Breakfast links: Baltimore ushers in new leadership with Brandon Scott set to take the oath of office
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Image by Koritsi-ischys licensed under Creative Commons.
Baltimore’s leadership turns over
Outgoing Baltimore Mayor Jack Young’s term ends today, and Mayor-elect Brandon Scott is scheduled to take the oath of office at noon. (Emily Opilo and Jean Marbella / Baltimore Sun, Ben Leonard / Baltimore Sun)
COVID-19 restrictions would save lives, but officials balk at the costs
Health experts say officials in the region could save thousands of lives by implementing tighter coronavirus restrictions — but officials are putting off aggressive action for fear of political criticism and economic challenges. (Robert McCartney / Post)
Map: Where rents are falling in DC
Pricier new construction apartments are driving the drop in rental prices in DC as the pandemic pushes people who would normally rent those apartments outside DC. Places with dramatic changes include Shaw, Dupont Circle, Logan Circle, Southwest Waterfront and Navy Yard. (Morgan Baskin / DCist)
The Rosslyn Holiday Inn will literally implode this weekend
The 18-story Holiday Inn in Rosslyn is set to be demolished by implosion on Sunday morning to make room for a mixed use development. Officials are warning of road closures and other safety precautions in the surrounding area. (ARLNow)
DC offers aid to unemployed residents and limits sports
DC will give some unemployed residents $1,200 stimulus payments, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Monday. The District is also suspending high school athletics and high contact sports — even though new contact tracing data shows people with COVID-19 were far more likely to have been at work, social events or dining out in the weeks leading up to their diagnosis. (Michael Brice-Saddler and Meagan Flynn / Post, DC Government)
Officials present final options for Thomas Jefferson High admissions
Fairfax County schools have arrived at two final options for changing the magnet school admissions process for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, both meant to increase diversity: a lottery system or a “holistic review” process. (Hannah Natanson / Post, Neal Augenstein / WTOP)
The fight to care for hundreds of acres of neglected woods in Ward 8
Ward 8 has more than 500 acres of forest, but that land has been neglected, overrun with invasive species and has barely any hiking trails. A group is working to change that. (Gabriel Popkin / Post)
You wanted nice things? Sorry, it’s 2020
The ZooLights Express, a lit-up truck with a dancing panda that serves as the National Zoo’s pandemic substitute for its annual ZooLights event, was already seen as an underwhelming substitute. Then the truck broke down Friday (of course). (Colleen Grablick / DCist. Tip: Chester B.)
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