What was the groove? “,” a go-go style, funk track rooted in the D.C. sound. The song, which will serve as the official anthem of the 11th Street Bridge Park, was released Oct. 5 at the Go-Go Museum.

The 11^th Street Bridge Park, a transformational elevated bridge park development, held its song release party to celebrate development and determination—honoring the city’s past and future.

The song was written by D.C.’s own grammy-nominated artist Raheem DeVaughn, produced by the famed Lorenzo Johnson aka Zo Smooth and co-produced by go-go legend, Salih Williams, better known by his stage name Bootsy Vegas, brings local rhythms interwoven with community spirit.

Devaughn and Williams said they took on this project because it was more than just a musical endeavor; it was a community driven initiative to create positive change and celebrate D.C.’s rich cultural history.

“Through music, we can communicate,” Williams said, “There’s a lack of historical understanding about a lot of these projects.”

A bridge like no other.

Thirteen years in the making, the project is now fully funded, is expected to break ground in spring of 2026 and launch in 2028.

A collaboration between the D.C. government and Building Bridges Across the River non-profit, Bridge Park strives to be the model for equitable development—strategically focused on housing, the arts, workforce and small business development.

Scott Kratz, the president and CEO of Building Bridges Across the River, said Bridge Park is a different kind of project.

“We’ve learned from projects of the past where residents have been displaced,” Kratz said. Gentrification, emblematic of D.C. evolving neighborhoods, has long plagued well-intentioned projects across the District.

“We had to be intentional about this work,” Kratz said. “It would have been easy to say, gentrification is a serious issue, but that’s not our job—we’re building a park.”

Kratz said before engaging a single designer, Bridge Park spent two years talking to residents, asking, “What did they think about transforming an old freeway into a park?”

The inclusive, community-led development will be the first of its kind—transforming the old, abandoned 11^th Street Bridge piers into a cutting-edge, elevated park. The vision is to create a community space that integrates historically disenfranchised neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River and the surrounding communities.

The Bridge Park will include playgrounds, urban agriculture, an Environmental Education Center and a 250-seat outdoor River Amphitheater.

Lovail Long, a Ward 8 resident and owner of DC Black Broadway, said, “This project means everything to me.”

Long, who produces stage plays and musicals, said the amphitheater will offer a space where he’ll be able to perform live for the community. Like his fond childhood memories of performances in Anacostia Park, Long said he and his wife wants to create memories through arts and music for a new generation of children.

Kratz said intentional development puts the community at the center.�� Building Bridges has invested more than $100 million in the community—more than needed to build the park.�� Through community-based initiatives like Homebuyer’s Club, 182 Ward 8 renters became homeowners and Bridge Park has secured 230 units of permanently affordable housing.

Bridge Park even worked with local artists and the community to create the anthem song befitting of this visionary park.

And the go-go beat goes on.

The percussion-driven go-go anthem was commissioned and curated by Ronald Moten, co-founder of the Go-Go Museum, along with Bridge Park leaders to symbolize the partnership between the Bridge Park development and the community.

Natalie Hopkinson, co-founder and chief curator of the Go-Go Museum and professor at American University, said, “go-go music is the official music of the D.C., codified in legislation,” so elevating the music is only natural.

Just as Moten cofounded the museum to preserve the culture and history of his beloved go-go music, he said he partnered with the 11^th Street Bridge Park because of its community-led, community-driven approach.

Through the loud, reverberating music, Moten said, “We started differently from most museums—most opened with an endowment—we opened with no money and people banging on the door asking us why aren’t you open,” noting parallels to the Bridge Park grassroots development approach.

DeVaughn, host of “The Original Quiet Storm,” the number one night-time show in D.C., said creating the anthem was a passion project to help the community and elevate go-go music.

After being “schooled” on the historical context of the bridge and learning enslaved people walked the original 11 Street Bridge every day, he said the project resonated with is lifelong commitment to the music and community.

DeVaughn said he views the song and performance as a way to bridge gaps and support black-owned businesses and create a platform that celebrates go-go—the heartbeat of D.C.

“Most importantly, we’re about having a footprint in the community and being of service,” DeVaughn said.

A former co-host of the famed Donnie Simpson Show, Williams said he came to “perform with a purpose.” Co-producing the song not only honors go-go pioneer Chuck Brown’s legacy, Williams said, “it brings people together who might not have been checking for go-go but left with an appreciation.”

In addition to creating music, Williams now dedicates his time to teaching kids broadcast journalism. He said he partnered with the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation to teach journalism and provide scholarships to high school students in Ward 7 and 8.

Williams said creating the Bridge Park anthem with Johnson and DeVaughn was a natural extension of his work supporting his community where he was born, raised and still lives.

It’s about the community.

“A community on the river,” Kratz said. “Many people in the community have never been out on boats.”

