Women’s Foundation joins ‘A Partnership for Women’s Prosperity’…MoCo supporting young farmers…Fairfax executive warns of agency cuts [News, 8.7.12]

August 7, 2012 By

COMMUNITY | Washington Area Women’s Foundation announced that it has joined five other women’s funds from across the nation for a joint-venture called A Partnership for Women’s Prosperity. The partnership is supported through funding from the Walmart Foundation and designed to allow participants to share best practices, scale up successful models and programs, and find solutions to common problems. (WAWF, 8/7)

ENVIRONMENT/WORKFORCE | Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett has announced a new program that will train aspiring farmers and place them on private land to grow crops and livestock. (WaPo, 8/7) And now I have this stuck in my head.

EDUCATION | The Hudson Institute’s Peter Meyer considers a long-running debate: do we have to “cure the poor before we can educate them” or educate them before we can cure poverty? He believes that there is a clear answer. (HuffPo, 8/7)

PHILANTHROPY
- Last week, WRAG partnered with Arabella Advisors for a session on impact investing. Folks from the Consumer Health Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, and Living Cities talked about how they are shifting their perspectives to embrace impact investing and maximize change. Rebekah recaps the event here. (WG Daily, 8/7)

- What happens when you mix venture capitalists, funders, and entrepreneurs? The Chronicle writes a story about it! And they also develop interesting ideas. (Chronicle, 8/7)

BUDGETS | Fairfax County Executive Edward Long has issued a memo to county employees telling them to be prepared for agency cuts over the next two years. (WaPo, 8/7)

TRANSIT | MoCo has been awarded $40 million for transportation improvements related to Walter Reed’s move to Bethesda. (WAMU, 8/7) Jet packs, please. Because MD 355 is not getting any wider.

POLITICS | This is borderline gossip, but since it has been confirmed…well, what the heck. Mayor Gray’s chief of staff met with the crisis management expert who advised Monica Lewinsky, Sen. Larry Craig, ineffective quarterback Michael Vick, and even thespian Wesley Snipes. In the spirit of transparency, the Gray administration admits the meeting took place, but that the adviser “has no role in the administration, paid or otherwise.” (HuffPo, 8/7) Let me emphasize, “no role.” They were probably talking about the weather.

I won’t link directly to the video since it contains some profanity, but if you run a Google search for “Irish Olympic commentator,” you’ll find links to a laugh-til-you-cry video. The Irish commentator speaks his mind while watching a sailing race – a sport about which he knows nothing. Again, fair warning, there is some profanity.

In G-rated territory, here’s a spectacular video of the world-record breaking group skydive. Wait until they get into formation and then disperse.

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What if we spent Olympic level funding on fighting poverty?…Voucher program supports 300 new students…Successful teen pregnancy program faces funding problem [News, 8.6.12]

August 6, 2012 By

POVERTY | Opinion: Mark Bergel, executive director of nonprofit A Wider Circle, asks – What if D.C. made an Olympic effort to end poverty? (WaPo, 8/4) Bergel considers how much money is being poured into the Olympics:

So here’s my question: If we were prepared as a community to mobilize the region’s resources and fund the premier athletic event in the world, why can’t we make the same commitment to house our homeless neighbors, feed hungry families and clothe young and old in our community? If our local government and the private sector were prepared to provide beds, healthy meals and showers for athletes from around the world, why do so many among us not have a bed, a healthy meal or a shower?

It’s an interesting premise, and it can be applied to a lot of other things. What if we took the profits from just one blockbuster movie and used them to fight poverty? What if the federal government didn’t throw away hundreds of millions of dollars on obviously dumb investments like Solyndra and spent it on fighting poverty instead?

And if we had the necessary resources, would we actually be able to end poverty? Bergel says yes. What do you folks think?

Related: As it so happens, organizers are considering bidding to have the Olympics in DC/Baltimore in 2024. (WTOP, 8/6)

EDUCATION
- About 300 new students have been awarded private school education vouchers as part of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. (WAMU, 8/6)

- Montgomery schools expand autism services (WaPo, 8/6)

- Editorial: Evaluating the District’s teachers (WaPo, 8/5) “Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson is on solid ground in raising the standard for what it means to be effective.”

