These top DCist stories from 2017 show what we’re missing

Editor's note: In November of this year billionaire Joe Ricketts shuttered DCist, a beloved and incisive local news source that helped hold the powerful accountable and elevate the voices of many in the city. Former Editor-in-Chief Rachel Sadon takes a look at what we're missing with a roundup of the site's best stories from 2017.

The District withstood a relentless news cycle this year, as the city reckoned with a shocking election result, as enormous protests became a quotidian reality, as the pain of not having statehood became ever more acute, as life went on, as injustices deepened here, as the city made progress there, as scandal continued to rear its head, as Washingtonians made art and music and food. While the stories continued, 2017 ended prematurely for DCist.

It was difficult to write this, our posthumous year-end “best of,” for many reasons, but the hardest part was just winnowing the list down. Even in a shortened year, we published an abundance of journalism that helped shed light on the District in a time when federal Washington has rarely loomed larger.

Our full-time staff was tiny, mighty, and entirely comprised of tenacious women. Over the span of a single day, Rachel Kurzius’ dispatches left people in stitches one moment and outraged at what she’d uncovered the next. Christina Sturdivant kept her eye on stories and neighborhoods that other journalists routinely overlook, and she gave voice to the concerns of longtime Washingtonians without trivializing or tokenizing them. Meanwhile, our freelance editors — Pat Padua, Sriram Gopal, and Travis Mitchell — expanded and reshaped our arts, music, and food sections, respectively, into vibrant coverage.

People often ask me these days about the future of local news in DC. That is an essay for another day, but it is clearly fragile. I’m overjoyed about the Washington City Paper’s Hanukkah miracle while also intensely aware that it was about as close a shave as they come. The Washington Post is still doing excellent reporting about the District, but there aren’t enough benevolent billionaires to go around and the damage that a capricious billionaire can do is evidenced by the fact that you aren’t reading this at DCist.com.

The road ahead for local journalists will need to be experimental. It will require the patience and support of its audience. If and when asked, I hope you’ll give it. In the meantime, here’s a look back at some of the best work that DCist published from Jan 1 - Nov. 3, 2017.

Will The Hyperloop, Maglev, Or Good Old-Fashioned Trains Finally Bring High-Speed Rail To DC?

“Unsurprisingly, some of the doubters are The Boring Company's established competition. The Northeast Maglev, with affiliated developer Baltimore-Washington Rapid Rail, is already in the midst of planning a high-speed, electromagnetically propelled train from DC to New York. Amtrak, the institutional rail operator in the Northeast Corridor and beyond, plans to upgrade its existing system to be faster and accommodate more passengers.”

After Governor Larry Hogan announced that Maryland had given conditional approval for the Hyperloop to build a section of tunnel, Ethan McLeod did a dive into all the options on the table for high-speed rail travel to DC.

DC Has Made Remarkable Progress Toward Ending Chronic Homelessness. Will It Continue?

“Citywide, the success rate for those who have been placed in permanent supportive housing, the program that comes with the most intensive set of services, is more than 90 percent. Advocates speak emotionally of seeing keys handed over to people who had been homeless for decades, who were considered to be consigned to a fate of sleeping on the streets.”

There’s no doubt that the District’s homelessness crisis remains a crisis, but there’s one particularly bright spot: the city has made a drastic reduction in the number of people who are chronically homeless. Rachel Sadon explained how that happened, and why advocates are hopeful that it will continue.

Dozens Of Houses Of Worship Line 16th Street NW. Here's Why

“Starting from nearly the tip of the DC diamond, 16th Street NW cuts straight down the center of the city until hitting Lafayette Square and the White House. It lines Rock Creek Park for a long stretch, passing through residential neighborhoods and commercial strips before finally hitting downtown. Along the way, it would be impossible to miss the soaring churches, ornate temples, grand synagogues, and other congregations that have lined the boulevard for decades.”

Ever wondered why 16th Street is something of an embassy row for religion? DCist contributor Deborah Wei shed some divine light on the question.

On A Columbia Heights Soccer Field, The Effects Of Gentrification Play Out

“Several dozen people were gathered, per usual, last Wednesday afternoon when a group of uniformed soccer players showed up and announced they were entitled to the field. ZogSports had received a permit to use the field on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights — leaving no other weeknight available for neighbors that call the space their second home.