Building Bridges works with local boating organizations like Seafarer’s Yacht Club and Anacostia Boathouse Association to connect the community with the Anacostia River.�� Bridge Park partners to offer free boat rides and to give community members an opportunity to kayak and canoe along the river.

D.C. transplant and American University Alum Jayra Collier’s employer Plum Good has been a Bridge Park sponsor for eight years.�� Collier said through its partnership, Park Bridge has promoted its teas, spices and sauces.

Collier said she hopes other transplants like herself will get to see “The real D.C.,” to promote local businesses and have a space to enjoy and rest.

Residents living along the Anacostia River deserve a waterfront just as beautiful as the residents of Georgetown,” Kratz said.

The song release party symbolizes a celebratory reflection of where the project started. Kratz said, “Long term residents who’ve been here through some of the challenging times, through the disinvestment, can be here for the good times.”

Much like D.C.’s syncopated go-go music, the future of the Anacostia community history must be preserved, said Dr. Deborah Evans, board member of the Go-Go Museum.

“Progress is good, but we have to maintain the history of the community.”

The post “Take it to the Bridge”: Go-go song release party celebrates 11th Street Bridge Park first appeared on 91����.

If you didn’t, you are not alone. It’s been 50 years since the first ANC elections, but D.C. residents are unaware that these neighborhood commissions administer community grants.������

While a lot of confusion remains about the role and power of ANCs in the District, the community grant program can have visible impact, if you’re lucky enough to live in a neighborhood that offers them.����

��According to the Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions FY 2025 , the role of the ANCs is “to advise the District government on matters of public policy,” which range from planning and social service programs to health, safety, and sanitation.����

The ANCs provide advice and recommendations to the D.C. Council, the mayor, and various agencies, boards, and commissions of government. Some ANCs also award grants to help their communities.��

“ANCs do a tremendous amount of work,” says Executive Director, Kent Boese. “We are in a much better city because of them.”��

The OANC oversees each of the District’s individual neighborhood commissions. When it comes to grants, both the OANC and the ANC receive the applications.����

The OANC reviews the grant for fiscal compliance and makes a recommendation on if they feel it would be an appropriate expense. The ANC can then decide if it still wants to support it, Boese said. ��

For community members who want to apply for a grant, there are rules, of course. Grants can be as much as $3,000 and are available to organizations, not individuals, based on D.C.����

Organizations can’t receive more than one grant in a year.��

Can’t duplicate a city service.��

Also, for a group to receive a grant, it can’t be for a program that duplicates a city service. Boese said that line is clear, but there is nuance.����

“For example, the city has a program where you can ask for free tools during the fall for community clean-up. However, the city doesn’t operate a program for that during the winter,” he said. A grant for a winter program would be allowed, but the ANC would need to retain ownership of the tools, he said.��

Additionally, grants can’t be used for things such as food, must benefit the community (not a person or organization), and must be for a future event, Boese said. ��

Ward 1 resident Wendy Singleton, a board member and logistics coordinator for , has helped her organization get an ANC grant for the past five years. The organization, founded by Ransom Miller III, has used the money to support their annual Thanksgiving food distribution. This event, celebrating its 30th year, helps Project Giveback support over 5,000 families with bulk food distribution throughout the city.

“It’s not a hard process,” she said. “You have to get in early. The ANCs want to make sure their constituents are being served.”��

��Not all commissioners offer grants.��

Since the ANC’s have final say if an organization or event gets funded, single member district representatives can sponsor a proposal for an organization that is based outside of their ANC. This is important because not all ANCs offer grants.����

For example, Anna Krebs, commissioner and treasurer of ANC 6B06, represents one of those districts.����

“6B does not currently have grants available, but it is something that we are actively working on,” she said. ��

She said her neighborhood commission is working with the OANC to see what kinds of grants have been approved for other neighborhoods.����

Before becoming an ANC commissioner, Krebs said she hadn’t heard of the grants either. However, she added that she does see the value of them.

��“Part of why we want to bring back grants is so we can put money back into the community,” she said.����

So who decides if an ANC will offer grants or not? According to Boese, that’s up to the ANCs as well.��

��“It is important when reading the Code to pay attention to the words ‘may’ and ‘shall.’ ‘May’ means that a Commission is allowed, but not required, to do something. ‘Shall’ means that a Commission must so something,” Boese said.��

Boese is referring to section 1–309.13(l)(1) of the D.C. Code, which says “Expenditures may be in the form of grants by the Commission for public purposes within the Commission.”��

Some commissions have elected to start creating programs themselves, rather than issue reimbursements to organizations, Boese said.��

According to the OANC Annual Report for FY24, ANCs receive an approved allotment in the D.C. budget by the mayor. For the last two years, that amount was $915,688, which comes to $1.327 per District resident based on the 2020 census.����

The OANC can also recommend that the Office of the Chief Financial Officer withhold a portion of an ANC’s allocation if that commission has spent money for something that is not allowed (e.g. a committee luncheon) or is not in accordance with the procedures for spending money (e.g. the expenditure is not recorded in the minutes, or the check does not have two signatures). It is the OCFO that makes the quarterly allotments to the ANCs.��

