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Welcome to Monday, D.C. Science nerds have been looking forward to this day since 2017—the last time the sun was eclipsed by the moon. You’ll only get a partial eclipse in D.C. (about 87 percent) from 2:04 to 4:32 p.m. But it’s still a relatively rare event that could cause bees, pets, and plants to behave strangely. Just don’t look directly at the sun with your naked eyes. And here’s the news you might have missed while you were perusing the Capital Art Book Fair at Eastern Market.
Food Scrap
A very D.C. conflict is brewing over who will haul away your food waste. For at least the past seven years, Agricity, also known as Compost Cab, has been the go-to contractor for collecting compost from various farmers markets around the city. But in January, D.C. selected a new contractor to manage the food waste drop-off program, District Logistics.
The D.C. Contract Appeals Board ruled last month that the city violated contracting and procurement laws in awarding the contract to District Logistics. The board ordered the District to terminate the five-year contract and re-award it in a way that complies with the law.
That process is still underway, as the Office of Contracting and Procurement tells WAMU that it is reviewing the appeals board’s ruling.
Jeremy Brosowsky, owner of Agricity, acknowledges that his bid might have been more expensive than District Logistics’ proposal, but he argues that his company has more experience.
“It’s a problem if you believe that the city needs to play fair,” Brosowsky tells WAMU. “It’s a problem if you believe that the lowest possible cost doesn’t necessarily mean the best possible thing for the city.”
A Little Privacy, Please
The Maryland legislature passed two bills over the weekend that would curtail how technology companies collect and use personal data of their customers and would provide extra protections for children. The state is one of a handful in the U.S. that has now approved legislation aimed at protecting personal data online.
The Maryland Online Data Privacy Act would, in part, restrict how tech companies such as Meta and Google collect data and would prevent them from sharing certain personal information such as ethnicity, health, sexual orientation, precise location, and immigration, among other pieces of data.
The Maryland Kids Code would prevent social media and gaming platforms from tracking people younger than 18, as well as serving them auto-playing videos intended to keep them online, and from collecting their precise locations.
Both bills still require Gov. Wes Moore’s signature.
Strasburg Hangs ’Em Up
Nationals starting pitcher and 2019 World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg officially retired from baseball over the weekend following years of struggling to return from an injury—thoracic outlet syndrome.
Strasburg signed a seven-year, $245 million contract in December 2019 after helping lead the team to a World Series victory. But since 2022, the former No. 1 pick has pitched fewer than five innings due to injury. His retirement announcement Saturday also came with confirmation that Strasburg will be paid the full amount of his contract, though he agreed to some deferred compensation.
Post Trump Slump
The Washington Post’s web traffic numbers have been declining since Donald Trump left the White House. Newly hired publisher Will Lewis will have to figure out how to reverse the trend. Read the full story below:
Washington Post Web Traffic Numbers Keep Sinking
Newspapers across the country have experienced a drop in website traffic […]
—Mitch Ryals (tips? [email protected])
Page Three, 2024
Page Three is our regular column from staff photographer Darrow Montgomery.
- The D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department recognized Regina Snead, owner of the Baby Einstein Child Development Center on Saturday. Snead is the Anacostia day care owner who managed to save 16 children from an explosion near her facility back in January. She quickly evacuated the day care center after smelling a gas leak, effectively saving all the children inside before the building exploded. [WJLA]
- Four people were shot last night in Bellevue. The Metropolitan Police Department says that the shooting took place Sunday at about 8:50 p.m. MPD found three men and one woman injured when they arrived at the scene. [WJLA]
- MPD apprehended a man Sunday evening following an eight-hour barricade scene in Glover Park. Police received a call that a man with a gun was in an apartment located in the 3900 block of Davis Place NW. Officials were not able to confirm if the man was armed, but he was arrested at about 10:30 p.m. [DC News Now]
By Cat Sposato (tips? [email protected])
- Early childhood educators are continuing to criticize on Mayor Muriel Bowser’s plans to cut a fund designed to raise their salaries to match rates paid to public school teachers. Bowser continues to insist that the fund was set to grow at an unsustainable rate, but she’s also begun hinting that she’s supportive of efforts to restore the fund by circumnavigating Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee’s demands that the city refill its reserves. [Post, WTOP]
- “What we are seeing is a housing crisis, not a crisis of people gaming the system,” says At-Large Councilmember Robert White, continuing to push back on Bowser’s insistence that fraud is rampant in the city’s emergency rental assistance program. Bowser’s deputies say they’ll consider pursuing criminal prosecutions to back up these claims, but they’re unable to provide specifics on how widespread this alleged problem really is. [NBC Washington]
- Bowser has put more money back in the budget to replace the piers supporting the Wharf’s Municipal Fish Market, which should allow the market to expand following a multiyear renovation. [WBJ]
By Alex Koma (tips? [email protected])
- Corned beef, knishes, and whitefish salad: A New York-style Jewish deli from restaurateur Jason Berry and Knead Hospitality partner Michael Reginbogin has opened across from Nationals Park. Beresovsky’s Deli offers mostly counter service and is not Kosher so that bacon can be added to orders. [Washingtonian]
- Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams has special eclipse flavors and a free pair of branded eclipse glasses with every purchase today, while numerous hotel rooftop bars are serving specialty cocktails and eclipse viewing parties. [Eater]
- Registration opens Sunday for Montgomery County’s Alcohol Beverage Services lotteries, which will be selling some high-end whiskies, including a single bottle of Michter’s 25 Year Old (going for $1,903.99) and two 23-year-old bottles of Pappy Van Winkle for $380.99. [WTOP, ABS]
By City Paper staff (tips? [email protected])
City Lights: Curtis Sittenfeld on Romantic Comedy Tonight
The rom-com novel’s much-awaited paperback tour brings Sittenfield to East City Bookshop Monday via Zoom where she’ll talk with Elissa Sussman.
- Music icon Kim Gordon gave a special shout-out to the local vocal electronic duo Model Home in a social media interview. Gordon, the “No Wave punk deity and founder of Sonic Youth,” recently played Black Cat while touring for her latest solo album. [Instagram]
- This morning, the National Gallery of Art announced the 2024 season of Jazz in the Garden. In case you don’t know the drill, the performances run every Friday for 10 weeks starting May 31 through Aug. 9, with a break on July 5. Registration will once again happen via a lottery system. [NGA, Washingtonian]
- Don’t Mute DC started five years ago, and this week the organizers are celebrating half a decade of local activism. [NBC Washington]
By Sarah Marloff (tips? [email protected])
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