Serving Our Community in the DMV
Vol 61 No 28
The Collins D.C. Council Report:
A Youth Curfew Discussion That’s Not Yet Finished
Local Lawmakers Once Again Delays Emergency Vote, While Ward 6 Council Candidate Criticizes Councilmember Allen
REPORT Page 12
5 During spring break, a group of young people joined Gloria Ann Nauden and Lauren Harris at Politics & Prose at the Wharf during Spring Break Community Service Week. (Courtesy Photo/Ramone Evans)
Burdened by Ozone Pollution, City Works to Clean Air and Protect Residents By Mya Trujillo WI Contributing Writer
While the nation’s capital is making strides toward reducing air pollution in the region and mitigating its effects, ozone pollution still stands between Washington and its clean air goals, with D.C. receiving yet another failing grade in this category in the American Lung Association’s (ALA) 2026 State of the Air (SOTA) report. “The report, from our perspective, is an opportunity to take a pause and have people… think about the air they breathe,” Aleks Casper, ALA’s director of advocacy, told The 5 The nation’s capital is still working to meet its clean air goals, Informer. after the District received an ‘F’ for ozone pollution and ‘D’ for This comprehensive assessment evaluates
OZONE Page 19
NOTE: This article was updated to include commentary from MPD about its public release of information. For three days, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) didn’t issue a public statement about a young man’s body found hanging from a tree near its Fourth District Headquarters. District residents instead relied on footage that Eyone Williams gathered and posted online. On the afternoon of April 13, shortly after a relative called him, Williams drove to Quackenbos Street NW, between Ninth Street and Georgia Avenue. As he recounted, that’s where he saw MPD officers setting up a perimeter, cutting the young man’s body from a tree, and discouraging onlookers from recording video and taking
YOUNG MAN Page 36
From Healing to Stability: Building a New Future for Returning Citizens
Ozone Strikes Again: D.C. Receives ‘F’ in 2026 State of the Air
short-term particle pollution in the American Lung Association’s 2026 State of the Air report. (WI File Photo/Robert R. Roberts)
Young Man Found Hanging from Tree in Northwest, MPD Issues Public Statement Days Later By Sam Plo Kwia Collins, Jr. WI Senior Writer
By Sam Plo Kwia Collins, Jr. WI Senior Writer During its April 21 additional legislative meeting, the D.C. Council inched closer to making permanent the mayor’s emergency curfew declaration powers, as well as the Metropolitan Police Department's (MPD) ability to designate curfew zones. The council, however, postponed its vote on an emergency curfew bill for the second time, in part due
April 23 - 29, 2026
Emancipation Day Page 29
By Jada Ingleton WI Content Editor
With the mark of April’s Second Chance Month comes a call to fine-tune successful reentry for one of the nation’s most vulnerable populations. Amid heightened national awareness for barriers faced by returning citizens, justice warriors in D.C. and beyond are championing an inclusive future starting from the ground up –– be it challenging low wages and benefits, or working to obstruct the systems recycling inequity. As for Simone Price, director of organizing at the Cen5 Simone Price serves as the director of organizing at ter for Employment Opportunities (CEO), the path the Center for Employment Opportunities. During forward means shaping an infrastructure with tools to reApril’s Second Chance Month, the New York-based build a life, coupled with a desire to branch that promise organization is boosting awareness on the economic disparities that hinder returning citizens from long-term nationwide. success. (Courtesy Photo)
SECOND CHANCE Page 5
Celebrating 61 years. Your credible and trusted source for Black news and information. APRIL 23 - 29, 2026 1
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