ANC budgets are restricted to two main uses: administration and community support. Admin can be office supplies, business cards, signs, advertising, or rent for office space or community meetings. The commissioners themselves are not paid, however.��

A common theme is a lack of awareness. “Even if people don’t get involved, they should know we exist,” Krebs said.����

Singleton said she found out about the grants from a member of her church.����

“They don’t publicize,” she said. “You need to be active in the ANC, and you need to go to meetings.”����

Boese said his office is working to fix the lack of awareness of the grant program. In addition to improving individual websites, his office is working on an initiative in conjunction with local libraries to bring more attention to the commissions, and the work they do, before next year’s election.����

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City Developers have plans for Anacostia and it may end up looking more like Georgetown’s storefront-lined main street than home to some of the District’s richest history and culture for the communities who produced it.��

However, one new business hopes to create a third space that doesn’t contribute to the gentrification that many locals have pointed to as disruptive and destructive to their communities.��

“Gentrification is inevitable.”��

That is what Mignon Hemsley, Co-owner of , a coffee-plant-wellness experience located next to the DHCD headquarters in Anacostia, said. Mignon, originally from the DMV area, along with business partner, Photographer, and Pennsylvania native Danuelle Doswell, started Grounded as an online plant shop during the pandemic.��

With a clean-earthy aesthetic that both captured the interest of their peers. Photos of friends and colleagues fill product displays and line the walls of unity that have formed around their business. Grounded thrived online, garnering business contracts from Meta, Google, and ESPN and companies like them who, Mignon explained, wanted to bring a more relaxing and healing atmosphere to their respective office spaces in the post-pandemic era. Mignon hopes that their new storefront will build a community around the cafe seating area.�� The pictures of friends, Mignon told thewash.org, represent long-standing supporters of their business and the community.

The duo opened a storefront for their business earlier this year, adding a cafe, open seating and a Wellness studio to their existing plants and accessories business.��

Grounded is unique, not in its business model, but in its location in Anacostia and what it provided to some big corporations. Coffee shops that offer other bespoke services like and wellness programming are much more prevalent in other more affluent areas of the city. Still, Mignon said she and Danuelle intentionally chose Anacostia as their storefront’s location. They are both committed to continuing to serve their peers and willing ask the question themselves,�� “How is your business helping the community?”��

Stephanie, who works as Grounded’s Plant Care Specialists, considers Grounded a relaxing and healing place.��

��“It’s a chill space,” Stephanie said,�� “where plant care meets self-care.”��

Anacostia has always been a working-class community; like many working-class communities, families still feel the squeeze of inflation.

Fashion stylist Mo, who goes byonline and business partner, and fashion buyer, 2D, runs the

Vintage Charmed boutique in the Anacostia Arts Center is a vintage fashion shop offering high-end, lightly worn vintage garments, accessories, and styling services.

Mo said she thinks consumers can afford higher priced items, but has noticed her customers are thinking twice before making a purchase, and would like to see more businesses the community needs.

2D said, “Customers are buying, but they are being more intentional.”�� 2D would like to see more support for visual artists and is thinking of offering free and discounted art supplies to artists in the neighborhood.��

In the meantime, Mignon is working to bring that “third space” into existence by bringing events and workshops to the space and inviting young people to the space. Mignon and Danuelle have plans to partner with Anacostia, Ballou, and Thurgood Marshall high schools to increase young people’s experiences in nature, teach them about plant care, and provide youth programming from their wellness space.��

Mignon and Danuelle are also sensitive to the different�� socioeconomic circumstances residents of their adopted neighborhood face in comparison to other parts of the city, and have promised to work to lower in-store prices to match price points advertised online, a risky decision that many businesses would avoid in favor of reaping larger profits. But Mignon, confident in her business, and the community she has built around it, said, “If we can survive the pandemic, we can survive anything.”��

The post “Grounded” brings plant wellness, and community focus to a changing Anacostia first appeared on 91����.

The event was dubbed a soft launch. It was open to the public but targeted city officials, artists, and organizers who are involved in preserving GoGo music.

Located at 1920 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue Southeast in the historic Anacostia neighborhood, the new museum honors��the appreciation and study of GoGo music.����

“It’s not just about recognition,” said At-large City Councilmember�� Kenyan McDuffie to a wall-to-wall packed audience.“It’s about preservation. It’s about celebration.”

At Large City Councilmember Robert White described the museum’s opening as a “celebration of resilience and community culture.”��

Mayor Bowser took the stage at 11:30 AM and was greeted by political friends, the press, and GoGo, the official music of D.C.

“We have 80 museums in Washington DC, but until today, we had one missing,” said Bowser.��

The first of its kind, the GoGo Museum is minutes away from the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site and the Anacostia Community Museum. It features a two-level outdoor event space.