TEEN PREGNANCY | The District has had a lot of success with its New Heights program for teens who are expecting or have children. It is designed to keep those teens in school while connecting them to critical services like welfare, health care, and child care. With federal funding, the program expanded to 15 locations – but a cut off in federal money is threatening 13 locations.

As the program faces financial trouble, it has a strong advocate in D.C. police chief Cathy Lanier, who herself struggled to stay in school as a teen mother in D.C. (Examiner, 8/6)

LISTS | The Nonprofit Times has released its annual Power & Influence Top 50 for nonprofit leaders across the nation. (NPT, 8/6) I think I was probably ranked 51st. If only that Bill Gates hadn’t gotten in my way…

LOCAL | Poor response rates to P.G. emergency calls under scrutiny (Examiner, 8/6) In Capitol Heights, for example, more than 30 percent of calls don’t get a response within a minute.

BUDGETS | Here’s a list of the ten states receiving the most federal funding per capita. It isn’t clear if D.C. was considered, but Maryland and Virginia rank third and second, respectively. (247WallSt, 8/6)

FINAL FRONTIER | NASA’s Curiosity rover landed a little after 1:30am ET today. It was surprisingly exciting and tense to watch the room full of NASA operators as they navigated the incredibly difficult landing. Their reaction to the landing was absolutely priceless – watch this from about the 2:30 mark. And then, amidst the celebrations, Curiosity began sending us pictures from another planet. Wow.

Back on earth, other impressive things have been happening. Usain Bolt cruised in to another Olympic record in the 100 meter sprint. So, he’s gotten faster with age. And, shortly before, South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius challenged our conception of what it means to be disabled as he competed in the 400 meter semifinals. 

Hope you all enjoyed the weekend!

- Christian

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White House profiles Washington AIDS Partnership…WRAG releases new giving report…United Way seeks to have greater impact through new policies [News, 7.30.12]

July 30, 2012 By

On its website, the White House profiles the really great work that the Washington AIDS Partnership is doing with its Positive Pathways program. Positive Pathways is supported by the Social Innovation Fund and trains community health workers to identify and connect with out-of-care women living with HIV. From the blog:

During the first eight months of implementation, the Washington AIDS Partnership contacted 2,367 individuals and enrolled 268 people who had been out of care. With additional funding from the Social Innovation Fund, the program aims to enroll 500 more people.

GIVING | Today, WRAG released the latest edition of Our Region, Our Giving. The report looks at local funders’ giving and assets, as well as nonprofits that have received the most funding from our region’s funders and funding trends by issue area. Read the report here.

PHILANTHROPY | The United Way for the National Capital Area has announced a new giving strategy focused on increasing impact by supporting larger, high-performing nonprofits. The change requires nonprofits to raise more than $50,000 annually in order to qualify for funding, and that threshold potentially cuts funding for as many as 200 smaller nonprofits. Though the new policies are controversial, the Nonprofit Roundtable’s Chuck Bean says (WaPo, 7/30):

It’s a good move…It’ll enable them to focus on high-performing organizations. It won’t be without pain.

NONPROFITS | The Capital Area Food Bank has opened up a massive new distribution center – the size of two football fields – that features kitchens, warehouse storage space, and loading docks for trucks to serve more than 700 nonprofits and food pantries. According to the Post, the food bank has seen local need increase from 23 million pounds of food a year at the start of the recession to 33 million now.

The project’s capital campaign was headed by philanthropists Donald E. Graham, J.W. Marriott Jr., and Abe Polin, and construction was launched thanks to a $5 million gift from the Carlyle Group’s Bill Conway. He says (WaPo, 7/29):

I think it’s great…It’s too bad this huge need exists….We’ve got a long way to go, but we’re making progress.

- According to a new survey from the Center for Effective Philanthropy, nonprofits don’t really pay much attention to their funders’ social media. (Chronicle, 7/26)

AGING-HIV/AIDS | With big improvements in drugs and access to care, the HIV/AIDS epidemic is creating a new demographic – aging HIV-positive adults. By 2020, more than half of Americans living with the disease will be over 50. Studies are finding that afflictions that typically affect much older adults are targeting HIV-positive adults in their 50s. (WTOP, 7/27)

EDUCATION | D.C. public and charter schools show gains in math scores (WaPo, 7/26)

YOUTH…| A new study finds that the transition from child to adult is happening later in life than it used to. The “emerging adult” phase now takes place from 18-29. (WTOP, 7/30) Oh good. One way or another, I will have emerged as an adult in five months!

