Breakfast links: DC launches curbside composting
DC garbage truck in residential neighborhood by Adam Fagen licensed under Creative Commons.
DC curbside compost program has begun
The pilot program, which advertised for participants back in April, has started rolling out compost bins and picking up compost. Ward 8 participants got their bins first, followed by Ward 7 the week of September 4; the rest of the wards will be getting theirs over the next few weeks. The DC Department of Public Works estimates that 10% of their residential customers are participating in the pilot program. (Jacob Fenston / DCist)
Some DC pools and spray parks staying open past Labor Day to help residents cope with the heat
DC was planning to close its outdoor pools and spray parks after Labor Day, but the early September heat wave has convinced them to extend the season to September 21. The extended hours impact two swimming pools, one each in Northwest and Southeast, and 18 spray parks. (Mike Murillo / WTOP)
Northern Virginia’s data center demand rising, exceeding region’s projected electrical capacity
While demand for data centers in Loudoun and Prince William Counties continues to grow, concerns are growing about access to electricity, leading Dominion Energy to limit electricity access to new data centers as demand outstrips projections. Availability of land is another concern, with few remaining locations in Prince William and Loudoun Counties large enough to accommodate data centers and some groups raising concerns about the land use and environmental implications. (Margaret Barthel / DCist)
Gaithersburg cancels Labor Day parade due to heat
The cancellation came after a wave of warnings from the county due to the record-breaking heat, with officials issuing a hyperthermia alert and asking residents to stay indoors, hydrated, and protected from the sun. (Em Espey / MoCo360)
The Square food hall opens for lunch September 5 at Farragut West
The collaborative space will eventually host more than a dozen stalls, and a few sit-down restaurants, seating up to 500 people indoors and outdoors. The participating chefs are focused on the weekday lunch crowd and, eventually, the happy hour crowd, which remain smaller than they were before the pandemic. (Amanda Michelle Gomez / DCist)
Maryland Eastern Shore county loses its only homeless shelter after audit
The shelter closed after auditors found multiple problems and the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development canceled the shelter’s grants. The problems included using grant funds to pay for a staff member’s personal vehicle and staff food, curfew rules that “were not respectful of clients’ rights,” and that the shelter routinely failed to link clients with needed services, with most returning to homelessness after they had stayed the maximum amount of time permitted in the shelter. (This story may be behind a paywall) (Katie Shepherd / Post)
Protestors who got the Lee statue removed in Richmond want a public gathering space in its place
Instead, the city is building a flower bed that residents perceive to be designed to be observed by cars passing around the traffic circle, rather than welcoming pedestrians. The debate about the future of the site, residents argue, is a debate about who gets to decide what places are meaningful to community residents, and how those places are memorialized. (This story may be behind a paywall) (Gregory S. Schneider / Post)
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