Community leaders and educators reminded the packed crowd of the hard work artists have put into legitimizing GoGo, culminating in the museum’s creation. Ronald Moten, co-founder of #DontMuteDC and the GoGo Museum, spoke out about the persistent lack of funding for the arts.��

“And that’s why, that’s why what happened with #DontMuteDC was so important, because it showed that we have a voice and a say in the city,” said Moten.����

“We’re constantly criminalized, constantly being muted. Our voices are muted, our bodies are muted, our music is muted. And now that we have the GoGo Museum we have a home forever and just want to make it last forever,” said Natalie Hopkinson, Associate Professor of Journalism at American University, co-founder of #DontMuteDC, and the GoGo Museum.����

GoGo performers gave their remarks on the impact of GoGo Music as well as the potential impact of the GoGo Museum revealed itself. Performer after performer spoke of the life-changing positive impacts of GoGo music on their life. Son of Chuck Brown, D.C.’s Godfather of GoGo, and speaker of the Chuck Brown Band said.

Anwan “Big G” Glover, one of the lead vocalists of BackYard Band, urged youth to pay attention to their history and said bands like Rare Essence and Junkyard Band paved the way for him.��

“Junk paved the way for Back,” Glover said.��

Reflecting on the moment as the crowd enjoyed dueling performances from the Junkyard Band and Backyard Band, Kelsey Adams, Executive Director of Long Live GoGo, the organization behind the annual Moechella event, said��she was happy to be in a space that was actually preserving DC culture.��

“This is going to be a brick and mortar, so a place where GoGo can actually live, a place where people can come to at any time to kind of witness what the GoGo community produces.”����

The GoGo Museum is set to open officially in February 2025.

The post GoGo advocates and city officials celebrate nation’s first GoGo museum first appeared on 91����.

Carla Brannum described poll workers at Fort Stanton Recreation Center as “dependable” and said she was just happy to “vote without nonsense, no paper fires, no once scratching each other.” 

Carla was referring to reports of ballot boxes that were set on fire in Oregon last week. 

Many voters we spoke to were concerned with national elections, but voters still turned out to vote for local down-ballot issues. Ward 8 voters chose to stick with embattled councilmember Tryaon White. With over 17,000 votes, about 75% of Ward 8 voters, Councilmember White clenched a victory by the end of the night for his re-election bid. 

Residents we spoke to shared mixed reactions to Trayon White’s re-election. 

Edward Ford, a longtime supporter of White and volunteer for the campaign, said, “Councilmember White is walking in the shadow of Mayor Marion Barry,” something we’ve heard before from Ward 8 residents and one that has a basis in history.

Edward said Trayon White is advocating for the people. “The FBI came against Marion Barry because he was an advocate for his people.” 

The civil rights movement From which Marion Barry came is littered with figures the government effectively targeted. 

Ermias Woldu, a D.C. resident of nine years and first-time voter, said that even though our city is divided up by wards, we are still one city. Ward 8 residents should be supported by the rest of the city as the case surrounding White unfolds. 

That’s why he voted for Initiative 83, saying that having more voting options might bring greater accountability among elected officials,  “down the road with Initiative 83, with people having more options, people might not do corruption.” 

But in a part of the district that often doesn’t receive the attention and care it deserves, having a city leader like a council member who remains as present in that community as White garners substantial support shouldn’t be a surprise. 

“His record remains strong of how he shows up in the ward and how everyone knows him because he always shows up. He supports people, he makes people feel seen and heard, and that is probably the powerful thing a candidate can do, especially outside of election season,” said Sandy Patel, who works in Ward 8. 

Despite facing a federal bribery charge, DC Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White has easily won reelection. I spoke to White earlier tonight, he says this should send a message to the DC Council that it should not vote to expel him.

— Tom Roussey (@tomroussey7news)

The D.C. council ad hoc committee leading an independent investigation of White could restrict White’s power and political influence or remove him from his seat, effectively rejecting the voters’ election day. Their decision is expected to be announced next month. 

Voters in Ward 8 echoed sentiments heard across the country. The issues that guided the voters we talked to were reproductive rights, the economy, and ending the tensions and violence that seem to have animated politics and everyday life in this country over the last 8 years. 

“I hope that we can reach some sort of unity as a country. I hope that we can accept the outcome of the elections without violence,” said Magean Hayes, who we spoke to at Arthur Capper Recreation Center

According to the D.C. Board of Elections, about 26% of Ward 8 residents attended the polls. In a ranked ballot, Councilmember White would not have necessarily won a re-election bid, and voters in Ward 8 would theoretically have more options in candidates to vote for, meaning Candidates would have to work harder for D.C. residents’ votes. 

The post Mixed reactions to Trayon White’s re-election in Ward 8 as DC investigates potential ethics violations first appeared on 91����.