I’m in full Olympics mode, how about you? For example, I’ll probably have an eviction notice on my door when I get home due to all of the screaming I did during the men’s 4×100 swimming relay last night. And also due to all of the cursing I did after we finished second to France.

Oh, and is there anything more majestic than John William’s Olympic Fanfare? It’s so good!

If the games aren’t for you, then maybe you’ll enjoy this interesting PBS video about the evolution of viral videos.

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Corporate giving up 4% … Maryland has lost more jobs than any other state … Arlington streetcar moving forward [News, 7.24.12]

July 24, 2012 By

PHILANTHROPY | In a special report from the Chronicle of Philanthropy, giving by major companies nationwide rose by 4% in 2011. However, amid concerns about the economy, most companies are not planning on giving any more in 2012. Among the top ten givers were WRAG members Wal-Mart, ExxonMobil, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and Citigroup.

ECONOMY | Maryland has lost more jobs in 2012 than any other state in the country. (Washington Times, 7/23)

Related: Virginia job losses from Federal cuts may be worse than predicted. (WBJ, 7/20)

TRANSIT | Very early this morning, (or late last night, depending on how you see things), the Arlington County Board voted to follow the County staff’s recommendation and approve the streetcar as the preferred mode of transit along Columbia Pike. (ArlNow, 7/24) The street car is linked to Arlington’s Columbia Pike Area Neighborhoods Plan, which would seek to redevelop the area while preserving existing affordable housing. As you might recall, the issue of streetcars vs. articulated buses has become an issue of some controversy. And call me a geek, but the story of the original extent of the region’s streetcar network, and how the region lost their streetcars in the first place, is fascinating.

HIV/AIDS | Lots of great coverage of this issue thanks to the International AIDS Conference being in town, but here’s a highlight: “In 2005, 6 percent of all babies in the United States born with HIV were from Washington, D.C. But there’s been some progress; there hasn’t been a baby born with HIV in the District since 2009 because of better screening and medical advances.” (WAMU, 7/23)

EDUCATION | In David Alpert’s continuing series, he asks, “What could DC do to encourage diversity in schools?” (GGW, 7/23)

POLITICS | In a follow-up to yesterday’s story, the D.C. Housing Authority is trying to figure out how the Gray campaign got their hands on public housing lists in the first place. (WaPo, 7/23)

Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, died yesterday of pancreatic cancer. It’s a great embarrassment that it took the U.S. twenty years longer to send a woman into space than it took the U.S.S.R.

She was 32 when she took her first space flight, almost the same age I am now. Watching her and the succession of women who came after her in my childhood, I always thought I would go into space myself. It seems pretty unlikely at this point. But with the mission to Mars seemingly moving forward, maybe my daughter will make it!

On another note, can those who have seen both Avengers and the Batman movie please weigh in on this controversy? I’m sure Christian will have something to say about it when he gets back.

- Robin

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Rick Moyers on board lessons from UVA…Gray to chair Chesapeake cleanup council…Report says Maryland lost 31,000 wealthy residents [News, 7.10.12]

July 10, 2012 By

NONPROFITS | In his latest Against the Grain column, the Meyer Foundation’s Rick Moyers analyzes the recent University of Virginia turmoil and says that big mistakes made by the university board offer a lesson for nonprofits (Chronicle, 7/9):

For board members of all types of nonprofits, this episode should serve as a cautionary tale about what can go wrong when a board and its leaders are not clear about their roles. Trouble often erupts when people forget that boards govern, board members do not.