“This is our way of life. After work, everyone is here on the field,” says Nico Mondesir in Spanish. “This field is our community.”“

In a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood, Rachel Sadon reported that a private soccer league’s arrival meant the end of the local community’s longstanding games. An outcry ensued and within 24 hours of the story’s publication, the league decided to relinquish the field.

WaPo Falls 'Woefully Short' In Depicting This Ward 7 Community, Neighbors Say

“Although 90 percent of River Terrace residents are African American, The Post didn't speak to one of them.

“As a native Washingtonian who left the city for college and grad school, and came back to a city that looks very different from my youth, I love that River Terrace retains some of that old DC, 'Chocolate City' charm,” said Kendra McDow, a pediatrician whose father grew up in the neighborhood.”

The Washington Post’s description of Christina Sturdivant’s neighborhood failed to shed light on either the best or worst parts of the area. She turned to both new and longtime residents to set the record straight.

Definitely Don't Let Your Dog Poop On This Guy's Lawn

“People tend to air their crap on community listservs, but this weekend, one longtime Tenleytown resident elevated his grievances with a video assist.

“Your Dog Sh*t on my Lawn,” says the straightforward subject line from Marcello Muzzatti, who included a link to a 20-second YouTube video of the incident in the email to the listserv. “and I caught you on video tape!” the body of the email says.”

Of the rich tapestry of DC life, perhaps nothing is as densely woven as the city’s colorful listservs. Rachel Kurzius told the tale of one resident’s campaign to catch an errant dog owner.

The Original Gate To The Arboretum Has Been Closed For 25 Years. Is It Time To Reopen It?

“”R Street is really isolated. It's wonderful for the people in the [immediate] neighborhood but everyone else has to go up to Bladensburg on a thin sidewalk that makes it difficult to walk or bike. You almost have to drive to New York Avenue — it's just terrifying,” says Robert Coomber, who has lived in Kingman Park for eight years and represents ANC 7D01. “We’ve got four kids. We’re not going to load them into a double stroller and walk 2.5 miles on a narrow sidewalk on Bladensburg Road … my family accesses the Arboretum all the time, but we can drive and not everybody can.”

A few months ago, a post on a neighborhood social network got the community talking: what if the original M Street gate was reopened?”

The original entrance to the Arboretum has been closed for a quarter of a century. Rachel Sadon explained why, how residents feel about reopening it, and where Arboretum officials stand on the matter.

A Heated Confrontation In Southwest Sparks Anger And Debate About Street Harassment

“He thinks that the ultimate blame for the catcalling lies with the way Pondexter-Moore's daughter was dressed. “If certain parts of a child's body are exposed, it's going to draw that type of attention,” Jackson says. “Are you going to accuse the lookers who don't know how old that child is? Or are you going to protect your child?”

Pondexter-Moore calls that whole line of argumentation ridiculous. “The only message my clothes are sending is, 'This is what I want to put on,'” she says. “If one man wears a football jersey and another man tackles the shit out of him, can he say, 'Well, your clothes say you're a football player?'”

Rachel Kurzius reported all angles of a sexual harassment incident in Southwest, then followed up by recounting what happened during a speakout about the the issue.

DC Fields Fail Safety Test As A Local Debate Over Artificial Turf Begins To Heat Up

“Neither the letter to parents nor the sign, however, detailed that more than four months had passed since the field first failed the safety test. It didn't explain why the field wasn't replaced before it crossed a critical safety threshold. Nor did the Department of General Services tell the community that ten other fields at local schools and parks had received dangerously out-of-compliance scores during a recent round of testing.

The test failures come as many of the city's fields are reaching the end of their lifespans, and as a larger debate in D.C. about the safety of crumb rubber and other artificial turf materials is brewing.

And amidst all that, city officials seem to be caught unaware that the maker of three-quarters of the city's artificial turf fields, including Janney's, has been named in more than a dozen fraud lawsuits in the United States and Canada.”

When a series of artificial turf fields failed a safety test, the government provided virtually no information to parents or councilmembers. After Rachel Sadon broke the story, DGS officials finally began to explain what happened and what they planned to do about it. Further investigation revealed that more fields had failed the test than was previously reported, and the city should have known about the problems months prior.

There Are Dolphins In The Potomac And We Know Almost Nothing About Them … Yet

“”Barack Obama could be hanging out in the Chesapeake Bay. Dick Cheney and Jimmy Carter may be frolicking in the same Potomac River waters. Lyndon Johnson could conceivably be playing with Dolly Madison nearby. Did I mention these are all dolphins?