Deshawna Bowman, a worker at a restaurant White frequents and a Ward 8 resident, said, “I just feel as though he has honestly been sort of a target when it comes to legal troubles simply because he’s a young Black man.”��

Since his arrest in August, White has enjoyed continued support from residents. Shortly after White was released from jail, tweets surfaced on the of supporters shielding White, still in his bathrobe, from the press cameras. The crowd chanted, “We love Tray!” and “Ward 8!”

Trayon White just left the federal courthouse flanked by supporters. Said nothing.

— Nick Iannelli (@NickWTOP)

“I definitely feel like he was baited in,” Bowman said.��

Councilmember White was indicted and pleaded not guilty to bribery charges. According to the, White is accused of taking over $156,000 in kickbacks and cash payments in exchange for extending contracts between non-profit Life Deeds, Inc. and the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS), and the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONES).

According to the , On August 9, 2024, at approximately 10:30 am, White allegedly met with a�� “Confidential Human Source 1” (CHS1) who allegedly gave him a $5K payment. On the same day, after meeting with White, the CHS1 signed a plea deal.������

Bowman told 91���� in response to the indictment, “It’s just so crazy because the things that they were saying were part of the bribery case; These are things that could potentially help the community.”��

Bowman was referring to the violence interruption and prevention programs District agencies oversee. One of White’s�� roles on the council was overseeing the DYRS and ONES agencies as a council member. DYRS and ONES contracted with Life Deed Inc. Violence interruption has gained popularity as an alternative to – often – heavy-handed policing among communities that often experience high rates of violence.��

Jordan Payne, a Ward 8 resident and small business owner in the Anacostia neighborhood, expressed critical support for White, and said there’s more to be done in Ward 8.

“I still find myself seeing a lot of kids in the community bored, having nothing to do. There’s not the type of activities and program set in place to make sure the kids stay off the street and are doing something more constructive with their time,” said Payne.��

Ward 8 resident Keon Hill said he is familiar with White’s work in the community. Hill mentioned that White had launched several initiatives to end youth violence��and bring to Ward 8. Hill, who admits he is not a particularly interested in politics, knows a good leader with good intentions when he sees one.��

“The things he’s done can’t put out the positive things he’s done,” Hill said, noting that the work White has done for the Ward 8 community and the city has bought White some social grace.��

“They know we wit ’em.” “They know he’s got that kind of power, but they don’t want to see it, for real,” Hill said

Payne, however, wants his elected officials to be accountable for their actions, stating,“I don’t think we should show them grace. I think we need to set an example out of them to try to make sure people don’t make those same mistakes because we see it time and time again.”��

Bowman feels White is being targeted, but admits the evidence has yet to play out in court. “Sometimes you do the crime, you have to do the time,” Bowman added.����

In an op-ed to East of the River news, Phillip Pannell, a longtime community activist and president of the Anacostia Coordinating Council, wrote��“All of the immense good that our Ward 8 Council Member has done for our community is in no way negated by the photos and recounting of his alleged illegal activities. What is so sad is that his upward vocational, economic and political mobility was accompanied by an ethical and moral decline.”��

Pannell also announced his race for the Ward 8 council seat as a write-in candidate last month.

White is not the only elected official accused of misusing their political position for financial or personal gain.��

In August, the same month of White’s arrest, now-former Navy Yard Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC8F) Commissioner Clayton Rosenberg was sentenced to five years and three months for misusing COVID-19 relief funds, according to a from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.��

His fellow commissioners removed Clayton Rosenberg from his position in a special August meeting of the 8f commission. Members of the ANC issued formal statements earlier this month.��

Edward Daniels, ANC8F Chair, wrote, “There is no place for corruption and misuse of public funds as an elected official.”��

“All of us should expect more from our elected officials, and we can do better as a city,” ANC8f Secretary Brian Strege stated.����

Bowman told 91���� that White should be held to a higher standard.“When you do get into these higher roles like a council member, it’s just a different kind of ethics you have to follow,” he said.

Since Councilmember White’s arrest in August, the D.C. Council has launched its own investigation through an ad hoc committee. On September 17th, in a closed-door session of the ad hoc committee, White was removed from his committee positions pending his trial.��

“We owe it to the residents of D.C. to conduct an independent investigation,” said Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie just before the meeting was closed to the public.��

Many people interviewed for this article label White as humble and from notoriously difficult beginnings. His continued presence in his community has bought him social credit and buoyed his political career. Yet, curiosity over the details surrounding White’s FBI case continues to grow even among his most ardent supporters.��

His case is also being compared to former Mayor Marion Barry and his legal troubles. Barry,�� the city’s two-time mayor and three-time Councilmember, was perhaps D.C.’s most pivotal political figure in the 1980’s. His summer youth empowerment program, placing the city’s youth with government and private sector summer jobs, is credited with improving many young people’s lives for the better. Barry’s positive influence and politics came with controversy.��

Barry was arrested on cocaine charges in a 1990 FBI sting operation that many thought was a setup. Barry’s political comeback, however, became a part of his enduring legacy. Like Barry, White has focused most of his political career on championing programs that impact Ward 8’s most vulnerable residents.��

In its seeming embrace of Ward 8 residents, maybe White can find support, and accountability. White is running for a third term on November 5th. U.S. District Judge Randolph Contreras has given White’s defense team until Nov. 13th to review evidence in his case. Prosecutors have asked that Jury selection begin July 7, 2025. The city council’s ad hoc committee is set to deliver the findings from their independent investigation on December 16th.