Related: Here’s an old article from the Nonprofit Quarterly about how personalities affect boards. (NPQ, 2003)

ENVIRONMENT | District Mayor Vincent Gray has been chosen as the new chair of the Chesapeake Executive Council, a group of the region’s officials dedicated to protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay.  The council is another great example of the power of regionalism. (Examiner, 7/10)

HEALTH | Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius writes a defense of the Affordable Healthcare Act and offers facts to counter three attacks on the bill – about costs, the burden on small businesses, and the impact on Medicare. (WaPo, 7/10)

WEALTH | A new study from Change Maryland – an anti-tax group – finds that a net 31,000 wealthy individuals left the state between 2007 and 2010, when Gov. O’Malley’s “millionaire’s tax” was in effect. The group says that the tax cost the state $1.7 billion in lost tax revenue. On the flipside, the Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute says taxes weren’t the drivers of the exodus, and new residents offset most of the exiting ones. (CNBC, 7/10)

POLITICS | It must be pretty easy to be a local politics reporter. All you have to do is recycle the same story and switch the names. This week’s conspiracy, fraud, and campaign finance violation charges go to former Vincent Gray donor/aide Eugenia Harris. (WAMU, 7/9)

LOCAL | Due to damage from the earthquake, the Washington Monument will need to be scaffolded (again) and likely won’t reopen until 2014. (DCist, 7/10) 2014? Who is managing this repair? Metro?

CORRECTION | For those of you who get the Daily via email, I forgot to add the hyperlink to Pablo Eisenberg’s article yesterday. Here it is. Sorry for the confusion.

When Paris ran out of room for cemeteries, officials dug up graves and moved the bones deep underground into the city’s extensive network of catacombs. I had a chance to visit recently, and it was a strange but impressive experience.

Well, it seems that Hong Kong is also facing an overcrowding problem, so designers have suggested unique alternative. Floating graves. Or really, a floating ship of graves – complete with a food court and worship areas. Very innovative.

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Economic crisis widens the racial finance gap…DMV ranks as one of the best for the creative class…Leggett’s support for Baker’s casino plan benefits the whole region [News, 7.9.12]

July 9, 2012 By

EQUITY | A Washington Post analysis of mortgage disclosure data finds a massive credit gap between black and white Americans:

The implosion of the subprime lending market has left a scar on the finances of black Americans…They disproportionately held subprime mortgages during the housing boom and are facing foreclosure in outsize numbers. That is raising fears among consumer advocates, academics and federal regulators that the credit scores of black Americans have been systematically damaged, haunting their financial futures.

Though the article doesn’t mention it for some reason, the corresponding data charts appear to show that Hispanics have fared about the same as blacks – at least in terms of loan rates, home equity change, and wealth. (WaPo, 7/9)

CREATIVITY | Ten years ago, Richard Florida wrote about the rise of the creative class in America – people across all sectors who “create for a living.” Florida has revised his book with new statistics ranking the country’s highest concentrations of the creative class. Our region ranks third with an impressive 46.8% of our workforce being part of the creative class. (Atlantic, 7/9)

REGION | As debate continues about the proposed Prince George’s County casino, County Executive Rushern Baker is getting support from his next door neighbor, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett. Leggett praised Baker’s efforts to explain the economic benefits of the plan, and WRAG President Tamara Copeland points out that Leggett’s support is an important demonstration of regionalism:

Ike Leggett certainly didn’t need to voice his support for the project – and he could have even opposed it on the grounds that a casino in Prince George’s County would draw entertainment dollars away from Montgomery. Instead, his support offers leverage for Baker’s economic argument. A more prosperous Prince George’s would most certainly benefit Montgomery County as well. A favorite adage continues to ring true – a rising tide in Prince George’s raises boats across the entire region.

PHILANTHROPY | Pablo Eisenberg has a theory about how funders can promote democracy – buy local newspapers (Chronicle, 7/9):

Rich donors could individually or collectively buy ailing newspapers to make certain that they continue their service as publicly minded information providers and watchdogs. Perhaps the most effective strategy might be for wealthy philanthropists to purchase the papers and convert them to nonprofit institutions…

Excellent idea. Eisenberg goes on to condemn “unaccountable institutions and corrupt politics” and suggests that local newspapers protect the free flow of information.

As a pop culture tangent (sorry, I’m a nerd), it is no coincidence that Superman - who stands for truth, justice, and the American way – works for a newspaper.

HEALTH | Deal consolidates P.G. emergency rooms (Examiner, 7/9)

EDUCATION | The Examiner breaks down the region’s charter schools by jurisdiction. As charters thrive in the District, experts say that Maryland and Virginia both have some of the worst laws governing charters in the entire country. (Examiner, 7/7)

It seems that we’ve finally (if temporarily) escaped the inferno! Congratulations are in order to all of us for surviving the heat wave. Now that we can enjoy being outside again, Summer Nights from Grease seems like an appropriate anthem – especially since somebody recreated the movie scene with Legos.

