Happy New Year! I hope you have enjoyed a restful holiday season with loved ones. As we head into the weekend, keep an eye out for neighbors who may need a helping hand ahead of Monday’s forecasted snow. Even better, now is a great time to join the DC Volunteer Snow Team. You can register to volunteer here, and if you are a senior who would like to request snow removal assistance, you can do so here.
This week marked the start of Council Period 26, and my colleagues and I are preparing for the important season of performance oversight set to begin later this month. With new committee assignments, my oversight work will focus on the following agencies under jurisdiction of the Committee on Youth Affairs:
- Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS)
- Juvenile Abscondence Review Committee
- Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA)
- Citizen Review Panel on Child Abuse and Neglect
- Office of the Attorney General (OAG, jointly with the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety)
- Office of the Ombudsperson for Children
- Office and Commission on African Affairs
- Office and Commission on African American Affairs
I am eager to dive in to ensure these agencies are delivering for District residents.
I also had the honor this week of swearing in Ward 5 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners for a new two-year term. These newly elected and re-elected ANCs will be critical partners with my office over the next two years as we continue to build healthy communities in Ward 5. Check out the full list of Ward 5 ANCs in the Ward 5 Updates section below, and consider filling an ANC vacancy if your Single Member District is without a commissioner.
In the coming days, our city will host events to honor the late President Jimmy Carter. From installing solar panels on the White House in 1979, to sending his daughter, Amy, to DC Public Schools, President Carter challenged norms in pursuit of America’s best. A remarkable public servant whose post-Presidential accomplishments are arguably unmatched, I am grateful for the humanitarian legacy of compassion, faith, and community care that he leaves us. President Carter will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol from 7:00 p.m. until midnight on Tuesday, January 7, and again from 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 8 until 7:00 a.m. Thursday, January 9. No tickets or reservations are needed to attend.
This edition of the Ward 5 Weekly newsletter also includes public safety updates, details about the Taylor Street Bikeway Open House on January 11, an info session with HumanitiesDC about their Community Grants on January 13, reminders about changes to Metrorail service, a reminder about leaf collection which moves back to Section B for a second pass on Monday, January 13, Notices of Intent modifying traffic/parking requirements in Ward 5, a reminder that the My School DC lottery registration is open, and programs to benefit from including mental health support. Keep reading for more!