The post Councilmember Trayon White faces bribery charges amid community support. first appeared on 91����.

DDOT initiated the to repair and improve bridges across I-695, as well as providing better lighting, signs, and drainage alongside the freeway. The most important aspect, however, involves the repairs made to the bridges’ infrastructure.

The New Jersey Avenue Bridge, in particular, suffers from steel corrosion and concrete deterioration of its pilings. The deterioration is notable, but not so severe that the bridge must be shut down.

According to the DDOT Freeway Rehabilitation project overview, the damage comes from the natural wear and tear of age and exposure to the elements. The bridges were originally built in the early 1960s and were last updated in 1991.

Construction on the Southeast/Southwest Freeway Bridges is still a few years to come, according to the District Department of Transportation.

DDOT Public Information Officer German Vigil said that the project is still in its design phase, but that the department expects to see construction begin in three years, if all goes well.

“We are currently at that 65% design development milestone,” Vigil said. “Construction is projected to start in 2026 depending on funding availability.”

Vigil emphasized that work can only begin when the project’s funding is secured.

“The project is estimated to last two to three years from its start date,” Vigil said. “This is all dependent on funding and procurements. Once that is confirmed, we can provide a construction schedule with more details, which will all be posted on our website.”

Since the project is still in its earliest stages, many residents of neighborhoods surrounding the freeway bridges are unaware of the potential construction.

“I haven’t heard anything,” said Navy Yard resident Justin Purvis. “Not at all.”

According to the project overview, DDOT expects to see an increase in traffic and a decrease in parking availability as construction begins.

Vigil said that, as of now, residents should not expect any immediate road closures due to construction on the project, but that DDOT will continue to update surrounding communities with information about how they will be impacted.

“DDOT is conducting robust traffic analysis and will conduct extensive public engagement with ANCs and members of these communities, which will inform residents of the traffic management plan,” Vigil said. “Residents are encouraged to visit and sign up for project updates.”

Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Matt LaFortune, who is the chair of ANC 6B’s Transportation Committee, said that the ANC was in communication with DDOT to plan for any future road closures.

“We are expecting them,” LaFortune said. “We asked [DDOT] a number of questions at our meeting where they presented this project about their plan for road closures. They’re expected to keep at least one lane both ways going throughout, but we ask that they communicate with us if there’s going to be any impact on traffic in the neighborhood.”

LaFortune also said that DDOT had spoken to ANC 6B about the necessity of securing funding for the project, while also assuring them that any minor delays they encountered would not represent a danger to the bridges.

“It didn’t seem from DDOT that if [construction] got pushed back six months or even a year, that that would be critical,” he said. “But we were hearing from them that they did want to move, move on this. The sooner the better, I guess.”

The post DDOT seeks funding for SE/SW Freeway bridge repairs first appeared on 91����.

Last month, Mayor Muriel Bowser and GW University leaders announced a partnership to bring comprehensive medical care to residents in Wards 7 and 8 at the new St. Elizabeth’s East hospital.

United Health Services, GW Hospital’s administrator, will operate the 136-bed academic hospital under a 75-year lease. At the same time, physicians from the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences and GW Medical Faculty will serve as staff for the hospital, said hospital spokesperson Susan Griffiths.

Resident Travis Swanson described the current state of healthcare services in Ward 7 as “a tragedy.” There is no urgent care, and the closest hospital is Washington Medical Center, so it can be difficult for residents to access basic medical care, he said.

The new St. Elizabeth’s hospital will include maternity and pediatric services, a trauma center, primary care services, specialty services like cancer, diabetes, cardiac and general surgery, and specialty care based on community needs, among other services, Griffiths said.

Hospital construction breaks ground in 2022, with a planned opening in 2024.�� Griffiths told 91���� hospital planners will take steps to improve medical access before then. Two urgent cares are scheduled to open in 2022 (one each in Wards 7 and 8) to supplement essential health services.

Although the hospital will increase resources and access to medical care, some residents say they are skeptical the community will use them.

An urgent care would be “a win,” at this point, said Tiffany Brown, a Ward 7 resident, but providers must consider if residents are willing to go to the doctors.

Similarly, Salim Adofo, the 8C Advisory Neighborhood Commission chairperson representing part of the neighborhood, said he has encountered the “entire spectrum” of feelings towards using health services in Ward 8. Some people want a top-tier hospital, while others don’t go to the hospital when they’re sick or for regular checkups, he said.