And a question for all of you. The legendary Ernerst Borgnine passed away at the ripe age of 95 this weekend – what was your favorite role of his? Mine was Dutch Engstrom in Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch.

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NoVa street car plan is about much more than transit…Huge demand for District charters…MoCo faces budget shortfall [News, 6.26.12]

June 26, 2012 By

TRANSIT (AND MORE) | There are critics of Northern Virginia’s proposed Columbia Pike Transit Initiative. Some think it is unnecessary and a waste of funds, but the Post illustrates the broader importance of the street car line (WaPo, 6/26):

They are trying to put into place a vision that would turn the traffic-clogged, sun-blasted camino of concrete into a tree-lined boulevard fronted by a diverse set of businesses. They also want to entice new businesses that will cater to the 7,000-plus new residents expected to move into 3,900 new apartments over the next 30 years.

They are talking about preserving affordable housing amid growing development pressures and expanding the counties’ tax bases. Last but not least, they want to change societal behavior by coaxing residents and commuters out of their cars and into public transit.

Related:
- This week, a group of WRAG members will visit a number of sites along the proposed streetcar line to consider how the expected economic boom caused by the project will affect the low- and moderate-income families who currently live there.

- Neighborhoods Plan Envisions Greater Density for Columbia Pike (ArlNow, 6/26)

- Sharon Bulova, chair of Fairfax County, talks about plans for Tyson’s Corner. (WaPo, 6/25)

EDUCATION | Demand for charter schools is huge in the District. The Examiner reports that there are 17,396 students on waiting lists (Examiner, 6/26):

That’s 51 percent of the total number of students successfully enrolling in the city’s public charter schools in the fall, or 33,699 children. This year, 31,562 students attended charter schools, while 45,630 attended DC Public Schools.

DEMOGRAPHICS | Slate has a short piece that looks at the District’s racial demographics from a quasi-statistical point of view (Slate, 6/26):

Because most Americans aren’t black, if a bunch of “people” go move somewhere that’s currently majority black the tendency will be for the influx to dilute the existing black population.

BUDGETS | Montgomery County facing a $71 million shortfall in fiscal 2014 budget (WaPo, 6/25) The gap is the result of increased debt payments, retiree health benefits, and rising costs for teacher pensions.

CRIME | Two little kids and an adult camp counselor were shot in Southeast yesterday in the middle of the day. Some idiot fired a dozen rounds at another man and didn’t seem to care that there were 30 kids standing there. (WaPo, 6/25) It is utterly unacceptable that these kids aren’t safe playing outside at 12:30 in the afternoon.

ENVIRONMENT | Dirty water puts Washington’s stretch of the Potomac River off-limits to swimmers (WaPo, 6/26)

So it was 66 degrees when I walked to work this morning, and the cool breeze felt like San Francisco. But since this little slice of paradise is going to be replaced by 100 degree heat at the end of the week, here’s some relevant trivia for you.

As everyone is scarfing down ice cream, slurping blended coffee drinks, and crunching ice this weekend, you can impress all of your friends by telling them what causes brain freeze!

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Homeless parents risk losing their kids when seeking out services…Patricia Mathews named to Nonprofit Roundtable board…Big demographic shifts in Prince George’s [News, 6.25.12]

June 25, 2012 By

HOMELESSNESS/FAMILIES | Family homelessness in the District has jumped 74 percent during the recession, but homeless families are facing a disturbing barrier in receiving services. If a family can’t provide a safe place to sleep for children, the parents can be reported to the Child and Family Services Agency for abuse and neglect. Homeless advocates say that this creates a “climate of fear” while the District says that it is an unfortunate but necessary tactic for keeping children safe. (WaPo, 6/24)

Related: OMB sued for not disclosing full records on federal buildings that could be used for homeless services (WaPo, 6/25)

EDUCATION | Prince George’s County schools Superintendent William Hite is a finalist to take over Philadelphia’s school system. (WaPo, 6/25) It seems like the press could have waited until a decision is made.