From a base near Ophelia, Virginia, Georgetown professor Janet Mann has been naming and getting to know the hundreds of bottlenose dolphins who call the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River home for part of the year.”

A Georgetown professor and her research team have embarked on the first ever research study of the dolphins in the Potomac and Chesapeake, Rachel Sadon reported.

What's The Difference Between DC's Four New Dockless Bikeshares?

“All of a sudden, hundreds of shiny red, orange, and green bikes have appeared on DC's streets as if some kind of new bikesharing program has exploded onto the cycling scene.

Oh wait, that is what's happened!

The bikes are part of a DC Department of Transportation demonstration period to let District riders test out dockless bikesharing—a system that lets riders park anywhere they would a personal bike as opposed to a designated dock like Capital Bikeshare.”

DC went from having zero dockless bikesharing companies to four in a matter of days. Christina Sturdivant broke down how they differed.

Healthcare Protesters Have Been Arrested On The Hill 500 Times Over The Past Two Months

“Don't underestimate people with canes and wheelchairs: physical disability doesn't stop ADAPT members from engaging in civil disobedience. In fact, that's kind of their modus operandi. One ADAPT member, an older woman with a traumatic brain injury who uses a wheelchair and is affectionately called “Spitfire,” said Tuesday she has been arrested for protesting 82 times over the years. (“It'll be 83 times if I'm arrested tomorrow,” she chuckles.)”

As Republicans worked to gut the Affordable Care Act, a dedicated group of activists registered their opposition in the halls of Congress. Julie Strupp tallied up the total number of healthcare-related arrests, and introduced readers to the group behind the actions.

DC's Democratic Socialists Chapter Has Grown By 500 Percent In A Year. Now What?

“There was only one place to go on Saturday to hear someone say “The chair recognizes the comrade in the polo shirt,” and that was the convention of the DC Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.

The “big tent” left-wing organization has grown by about 500 percent in the last year — from 200 to about 1,000 current members looking to “escape capitalism,” as one of the group's official t-shirts says.”

Large-scale protests get most of the attention, but Washingtonians have reckoned with the presidential election in a wide variety of ways. One has been huge growth for the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, as Rachel Kurzius reported.

A Look At Where, When, And How Gunfire Is Detected In DC

“Almost 300 sensors are strategically placed throughout DC, covering about 20 square miles (or about a third of the city), all in neighborhoods east of Rock Creek Park. As of 2016, over 69,000 gunfire incidents in DC have been recorded using ShotSpotter technology.”

DCist contributors Jennifer Minich and Randy Smith FOIAed details about the gunshot detection system used by DC police, and then transformed it into graphs and maps that told the bigger story.

Mayor, DC Councilmembers Want Statue Of Confederate General On Federal Land Removed

“Certain things are the right thing to do regardless of the era. There are certain historical figures that should be remembered accurately, for proposing hateful ideas, and they should not be honored at any time,” Lightfoot says, 25 years after he first proposed removing the statue. “I'm just glad to know that somebody has remembered and is doing something about it.”

As the debate about Confederate statues accelerated around the country, local activists drew attention to the fact that there’s one in the District. Rachel Sadon was the first to report that the mayor and more than half the D.C. Council want it taken down, and later followed up with details about what that would take and a bill to get Congress to authorize its removal.

Trans Pool Party Attendees, Including MPD Sergeant, Were Misgendered At Public Pool

“Corado says that the recent encounter demonstrates “that whatever DPR had said to us was really just lip service. They told us 'we have taken actions and this is not going to happen,' so Saturday, I was expecting a whole new thing. Instead, after the big mess [that happened last summer], it happens again. Are you going to discount the head of the gay and lesbian unit getting misgendered and mistreated?”“

After breaking a story in 2016 about an incident where employees at Banneker pool misgendered a group of transgender visitors along with DPR’s subsequent promise of sensitivity training, Rachel Kurzius reported that a similar event occurred again over the summer, and this time it also included the woman who heads up the MPD's LGBT Liaison Unit.

Black Yogis Are Offering Alternatives To DC's Largely White Yoga Community

“In the nation's capital, black yogis are not only showing up in largely white spaces, they are instructing classes. And when they see the need, they're building communities for people who feel left outside of the traditional yoga box — whether because of their race, class, gender, or other factors — but want to engage in the sacred practice.”

