Dear Neighbors, Here is my weekly update, covering issues like gun violence, running for ANC, Monkeypox vaccine walk-up clinics, parking issues related to CitiOpen, a new farmers market in Ward 4, other neighborhood events, and local news stories you may have missed. Ward 4 News Officer Shooting and Gun Violence in Our Community Our communities deserve peace and safety, yet we continue to bear the unacceptable toll of gun violence. Today, body-worn camera footage was released of an officer killing 31-year-old Kevin Hargraves-Shird on Saturday, July 30 in Manor Park. The officer had been pursuing a white car that police say was linked to

Dear Neighbors, I hope you’re doing well and making the most of summer! This week I want to put the Georgia Avenue Bus Project on your radar, share the final details for CitiOpen, highlight an upcoming job fair to fill nearly 1,000 vacancies in DC government, make sure you know about a shift in DPW residential trash and recycling collection next week, remind you about back-to-school immunizations and mobile clinics, and keep encouraging you to run for ANC (many seats still don’t have candidates). In standard Ward 4 fashion, we have plenty of great events coming up, including the return

Dear Neighbors, I’m writing to share ways to beat the heat this weekend (including extended pool hours and citywide cooling centers), logistics ahead of Citi Open, more hard-fought traffic safety improvements, opportunities to serve as an ANC Commissioner, changes to the residential trash collection process, the public input process for the future of Upper Beach Drive, and many great Ward 4 events coming up soon. Ward 4 News Extended Pool Hours This Weekend and Cooling Centers Today, Saturday, and Sunday (July 22-24) DPR has extended pool hours at Upshur Pool and many other outdoor pools to 10am-8pm to help neighbors stay cool! Banneker Pool, Hearst Pool, Langdon Park

Dear Neighbors, From new legislation to support school readiness, updates on Dance Loft and Beach Drive, and info on running for ANC, to our recess schedule, valuable community resources, and countless Ward 4 events — here is my dispatch for the week! Ward 4 and Legislative News School Readiness Emergency Legislation Passed This fall, DC students deserve to return to safe, supportive learning environments. Last year, there were major issues with school readiness for the full return to in-person learning. We had dozens of buildings with broken HVAC systems, staff stuck in a backlogged clearance process, and schools with visibly broken

Dear Neighbors, Check out all of my updates ahead of our last legislative session before summer recess, as well as Ward 4 news, community resources, city services, and local events below. Ward 4 and Legislative News Legislative Updates As We Approach Summer Recess As we work to wrap up our legislative work before summer recess, one of the issues my team and I have been focused on is addressing maintenance issues at our rec centers. We did the readiness tour of all Ward 4 rec centers and community centers in May and have been working with DGS and DPR to

Thank you to every community member who joined the Ward 4 Summer Safety Strategic Meeting on Wednesday. I’m grateful we had the Office of the DC Attorney General, MPD’s Fourth District, the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, the InnerCity Collaborative, the Department of Behavioral Health, and the Office of Victims Services and Justice Grants all present as representatives of a multifaceted, interagency approach to addressing crime and gun violence in our community. Agencies laid out specific actions they are taking to step up their efforts in Ward 4 over the summer and fielded questions and requests from neighbors on

Dear Neighbors, As we head into the Fourth of July holiday weekend, I wanted to share opportunities to be in community with your neighbors, as well as report back on our Summer Safety Strategic Meeting, the Council’s legislative session on Tuesday, the new Lamond Riggs Library, and many other community resources and events. Ward 4 and Legislative News Ward 4 Summer Safety Strategic Meeting Thank you to every community member who joined the Ward 4 Summer Safety Strategic Meeting on Wednesday. I’m grateful we had the Office of the DC Attorney General, MPD’s Fourth District, the Office of Neighborhood Safety

Dear Neighbors, Once again, I’m writing to you as we grapple with the catastrophic impact of several extremist Supreme Court decisions, including today’s decision eliminating the constitutional right to an abortion. And earlier this week, we had rulings that expanded access to guns, compromised our Miranda Rights, and further deteriorated the separation of church and state. I will have more to share regarding our legislative response to these decisions at a later point, but first I want to emphasize that DC remains a safe haven for anyone seeking reproductive health care. There continues to be access to safe and legal

Dear Neighbors, I hope you’re staying cool and making the most of these early days of summer. Thank you to everyone who sent me well wishes while dealing with COVID. I am feeling better and was excited to be back in our community this week! As always, I’m writing to fill you in on everything you need to know about our community, Election Day, Juneteenth, vaccines for children under the age of 5, and more. This weekend will include some great events, including Juneteenth Freedom Festival at Zion Baptist Church, a used book sale from the Friends of Petworth Library,

Dear Neighbors, As I continue to recover from COVID, I feel moved to remind you to get regularly tested, mask up in public indoor spaces, and get your boosters. There’s no fun in being sick or spreading it to others! Instead, take advantage of our great Ward 4 COVID Center. By regularly testing, I found out I had COVID before going into the Wilson Building, where I’d have put others at risk. I’m continuing to quarantine from home, but I still wanted to take some time to update you on everything that’s happening in our community. I’m excited to share updates