Breakfast links: Public spaces are becoming packed as more activities move outside
Dining along 18th Street by Joe Flood licensed under Creative Commons.
Public spaces are getting a lot more crowded
Because of COVID-19, this summer is marked by competition for limited shared urban spaces like parks, sidewalks, and streets by restaurants and bars wanting to expand outdoor dining, protestors seeking to demonstrate against police racism, pedestrians practicing social distancing, and cars, among others. (Feargus O’Sullivan / Citylab)
New laws in Virginia include more LGBT protections
On July 1, new laws in the District, Maryland, and Virginia take effect, which include a higher minimum wage in DC, expanded community college tuition assistance in Maryland, and expanded protections for LGBT people in Virginia. (Laura Vozzella and Ovetta Wiggins / Post)
MoCo public schools will expand free meals to children this summer
On July 6, Montgomery County Public Schools will add about 50 new sites to distribute free meals from 10 am to noon, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday to students and Montgomery County children. An additional thirty sites run by community organizations will also distribute free meals. (Bethesda Beat)
Thousands sign a petition to rename Wilson High School
Following the announcement Monday by Princeton University to expunge Woodrow Wilson’s name from its campus, over 18,000 people signed an online petition to rename DC’s Woodrow Wilson High School. Area schools Stonewall Jackson High School in Prince William County and Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School in Montgomery County are also in the process of finding new names. (Eliza Berkon / WAMU, Michelle Basch / WTOP, Caitlynn Peetz / Bethesda Beat)
Ward 7 resident’s food hall idea up for a $100,000 award
Mary Blackford, a teacher-turned-entrepreneur, is one of three finalists for a $100,000 award that would go toward her idea of building a food hall on Benning Road made up of Black-owned businesses and featuring food from the African diaspora as well as a grocery store and retail area. (Aja Beckham / DCist)
Pop-up drive-in movie theaters are coming this summer
In partnership with Events DC, local collective Broccoli City received approval to run a drive-in movie theater pop up on the RFK campus, which will run for about three months beginning this summer. Union Market, which has run an annual drive-in theater since 2013, also received approval to begin operations. (Colleen Grablick / DCist. Tip: Chester B.)
The NAACP wants to move its headquarters to DC
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People signed a letter of intent to relocate from Baltimore to the future redevelopment at the Frank D. Reeves Center of Municipal Affairs on 14th Street. DC plans to turn the center into a mixed-use development. (Nathan Diller / DCist)
Try a self-guided walking tour of a Washington region neighborhood
Self-guided walking tours put together by various local organizations highlight the architecture and history of certain Washington region neighborhoods and are available via online maps or through apps. (Michele Lerner / Post)
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