Breakfast links: District’s Black and white unemployment gap largest in the country
Men at work in Georgetown in April of 2023 by Jeff Vincent licensed under Creative Commons.
DC has the worst Black-white unemployment gap in the country
A recent DC Fiscal Policy Institute study finds that the Black-white unemployment gap in DC is the worst in the country. While there’s no one factor that leads to the gap, the study’s authors have pointed to a lack of transportation and the high costs of childcare as reasons. (Amanda Michelle Gomez / DCist)
MTA to shut down Laurel MARC station for ten weeks
The Maryland Transit Administration will suspend MARC service from the Laurel station, effective August 21 and ending October 29. The station is nearly 150 years old, and officials say the shutdown is necessary to update its facilities. (Luz Lazo / Post)
District students get updated SmarTrip cards for new school year
WMATA is sending DC schools updated SmarTrip cards for its Kids Ride Free program. Schools will distribute the cards to students, with new students getting them first. Last year’s cards will work through the end of September. (Valerie Bonk / WTOP)
Maryland water provider sues over “forever chemicals”
The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, which serves Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, is suing twenty chemical companies over the use of “forever chemicals,” or PFAs. The WSSC alleges these companies knowingly allowed PFAs in the water supply. (Nana-Sentuo Bonsu / FOX 5 DC)
Bridge between Reston and Vienna reopens after two years
The Hunter Mill Road bridge, which connects Reston to Wolf Trap, has reopened after two years of construction. The reopened bridge now has two lanes, with one for each direction. (Angela Woolsey / FFXNow)
Parents object to boundary changes for Arlington middle school
Arlington Public Schools is considering redrawing boundaries to address declining enrollment at Williamsburg Middle School and overcrowding at other middle schools. The new boundaries would mean students who could previously walk to school would now have to take the bus, which has caused parents from Dorothy Hamm Middle School to write a petition asking the school board to keep boundaries walkable. (Jo DeVoe / ARLNow)
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