC. Yesterday our community came together for a job fair on Kennedy Street to meet an important community need for more resources by bringing jobs and opportunity to the Kennedy Street corridor. I was really moved to see so many of our local employers, DC agencies, and residents

Neighbors, please note that our office will be closed the week of August 16-20 so I can give my staff a much-needed mental health break after seven relentless months of hard work serving the people of Ward 4. If you need to urgently reach us, please contact my Chief of Staff Lenace at ledwards@dccouncil.us or 202-288-9820. I will be continuing my work by touring Ward 4 schools to ensure they are ready to reopen at the end of the month for the new school year. Thank you for the honor of serving our community. Yours in Service,Janeese

Dear Neighbors, This has been another active week serving you on the DC Council. We fought hard and delivered important budget wins for our community. We cut the ribbon on a brand new playground at The Parks. We responded to a Boil Water Advisory that left part of Ward 4 without clean water. And we held a press conference calling for justice for our neighbor Karon Hylton-Brown. Thank you for taking time to read these updates. I hope you find them useful! Legislative Updates I will have a full budget breakdown for you next week, but today I wanted to