Healthcare disparities have persisted over time, said Dr. Jonathan Respress, M.B.A., a director in medical affairs. There’s more access but maybe people aren’t doing it, so “we have to take a step back and look at reasons for these disparities — management specifically.”

There are provider-related factors that contribute to this, Respress said. Providers have bias and clinical ideas about treating patients based on background and ethnicity and may have their own beliefs about the behavioral health of minority patients.

“Patient prep” is also a factor, he added. This includes why patients are using treatment, what their care is like, whether they understand the disease, what needs to be done to address it, and their perception of others getting treated.

Brown said one of the things she sees residents struggle with is being heard. “They are talked at, instead of to,” she said.

Adofo said that the culture of healthcare east of the river must be considered. “Historically, for many Black people, their relationship to the healthcare system is not a good one. Look at the Tuskegee study and how people felt about that.”

“Here we are in 2021, and folks are looking at healthcare as something that is friendly to Black people,” he said, “So any plan to address healthcare must include a plan for how to build the trust of a community that has been done wrong for so many years.”

Anne Banner, the School of Medicine and Health Sciences spokesperson, said there is already a community advisory board being formed to discuss community education and outreach initiatives.

As academic physician faculty, GW believes patient-centered care will optimize healthcare services, Banner explained. “A key element of patient-centered care is focus on continuity and community.”

With United Health Services’ support, GW will launch a family medicine residency program at St. Elizabeth’s to develop and train a group of physicians on that campus that are fully aware of the needs of residents in Wards 7 and 8.

As part of this undertaking, Respress said it is important for United Health Services to work with grassroots initiatives.����“Work with local community organizations that are really willing to take part and drive to mitigate issues that are going on in their community — because they know what those specific issues are.”

The last health disparity concern Respress noted is the healthcare system itself, namely the geography and availability of healthcare institutions. “When you look at GW or Johns Hopkins versus your area, of course, people are going to have access to different levels of care,” he said.

United Medical Center is the only hospital east of the Anacostia River residents have access to, and Poya Carmichael, VP and Public Relations and Corporate Secretary, said “the reputation of the hospital has not been the best” in recent years.

Adofo said there’s a “terrible stigma” surrounding United Medical Center in the community, and it’s decreasing services – there’s no trauma center or prenatal care.

“If I needed to go to the hospital, I would go someplace other than the community,”he said.

Dorothea Barnes, a school teacher who lives across from the hospital, said, “It’s really not a good hospital. I had some bad experiences here.”

Carmichael said United Medical Center’s turnover in leadership and management is reflected in the quality of care the hospital provides.

United Medical Center decided to close its maternity Ward permanently three years ago after a Health Services inspection found faults in the quality of care.

“You can’t have a baby east of the river,” said Brown.

She remembers her 13-year-old daughter watching the closure announcement on the news and saying, “Does this mean you can’t have a baby over here?” Brown said seeing her daughter make that connection at such a young age showed her that healthcare access��“definitely is an issue.”

Both the District and United Health Services will invest significant resources in the construction and operation of St. Elizabeth’s hospital. The district will fund the in construction, and United Health Services will invest $75 million in healthcare in Wards 7 and 8.

The post GW partners to improve healthcare access in Southeast DC first appeared on 91����.

��“Thank you for voting,” said Richard Etienne Jr., Smith’s campaign manager, who is Black, as voters left the center Tuesday. “Did we get your vote today?”

��“Absolutely not,” one woman wearing a purple sweater responded as she exited the church and entered the nearby parking lot.

��Opponents said Smith shouldn’t have run and didn’t know the history of the community.

��“He has used a person of color to be his front person and cause arguments, while he sat silently and just watched on the sidelines,” said Aiyi’nah Ford, an eighth generation Washingtonian, who also ran in the race and came in second place, winning 21% of the vote.

��Smith mostly stood by silently as Etienne Jr. defended his campaign.

“I just have one frustration because there’s been media involved in this race, and there’s been more media about me, my party affiliation, and everything else than there was about the 16-year-old boy who got shot on my block a couple of nights ago,” Smith said, referring to Kareem Palmer, who early Sunday morning.

But opponents said he should talk to the mothers who lost children to gun violence. They said they hadn’t seen him at candlelight vigils for those lost to gun violence and was noticeably uncomfortable speaking to residents, noting how much his campaign manager spoke Tuesday.

��“Believe me, I believe in change through all people and if you made a change, I’m proud of you finding out the truth,” said Patrice LeSane, 45, the sister of Robin McKinney who won the race. “But if you really want to make a change, stand behind the candidates: Aiyi’nah, Robin McKinney. Stand behind one of those ladies and show that you real. That’s how you show us that you’re real, you can’t come up here and just try to take over.”

LeSane described her sister as a success story. McKinney was homeless with seven children at one point in her life, and is now a homeowner. LeSane said her sister intimately knows the struggles of living in Ward 8. McKinney ultimately won the race with 50% of the vote.

