VOL. 53, NO. 35 • JUNE 21 - 27, 2018
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UniverSoul Circus Celebrates 25 Years - Page 28
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DC Council Prepares for ‘Red-Letter’ Budget Day
Mayor Bowser, Incumbents Win Easily in Primary By William J. Ford, Staff Writer and Tatyana Hopkins, Contributing Writer District residents chose to maintain the status quo. According to unofficial results in the city’s Democratic primary Tuesday, June 19, Mayor Muriel Bowser and five council members easily defeated their opponents. Each won by nearly double the voter output. Although Bowser will have competition in the general election, she’s expected to become the first mayor since 2006 to win a second term in the heavily Democratic city. “I can promise you like I promised you back in 2007 that you can trust me. Nobody’s going to work harder, longer, or stronger than
ELECTIONS Page 44
By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer
WOMEN OF FAITH RAISE THEIR VOICES
5 On Tuesday, June 19, Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, and Jewish women of faith gathered at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection headquarters demanding the Trump administration stop tearing children away from their parents at the border. /Photo by Shevry Lassiter
Supreme Court OKs States to Purge Voting Rolls
By Tatyana Hopkins WI Contributing Writer
5 Mayor Muriel Bowser greets supporters on June 19 at the Shepherd Elementary School in Northwest after casting her vote. Mayor Bowser, seeking reelection, won the D.C. Democratic primary by receiving 82.99 percent of the vote. /Photo by Shevry Lassiter
On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder, the landmark case that rendered the preclearance provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 unenforceable until amended by Congress, the court ruled on another significant case challenging an Ohio voter purge law. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court upheld the law that allows state officials to purge voters from its voter rolls that failed to vote in
two consecutive federal election cycles and failed to respond to a notice delivered by mail. Now, the decision has helped fuel debates around nationwide voter suppression efforts with voting-right advocates worried that it will embolden other states to implement similar laws that will limit eligible voters from minority and low-income backgrounds from exercising their right to vote. Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (D-Ohio), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus
PURGE Page 37
Tuesday, June 26 is shaping up as a potential Red-Letter day in the District with councilmembers set to cast their votes on a number of issues that could have a profound effect on children, seniors and families. It could also be a big day for a new hospital that District officials want to build on St. Elizabeth’s east campus to replace the United Medical Center in Southeast. The hospital funding has been fast-tracked in a move celebrated by Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent Gray. “We’ve got the funding moved up by one year,” Gray said this week. “It isn’t like we need more money, we just need it available to be spent earlier.” Earlier this year, Council passed the city’s 2019 budget, a $14.5 billion package that aims to confront a lot of issues in the District’s African-American community. The Budget Support Act, the final element of the budget, will get its final vote on Tuesday, June 26. It incorporates the legislative changes necessitated by the budget and it must be passed a second time. The Act includes directing the mayor to seek private donations to fund violence prevention and mental health response to shootings, homicides and similar violent incidents. It also allows the few dozen students in each grade who were
DC COUNCIL Page 36
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