AGING | Here’s an in depth look at a terrible national trend – elder fraud. (WTOP, 6/23)

COMMUNITY | The Nonprofit Roundtable has elected Patricia Mathews (Northern Virginia Health Foundation) to its Board of Directors. She also currently serves as WRAG’s vice chair and is the former chair of our Health Working Group.

HEALTH
- No ruling on the healthcare law today. While we wait for the verdict, check out this interesting comparison of causes of death in the United States in 1900 compared to 2010. Fascinating! (WaPo, 6/22) The full report breaks down the decades in between.

- D.C. inmates in federal prison file suit alleging lack of mental health care (WaPo, 6/25)

GRANT REVIEW | The DC Children and Youth Investment Trust Corporation is seeking individuals to review new funding proposals for two grant competitions: Green Team: Tag Removal and Community Beautification and DC YouthLink – Service Coalition.

DEMOGRAPHICS | New census data show that for the first time in more than forty years, “the number of whites in Prince George’s is on the upswing” – as is the number of Asians and Hispanics. The county’s African American population has decreased slightly. (WaPo, 6/25)

Related: Watch These American Cities Segregate, Even As They Diversify (Atlantic, 6/25) Our region (not just the District) is one of the case studies.

Fun facts: When Napoleon Bonaparte retreated from Egypt, he brought back a collection of beautifully woven scarves. Demand for the scarves was very high, but the Egyptian production process was difficult to replicate. Joseph Jacquard solved the problem by inventing a system where punch cards would automate the patterns for looms, vastly reducing labor demands.

In America, statistician Herman Hollerith became convinced that the punch card system could be applied to other things. He invented a tabulating system for the Census Bureau that used punch cards to collect demographic information. Analysis of census data was cut down from eight years to only seven months. Years later, Hollerith’s company was run by Thomas Watson, who renamed the company International Business Machines Corporation – which eventually used punch card technology to create…the IBM computer!

I have no idea why, but Jimmy Soul’s hilarious song If You Wanna Be Happy has been stuck in my head.

And, if you have three minutes to spare, check out this artist(?) who recreated Van Gogh’s The Starry Night painting using falling dominoes.

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Data show alarming HIV rates for low-income African American women [News, 6.21.12]

June 21, 2012 By

A new study from the District’s Department of Health finds that the HIV infection rate for low-income, heterosexual African American women in the city has almost doubled in two years. Officials attribute the jump to wider testing efforts among high-risk populations revealing infections in previously untested women.

Overall, the city’s HIV/AIDS rate of new cases has decreased slightly in the last four years. (WaPo, 6/21)

Channing Wickham, executive director of the Washington AIDS Partnership, says:

The statistics on this high-risk population are alarming, and are a call to action. An important part of the story that shouldn’t be missed is that the District has made huge strides in its ability to gather useful and accurate data. With this report, the District provides information that shows us exactly where our work needs to be done.

EDUCATION | The College Board has installed a poignant reminder of the nation’s dropout rate in front of the Washington Monument. 857 empty desks sit on the lawn, representing the number of students who drop out of school each hour of every school day. The effort is aimed at making education a top priority for the upcoming presidential race. (MSNBC, 6/20) Thank you to Viki Betancourt at the World Bank for pointing this out.

YOUTH | Rebekah recaps a WRAG event that looked at disconnected youth in the District and the barriers to serving them. (WG Daily, 6/21)

WORKFORCE | From George Mason’s Center for Regional Analysis: “The Washington Metro Area gained 47,000 jobs in May 2012 compared to May 2011. This was the largest year-over-year increase since March 2011. Most of the new jobs are in the Education and Health Services Sector which increased by 16,600. The Federal Government Sector continues to shrink, declining by 3,400 jobs.” Read the full stats here.

VETERANS | The Department of Labor has awarded $15 million in grants to support workforce training for 8,600 homeless veterans. (WaPo, 6/21)

GIVING | According to a new survey, 69 percent of wealthy Americans said that they have an obligation to teach children about philanthropic giving. (Chronicle, 6/22) While that qualifies as a solid majority, what the heck do the other 31 percent think?

