Breakfast links: DC Council held 8-hour hearing on reintroduced reparations bill
![](/images/made/images/posts/_resized/40759095841_49c06a87c6_c_(2)_799_533_90.jpg)
John A. Wilson Building, the home of DC Council by angela n. used with permission.
DC Council holds 8-hour public hearing on reparations
The DC Council held a hearing on Thursday on Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie’s draft bill that would create a task force to make recommendations on the issue of reparations for slavery and structural racism. Over 100 people registered to speak, some local and some calling in from across the country. (Michael Brice-Saddler / Washington Post)
Sycamore and Oak Black-owned ‘retail village’ and business incubator opens in Congress Heights
The new timberframe facility includes boutiques, a beauty supply store, a food hall, and a “health-forward” grocery store, all owned and run by 13 Black owners who live in Wards 7 and 8. It also includes space for business incubators and mentoring for food vendors, as well as event space, and other tenants. The structure is designed to move from its current location on the St. Elizabeth’s campus after 3-5 years so that its model of supporting local businesses can be replicated in other DC neighborhoods. (Hector Alejandro Arzate / DCist, Meagan Flynn / Washington Post)
Community groups file new motion in lawsuit to stop Capital Beltway lane expansion in Maryland
A plan to add toll lanes to the Capital Beltway in Maryland continues to receive pushback. The latest motion from a coalition of environmental and preservation groups requests that a judge overturn environmental permits for the project. The groups cite, among other issues, that the state’s assessment does not account for air pollution near the highway or the impact of the lane widening on the Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 Moses Cemetery, a historic African-American cemetery. (Washington Post)
Maryland is upgrading traffic technology on US 50 on the Eastern Shore
Maryland DOT has received $11.9 million in federal funding to install technology including sensors to monitor traffic flow and adjust lights accordingly, as well as more traffic cameras and warning signs, along Rt. 50 on the Eastern Shore. Installation will start after the 2026 summer season. (Matt Pusatory / WUSA9)
Alexandria starts ‘labor of love’ at historic Douglass African-American Cemetery
The Douglass cemetery, which was used to bury approximately 2,000 Black Alexandrians between 1827 and 1974, has suffered significant disrepair and flood damage. Thanks to the years-long persistence of one city employee, the city has begun repairing walkways and the gazebo. In a few weeks, the city will start work on the drainage problems and then move on to repairing damaged headstones. (Vernon Miles / ALXNow)
Bear visiting Arlington, Roosevelt Island
A young black bear has been seen making its way through Windy Run Park, an Arlington neighborhood near the Potomac River. The same bear may also have moved on to Teddy Roosevelt Island, leading to the Park Service temporarily closing the island for “wildlife management.” Unlike the bear that was found in Brookland in early June, which had to be tranquilized and moved, officials hope this bear will move out of the city to a more rural area on his own. (ARLNow)
Have a tip for the links? Submit it here.