The blonde twig in Lululemon leggings heading for a yoga studio is a stereotype for a reason, but it doesn’t represent the breadth of the practice. Christina Sturdivant dug into how people of color are reshaping the District’s yoga scene.

DC Schools Celebrate Being 'Bamas' Once A Year

“My 9-year-old third grader left the house yesterday wearing a black sneaker on one foot and a red Cars slipper on the other; a backwards Cleveland Cavaliers jersey; a black corduroy blazer; and blue basketball shorts.

Some DC natives would call him a bama (or bamma depending on where you fall in the spelling debate) — and that's the point.”

For exactly one day a year, it’s cool be a bama at DC schools, Christina Sturdivant explained.

Maryland Woman Has Organized The Donation Of A Million Bras, Tampons, And Maxipads

“Dana Marlowe never set out to become “the bra fairy,” and she definitely didn't bestow the title on herself. After donating plain bras, lacy bras, training bras, sports bras, mastectomy bras, bralettes, bras of every size and color under the rainbow, though, she has rather earned it.”

Two years after Rachel Sadon wrote a story about how bras and pads can be a rare luxury for homeless women, she chronicled the efforts of a Maryland woman to meet that need by creating a non-profit which has led to hundreds of thousands of donations around the world.

Transgender Service Members Share Their Stories At White House: 'Our Patriotism Shouldn't Have An Asterisk Next To It'

“”We understand what it means to put our lives on the line, and we're ready to die for this country. For [Donald Trump] to disrespect those service-members is the worst possible slap. It is a gut punch,” said Denise Brogan-Kator, a retired transgendered Navy service member.”

Hours after Trump announced that he would reinstate a ban on transgender military service members, Washingtonians showed up outside the White House in protest with the pink, white, and blue flag. Julie Strupp recounted their stories.

Fast Gourmet Owner Accuses New Sandwich Shop Of Stealing Its Recipes

“Lina Chovil, who partnered on opening Fast Gourmet at a gas station near the U Street Corridor in 2010, tells DCist that Panino Gourmet “has everything that we offered.” She says that the extensive chalkboard menu behind the shop’s counter “is basically designed the same way—they even kept our slogan which was ‘urban taste.’”

Johanna Hezchias, manager and part-owner of Panino, tells DCist “I’m not sure how you can steal a recipe for a turkey sandwich.””

After Fast Gourmet closed in March, the shop mysteriously reopened under a new name, while looking a whole lot like Fast Gourmet. Christina Sturdivant got the scoop on the dispute.

Juggalos Want No Part Of The Pro-Trump Rally That Will Be Protesting The Same Day

“I would never have thought I'd hear rallying cries that Juggalos are the savior of America. It's the weirdest thing ever,” says 31-year-old local DC juggalo Chris Fabritz, who lives in Germantown and goes by the nickname “Mankini.” “My fear is that people are supporting us because the assumption is that we're going up against the alt-right and that's not why we're here.”

You know a story that starts out quoting a man who goes by the nickname Mankini is going to be good. Rachel Kurzius told the surprisingly nuanced tale of the Juggalos long-planned march on the National Mall, which just so happened to coincide with an alt-right rally.

Dispatches From An Aquacycling Class

“5:05 pm: Okay, we’ve moved onto triceps and I’m starting to get kind of tired. We’re pulsing our arms in little increments underwater, and I feel like a Chihuahua that’s trying to doggy paddle but is failing horrifically.

5:07 pm: A group of hotel guests lays down in the reclining chairs behind the pool, watching us work out with fascination. I now know how the killer whales must feel at Sea World.”

We sent freelancer Mimi Montgomery to give the exercise fad of the moment a go, and after reading her hilarious account, we were glad we did.

A Sermon For DC Brunch, Which The American Conservative Says 'Has Replaced Sunday Worship'

“On this morning of all mornings, we give thanks to you, Oh Lord, for providing us gluten-free options, so that even the auto-immune challenged among us can enjoy the wondrous balance that carbs bring to a meal and know that your mercy knows no bounds …

We shall dip the body of Christ into our eggs, forever freeing the yolks from the purgatory of the membrane, just as God freed the Israelites from the yokes of bondage in Egypt …”

In response to a piece in The American Conservative arguing that brunch is the new Sunday church, Rachel Kurzius penned the perfect sermon for the service.