HOUSING | Census Bureau: Millions more Americans shared households in face of recession (WaPo, 6/21)

SARTORIAL STANDARDS | GGW has a good piece on how dress codes (federal ones, in particular) make it difficult to bike or walk to work. (GGW, 6/20) I propose a new summer dress code called “beach formal” – shorts/skirts, tucked in polos or dress shirts, and sandals. And sunscreen so the office smells like the beach.

LOCAL | Do you know where St. Elizabeths is? The District is planning summer events at the campus to familiarize the region’s residents with the location. (City Paper, 6/21) According to the District’s website (and a scolding from Rebekah), there is no apostrophe in the campus’ name. This confuses me. How many Elizabeths is the place named after? And even if it is more than one, there should still be an apostrophe! Argh!

Just a reminder that we won’t have a Daily tomorrow. Our computers will probably be melted from this heat by then anyway.

Here’s a story that will make you lose and then regain your faith in humanity. A 68-year old school bus monitor in New York was disgustingly verbally abused by a group of jerk teenagers in New York. Their stupidity was confirmed when they posted the harassment on Facebook.

Well, the video went viral and compassionate masses began donating money to send the victim on the “vacation of a lifetime.” So far, the efforts have raised $170,000. No word yet on how much has been raised to drop the teens off in the middle of a desert.

Hope you all have a nice weekend. Stay cool – and do something nice for somebody.

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Meyer Foundation’s Kristen Conte to retire [News, 6.20.12]

June 20, 2012 By

COMMUNITY | After thirteen years at the foundation, the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation’s vice president for finance and operations, Kristen Conte, will retire. Foundation President and CEO Julie Rogers offers these words of praise:

Kristen Conte

It has been an enormous privilege to work with Kristen for the past 13 years…Although she has not been highly visible to our grantees, her work has been the bedrock on which everything else rests. Kristen has created impeccable systems and policies that have kept the Meyer Foundation stable and well managed even in challenging times. She has also been a wonderful friend and colleague, and will be sorely missed.

WRAG is proud to have counted Kristen as a member, and we send our best wishes and congratulations on her retirement.

ARTS | Ten years ago, the Lorton correctional facility was creatively converted into a regional arts center. It provides theater and studio space, as well as galleries where local arts can showcase their work. But the center is in major financial trouble. (WaPo, 6/20)

HEALTH
- Kaiser Health News notes that if the healthcare law is struck down by the Supreme Court, Medicaid could be severely impacted as states would gain more control over the program. (WaPo, 6/20)

- How Cities Can Help Fight Obesity (Atlantic, 6/19)

- Lead Exposure Affecting Certain Kids In Montgomery County (WAMU, 6/20)

GIVING | Million-Dollar Donations Are on the Decline in 2012 (Chronicle, 6/20)

NONPROFITS | William C. Basl, executive director of the Washington Commission for National and Community Service, will be the new head of AmeriCorps. (Chronicle, 6/20)

BUDGETS | Opinion: The District Should Fully-Fund and Reimburse Interim Disability Assistance (DCFPI, 6/20) “Although $270 may not seem like a lot, recipients depend on this money for rent (often rent shared with others), prescriptions, and necessities like toothpaste.”

WEBINAR | PolicyLink is hosting a webinar titled The Power of Regional Equity Networks next Wednesday. The session will “explore the formation [and maintenance] of effective regional equity networks and coalitions” and look at how these networks can be instrumental in the public policy arena. [More info.]

TRANSIT | Marion Barry wants to stop work on the District’s streetcar plans. Of course, the tracks have already been laid, stations built, and cars ordered. So when he says the new system isn’t well thought-out, one might wonder why he didn’t voice his concerns when the planning and implementation was taking place over the last few years. (WaPo, 6/19)

Related: Greater Greater Washington points out that a streetcar line on H St. was actually Barry’s own idea 15 years ago. (GGW, 6/20)

POLITICS | Well, it has been a full seven days since I used the word “scandal” in the Daily. But following yesterday’s nomination of Michael Kelly to take over the D.C. Housing and Community Development agency, it has been revealed that Kelly resigned his last job in Philadelphia over a sex scandal. (WAMU, 6/20)

Today is officially the first day of summer and, wouldn’t you know it, also Brian Wilson’s 70th birthday. So grab some slices of watermelon and a cold beer (or a delicious watermelon beer), slip on your flip flops, and feel those Good Vibrations! I love summer. 

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