Smith worked in 2016 and 2017 with Jason Kessler to preserve the Robert E. Lee monument, which Charlottesville Vice Mayor Wes Bellamy called to be removed due to its ties to the Confederacy. Kessler went on to organize the Unite the Right white-nationalist rally which resulted in one woman dying and nineteen others getting injured.��

Smith Kessler once Kessler began making plans for the rally. “He’s affiliated himself with people who are, to put it mildly, ideologically distasteful,” Smith told Charlottesville’s Daily Progress in June 2017. “I want nothing to do with that.”

Despite his distancing, Black Lives Matter D.C. voiced concern by Smith’s campaign in Ward 8. April Goggans, an organizer for the group, recently that Smith has “a nefarious agenda” and is “intentionally misleading folks about his identity and political plans.”

Local activists were unsure whether residents actually knew about Smith’s background. If they knew, they would not vote for him, Ward 8 Area Neighborhood Commissioner Charles Wilson told DCist.

Smith’s campaign was a sign that Ward 8 is rapidly gentrifying, local activists said. D.C. used to be known as “Chocolate City” but most Black residents have been pushed to the outskirts of the city in Wards 5, 7 and 8 as housing has gotten more expensive. Officials are concerned that Black residents will soon be pushed out of those wards too. Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White that would prevent further displacement.

��“The harm that displacement and gentrification is having on our city is too great to be ignored,” White said. “People are being forced out of their communities and their neighborhoods.”��

White, a D.C. Native won reelection, with 78% of the vote in Ward 8.

The post After heated campaign, man once tied to white supremacy loses Ward 8 ANC race first appeared on 91����.

Construction on the grocery store was supposed to begin in January 2019, but didn’t begin until March 2020. Federal immigration policy drove up labor costs and steel tariffs are mostly to blame, according to Philip Sambol, the executive director of Oasis Community Partners, which runs Good Food Markets.

Ward 8, which is predominantly Black, had . And the area has been of the city during the coronavirus pandemic. The ward has the highest number of deaths in the District and the third-highest number of positive cases. Many residents have lost their jobs and struggle to afford basic necessities such as housing and food.

Bread for the City, which offers free food and has a location in Ward 8’s Anacostia, has seen demand double during the coronavirus pandemic. The has forced residents to rely on corner stores, said Kenrick Thomas, a spokesman for Bread for the City. “And what that leads to is unhealthy food, and what that leads to is an unhealthy diet, and then that causes health issues.”

The construction delays on the Ward 8 location in Bellevue drove up the costs to over $500,000, Sambol said. The market has received additional funding from the Bainum Family Foundation and the D.C. Department of Insurance Securities and Banking, which recently awarded the organization $500,000 to help complete construction on the Ward 8 store.

“I am excited that we were able to provide funding to Good Food Markets to help finalize construction on a much-needed new grocery store in Ward 8, increasing access to healthy food options east of the river and creating jobs for local residents,” D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser.

The grocery store will share a building with 190 housing units and area neighborhood commissioner offices, Sambol said.

Good Food has one market up and running in D.C., in Northeast Washington. That location has been running since 2015 and is primarily staffed by local residents.

“Grocery stores are some of the most well-funded, data-driven businesses in the entire world,” Sambol said. “And they’re not wrong that their model won’t work in say Bellevue, Ward 8, or Langdon, Ward 5, but that doesn’t mean nothing will work.”

The organization hopes to bring a market to Prince George’s County too. Prince George’s County is the most affluent majority-African American jurisdiction in the country, but has struggled to attract large grocery stores in certain areas of the county.

The Good Food in Prince George’s at the end of 2018 after a Safeway in the Seat Pleasant area closed in 2016, but that opening has been delayed as well. The project has been dormant because funding partners and public sector partners were unable to come to an agreement.��

The challenges Good Food has faced bringing stores to low-income areas highlights the difficulty of addressing, areas where people do not live close to supermarkets. Access to capital, training and entrepreneurship, vendors, and hardware are some of the factors that determine whether an organization can compete in the grocery sector, Sambol said. Poverty experts also of communities of color, especially East of the Anacostia River.

“I think nothing that we’ve encountered is novel, nothing is insurmountable but it does speak to why there are not more of these,” Sambol said.

And while a new grocery store is important, Lisa Fitzpatrick, a doctor who lives in Ward 8, said the city should use more of its resources to “improve food and nutrition literacy to help people feel confident in making healthy food selections.”

“A lot of advice is not tailored to people’s reality,” said Fitzpatrick, who is also the founder of , an organization that strives to help people understand the health-care system.

In the end, advocates hope that Ward 8 will receive more than just a grocery store. Hanna Baker is an area neighborhood commissioner in the Ward. She said economic development is on the minds of residents, and many want affordable homeownership opportunities.

“Community serving retail is a vast gap in need in the community,” Baker said.

The post Year-long delays continue on Ward 8 grocery store first appeared on 91����.