As The African American History Museum Turns One, Director Lonnie Bunch Looks Back

“It tells the unvarnished truth,” Bunch says. “I think there are people who were stunned that a federal institution could tell the story with complexity, with truth, with tragedy, and sometimes resilience. So I think the kind of honesty of it appeals to people.”

A year after the African American History Museum opened, Rachel Sadon spoke to its director about it extraordinary journey.

Guess What Happened When Fyre Festival Organizer Promised DC A Ja Rule Concert

“The party was able to secure hometown hero Wale, who did the moonwalk onstage, as its headliner instead. And unlike the Fyre Festival, the Magnises DC launch at Howard Theatre did follow through on its promise of free vodka drinks. Reportedly (and likely relatedly), one of my friends did the worm onstage. Ja Rule, however, was not a part of the deal.”

As Twitter was shaking its collective head at the fiasco of a festival in the Bahamas, Rachel Kurzius recounted what happened when a Fyre Festival organizer came to Washington.

Photos: As Families Reunite At Dulles, Lawyers Say Customs And Border Protection Is Violating Court Order

“As the crowd of hundreds at Dulles continues to chant “Let them see their lawyers,” some permanent legal residents have been permitted to leave, leading to emotional family reunions.

“I'm so relieved,” says Mohsen Khosravi, an Iranian who has been waiting all day for his cousins at Dulles, one of whom is only five years old. “Our whole family was very upset. We didn't know what to do.”

While Khosravi says that his family will celebrate tomorrow, “my dad is still in Iran,” he says. “He cannot come. We are still split in two parts. That is what this rule will do to our family—it will split us.”

Khosravi says he cannot leave the States for fear he won't be allowed back.”

After chaos broke out at Dulles in the wake of Trump’s first travel ban announcement, Rachel Kurzius filed a series of dispatches that documented the uncertainty, fear, and confusion that permeated the airport — including Customs And Border Protection’s refusal to speak with four Congressman. Photographer Alex Edelman ably captured the scenes.

How Many People Should Be Held Responsible For Smashed Windows On Inauguration Day?

“Is the entire group of protesters responsible for the windows smashed by a few of them? Would such an interpretation of the law have a chilling effect on First Amendment rights?

Dozens of lawyers packed into a courtroom at DC Superior Court on Thursday to argue these issues. It took nearly a half hour for all of the attorneys to introduce themselves, as they lined up down the aisle of the room, which was so packed that U.S. Marshals asked spectators to head to an auxiliary room streaming the proceedings. Then, when there were no seats left in that room, the court had to establish another overflow room.”

With more than 200 people facing felonies related to Inauguration Day protests, Rachel Kurzius closely followed the legal arguments surrounding the case, along with the government’s efforts to get access to defendants’ Facebook accounts. Continue to follow her work on the subject over at Washingtonian.

Why The Hell Is Fox 5's Bogus Seth Rich Story Still Online?

Chambers says that Fox 5 is also leaving itself open to litigation by keeping the story up. “The family can basically sue over false statements,” he says. “The standard that they're going to look at here is just negligence, which is easy to prove. Seth Rich is not a public figure in life. He became a public figure because of their bogus stories.”

Fox took most of the heat for publishing a thoroughly debunked conspiracy theory about Seth Rich’s murder as fact. But while the national outlet quickly retracted its article, the local affiliate — which first broke the “story” — kept it up (and it still remains there to this day). Rachel Kurzius rightfully called them out, standing on her own long history of thorough reporting on the subject.

Abandoned States: Places In Idyllic 1960s Postcards Have Transformed Into Scenes Of Abandonment

“The matchbook no longer lines up with reality. I look down through the viewfinder of my camera and up again at the matchbook, aligning the two images the best I can. Up (snap) down (snap). It feels like I'm seeing this place in some sort of dystopian View-Master, each image on the wheel darker than the next.”

Pablo Maurer’s hauntingly beautiful work ricocheted around the internet for good reason. In little more than a blink of an eye, scenes from mid-century postcards dissolve into photographs of their current, decrepit state.

Greater Greater Washington will be hosting “Pressing on: Will local journalism in DC survive?” on January 30th to take a deeper dive into Washington's local journalism coverage now and into the future. Moderated by Washingtonian's Michael Schaffer, this live event will feature a panel of current and former journalists, including Rachel herself. Check the blog next week for more details and registration information